Classic Creamy Egg Salad Sandwich

Steps

Kid helper. A child can do steps 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9: no knife, no heat. Steps marked “Grown-up” use a knife or heat. Cooking with kids

1. Set the 8 eggs in a saucepan and add cold water to cover them by 1 inch.
   Grown-up: heat
2. Bring the water to a full

   boil (how to boil)

   Boil Heat liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. 1. Use a pot big enough that the water fills it no more than three quarters.2. Cover it to boil faster, over high heat.3. Salt pasta or vegetable water once it boils.4. Add the food, stir, and bring it back to a boil before you start timing. Done when: A rolling boil keeps bubbling hard even when you stir. Safety: Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove, and drain pasta into a colander in the sink, pouring away from you. Steam burns fast: lift lids and foil away from your face, tipping the far edge up first.How to boil water for pasta and vegetables: mistakes to avoid

   over high heat.
   Grown-up: heat
3. Turn off the heat, cover the pan and let the eggs sit in the hot water until the yolks are fully cooked.
   ⏱ Eggs stand: 12 minGrown-up: heat
4. Fill a bowl with ice water. Move the eggs into it with a slotted spoon and let them cool.
   ⏱ Ice bath: 5 minKid step
5. Peel the eggs under cool running water, starting from the wide end where the air pocket is.
   Kid step
6. Chop (how to chop)

   Chop Cut food into bite-size pieces that don't have to match exactly. 1. Cut a flat side on round food and lay it on that side so it can't roll.2. Slice the food into strips about as wide as the pieces you want.3. Turn the strips and cut across them.4. Rock the knife over any big pieces until they are about the same size. Done when: The pieces are close enough in size to cook in the same time, about ½ inch unless the recipe says otherwise. Safety: Keep the fingertips of your guiding hand curled under, knuckles toward the blade, and set the board on a damp towel so it can't slide.How to chop vegetables and herbs: mistakes to avoid

   the eggs into small pieces and put them in a bowl. For a smoother salad, mash them with a fork instead.
   Grown-up: knife
7. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, celery, chives, salt and pepper.
   Kid step
8. Stir gently until everything is coated. Taste and add more salt if needed.
   Kid step
9. Spread the egg salad on 4 slices of bread, add lettuce if using, sprinkle with paprika and top with the remaining bread.
   Kid step

Tap an underlined word for how to do it, or see all techniques.

Tips

• Eggs that are a week or two old peel more easily than very fresh ones.
• Pack egg salad with an ice pack. It shouldn't sit out more than 2 hours.

Storage

Refrigerate the egg salad up to 3 days. Unpeeled hard-boiled eggs keep up to 1 week.

Make ahead

Boil and chill the eggs up to 5 days ahead.

How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage.