My response to the question “what’s my go-to food?” is invariably salad. Except it’s not just old salad; it’s egg salad! Salads are my favorite. You can whip these up in no time at all, and they’re airy, crisp, and tasty. If I tell my mom I had egg salad for supper, she’ll usually chuckle. “Are you a vegetarian, girl?” is her go-to teasing question. I mean, I do, but there’s just something irresistible about a well-made egg salad that makes me need more.

It turns out there’s a hidden ingredient that elevates the already great egg salad to a whole new level. I thought I had it figured out. Who taught me this, anyway? Amazing chef Carla Hall, of all people. My egg salad game was utterly upended when she revealed this life-altering tip on Instagram.

The fundamentals of egg salad preparation are worth discussing first. Whisk together the eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, onion, chives, salt, and pepper; these are basic ingredients that you likely already have on hand. A simple egg salad may be prepared according to these steps: