Even The Joy of Cooking does not give ingredient measurements for Deviled Eggs. Contrary to my usual fussiness over quantities, I just mix up Deviled Eggs without measuring anything. In case you want measurements, the ones below are reasonable approximations for an average batch of Deviled Eggs.
Many people add various things to Deviled Eggs. My mother had a penchant for tiny-diced sweet gherkin pickles in her Deviled Eggs, which were justifiably famous throughout her vast circles of friends and acquaintances all over Virginia. However, I prefer no surprises in my Deviled Eggs.
The only challenging part of Deviled Eggs is peeling the hard-boiled eggs. After much experimentation, I discovered a method for eggs that peel easily–see the recipe for Hard-Boiled Eggs or the recipe for Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs.
12 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1/4 cup mayonnaise (4 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons apple-cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
(optional) paprika for sprinkling on top of eggs
Cut the eggs lengthwise and put the yolks in a medium bowl. Add everything else except paprika to the yolks in the bowl. Using a fork, mash it all together. Taste to see what you need. Some people like more mustard. If an egg white falls apart, just eat it or throw it away. Put the extra yolk in with the others.
Even the most diligent mashing with a fork will not get rid of all the little lumps. Do not worry about them. Using a teaspoon, fill each of the egg white halves with the yolk mixture. Arrange on a deviled-egg plate, if you have one, or really any kind of plate. If your audience will not protest, sprinkle the eggs with paprika for color.
Most people love deviled eggs and don’t get them often enough, so you are unlikely to hear complaints about paprika or whether your plate is a real deviled-egg plate. But if, like me, you have a weakness for china and glass, a splendid assortment of deviled-egg plates can be found on eBay. The glass plate with hobnails shown in the picture above costs $7.95. My mother had two plates just like it, but the one above came from eBay.