How to Keep Deviled Eggs From Sliding Around

My family is big on deviled eggs, so much so that we have multiple vintage divoted platters for serving them. The divots keep the eggs in place during transport, preventing them from sliding around the platter or onto the floor. I love mine, but I recognize that not everyone has the space for a devoted deviled egg platter.

A rimmed plate or platter will keep eggs from slipping off the entirely, but failing to secure them beyond that can leave them careening around the serving vessel and crashing into each other like little bumper cars. Beyond the risk of filling spillage, the serving dish just looks better when the eggs stay put, rather than gather on one side. Luckily, there are a couple of workarounds for this (admittedly small-scale) problem.

Workaround #1: Use a little of the filling as an adhesive

Over the weekend, I went to a fancy restaurant and enjoyed a nice (outdoor) birthday meal with my friend (and Lifehacker alum) Virginia. We started with deviled eggs, beef tartare, wedge salads, and martinis, and finished with a bottle of wine and some steaks. The deviled eggs were delivered on a slick piece of wood, yet they stayed put during transport.

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Credit: Claire Lower

As you can see from the photo above, extra filling was key here: The yolk-filled egg halves were secured by a little dollop of deviled filling piped directly onto the board. When placed atop of filling, the eggs’ bottoms were held securely in place, preventing slippage and slide-age (and providing even more tasty filling).

Workaround #2: Get some roughage on the plate

If you don’t have filling to spare (or simply do not want to spare it), you can get some greenery involved. Spinach, shredded iceberg, or even a bagged slaw mix will grip the egg bottoms, keeping them from sliding around. Arrange large leaves (like radicchio) artfully on the plate, fanning them out so the leaves curve up, then set the eggs in the leaf cups. It doesn’t really matter what kind of roughage you use, as long as the roughage itself is not slick. (Cucumbers, for example, would not work very well.)