A few years ago, I spent Easter break in Todos Santos, Mexico. I, a deviled-egg-loving North Carolinian, was determined to put together a proper holiday feast with a friend. Thankfully, the main ingredients of eggs, mustard, and mayo were easy to source. But every Southerner knows deviled eggs are about the personal flourishes—the favorite relish, the smoked paprika, the crowning wisp of a cherished local ham.

Deviled eggs are the ultimate hosting snack, and one Southerner I know went so far as to throw an entire party devoted to them. “For months we’d been sharing various deviled egg recipes we’d see on Instagram, and it was such a tease,” says Ariel Blanchard, a food writer who lives in Greenville, South Carolina. “We decided we needed to commit to enjoying some of them.”

So celebrate the deviled egg however you like them, but do take a few pointers from these super fans.

Set your priorities.

First things first, no blandness. “Eggs, no matter how they’re prepared, crave salt, so a perfect deviled egg must be generously seasoned,” says Sheri Castle of PBS North Carolina’s The Key Ingredient. “They also appreciate acidity, which can come through brine, relish, pickles, hot sauce, and even some mustards.”

Chef Dean Neff, of Seabird in Wilmington, North Carolina, warns against too much liquid in the filling: “You don’t want them to be sad and watery.”

“I am agnostic on whether any of the filling ingredients or toppings need to provide texture,” Castle adds. “But I don’t want my deviled egg to pretend to be a salad bar.”

Sam Fore, chef and owner of Tuk Tuk Snack Shop in Lexington, Kentucky, agrees that a smooth filling is key. “You just can’t do a chunky egg,” she says.

Peel like a pro.

“I love peeling eggs, a totally weird kitchen task, I know,” Fore says. “If it’s just a few, I’ll crack the entire shell by tapping with a spoon gently, then submerge the egg in ice water. This makes the egg pull back a touch, allowing the shell to slide off far easier.”

For larger batches, she shares a tip from chef Vishwesh Bhatt of Snackbar in Oxford, Mississippi: Add a handful of cooked eggs to a small saucepan, gently jostle them to crack the shells, and let them slide off with minimal assistance.

Deviled eggs topped with smoked paprika.

The great garnish debate.

Another personal memory: In Tuscany, at my friend’s agriturismo getaway, Podere Aiole, caper berries (called cucunci in parts of Italy and not to be confused with capers; these are the larger berries that develop after the buds have bloomed) grow wildly out of the stone walls. When I was visiting last year, we made deviled eggs topped with a sizable pickled caper berry.  I think about these eggs often.

For Blanchard, simplicity is key. “The joy of a deviled egg is being able to put the whole half in your mouth to experience all of the flavors and textures in one bite,” she says. “If the garnishes are too complicated or large, they become a nuisance, and nobody wants that.”

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have fun with it. On Neff’s seafood tower at Seabird there’s always a pink deviled egg—the white dyed with roasted beets—topped with Marshallberg Farm caviar. “The traditional accompaniments that go with caviar are all here in one bite of a deviled egg: capers, crème fraîche, egg.” He also says the sherry vinegar in the beet roasting liquid sneakily adds flavor and acid to the fatty deviled eggs. Genius.

Go a little bold, at least once.

“My only rule is that they must be delicious,” says Jeanne Oleksiak, the executive chef at Herd Provisions in Charleston, South Carolina, which offers a daily deviled egg during happy hour. She’s made dozens of variations, including gochujang with Japanese 7 spice and one with a carbonara filling. Her regulars and visitors go crazy for them.

“I’m clearly not a purist,” says Fore of her curry deviled eggs, which are inspired by her late aunt Sheila’s kiri hodi (milk gravy). “My deviled egg is meant to represent the favorite part of my meals at her table: her gravy with a boiled egg and sambol over a string hopper [Sri Lankan rice noodles], usually a breakfast thing for me.”

Mayo matters.

Deviled eggs should be “made only with Duke’s mayo, of course,” Blanchard asserts. “A piping bag or the simple gallon plastic bag trick is key. Trying to spoon in the filling breaks my brain, but the piping process is much less difficult, and it’s satisfying.”

Neff sees room for both Duke’s and Hellmann’s in his kitchen, but he reaches for Duke’s when he’s making deviled eggs. “They have different applications. Duke’s is much firmer and jiggly, so it adds the body we want for the deviled egg filling. We use it not just because of the flavor but also because of the weight of it.”

“Duke’s all the way,” Oleksiak says. “I love some good smooth French Dijon, and my favorite mustard is Lusty Monk [from Asheville]. It’s soooo intense! I don’t always use mayo, but when I do, it’s only Duke’s or housemade.”

Plate it pretty.

“I love that deviled eggs have their own dedicated serving plate,” Castle says. “You know a dish has cultural importance when it warrants its own vessel.”

The gold-rimmed Anchor Hocking plate is the OG. (You’ve seen it: A shiny white serving platter with egg-shaped indents. G&G editor CJ Lotz Diego used that one faithfully until she discovered Bridgman Pottery’s gorgeous and handmade version, which nods to classic blue-and-white china patterns.)

Bridgman Pottery’s deviled plate.

Other twists include this cheeky stunner with funny faces, from Mawa Ceramics in North Carolina. “We sort of got nominated to bring the deviled eggs to our friends’ potlucks, which we have a lot of here in Asheville,” co-owner Mads Ludvigsen says. “We like mixing entertainment with food, and when you pick up your egg, you never know if you’re going to reveal a ‘good egg’ or a ‘bad egg.’”

Mawa Ceramics’s playful deviled egg plate.

Blanchard loves the vintage deviled egg trays found in your granny’s cupboard, but offers a smart tip in a pinch: “If you don’t have one of those, rough sea salt on a platter offers stability—or pipe a tiny spot of filling on a tray as glue and place halves on top.”

How many are appropriate to eat?

“Eight halves (four total eggs) is reaching peak consumption,” Blanchard says. “You’ll hit a wall and wish you had something to cut through the richness—a leafy salad or fresh fruit would be ideal.”

“I’ve seen people house two to three orders of deviled eggs,” Fore says. “I like to keep it to three halves. They’re packed full of protein and we gotta save room for more snacks.”

“Keep going until you start showing,” says Jessica Wassil, co-owner of Mawa Ceramics. “But be sure to save some for the other guests.”

Castle makes a fair and final point: “No matter how many deviled eggs are at any event, no matter the ratio of eggs per person, there is never any left to go to waste.”