Month: May 2014

How Many Cooks Does it Take to Make Scrambled Eggs?

“…but I know how to cook scrambled eggs.” That’s the usual answer from an inexperienced cook. The problem is scrambled eggs can be actually one of the more difficult foods to make, because there’s so many variations how to do it “right” (here’s a piece about the many variations). And these variations result in different flavor profiles not just from different ingredients, but from different cooking methods as well. Here are my two favorite ways:

Gordon Ramsay’s French-style Eggs

Ramsay opts for the low and slow cooked eggs. Add salt and dairy (creme fraiche) at the end because the eggs are delicate and “alive.” This has been my preferred method for a while now.  They result in moist, pudding-like eggs with small, tender curds. The flavor is more buttery and very savory. These are NOT fluffy and airy. If you thought this method resembles making custard, you’re right. It’s pretty much curdled custard without the sugar.

Cook’s Illustrated Fluffy Eggs

If you’re familiar with Cook’s Illustrated (aka America’s Test Kitchen), they get very detailed with their recipes. Long story short: their cooking method requires scrambling over medium-high heat just until your spatula can run through the wet eggs and leave a space, then fold the eggs over low heat until they look almost done. Plate it immediately and the result is perfectly fluffy, airy eggs with a lighter egg flavor than Ramsay’s buttery egg “pudding.” It just took me a few seconds to cook a pair of eggs.

If you want more ADD-like details,

  • use a smaller frying pan (10 inches max for 8 eggs, smaller for less eggs), which helps create the fluffy volume in the eggs when the water evaporates during the cooking.
  • Add an extra yolk or two to maximize the egg flavor (I consider this optional)
  • Use half-and-half, which has the best water-to-fat ratio for eggs (milk was fine)
  • Salt the eggs before cooking as it helps loosen the proteins
  • Don’t overbeat the eggs

Here’s the Cook’s Illustrated recipe