I’ve noticed recipes for scrambled eggs these days go out of their way to brag about how creamy it makes them. That sounds disgusting to me. I don’t want Egg Porridge. Wasn’t “fluffy” the adjective of choice for scrambled eggs? I guess tastes have changed, maybe?
Scrambled eggs seems to be one of those things that everybody does differently. I, too, am not for the creamy kind of scrambled eggs, no matter what Gordon Ramsay says. Moist, and with tender, large curds, but not what I would call creamy. I don’t put anything in my scrambled eggs but salt and pepper, and the way I like them, it takes about one minute on the pan to cook them. I also enjoy “pan scrambled” eggs, where the eggs are cracked into the pan, and scrambled in the pan, but not so much that they’re homogeneous, but still with distinct streaks of white and yolk.
I was going to add scrambled eggs to the breakfast rotation, so I reviewed Mark Bittman’s recipe from his book, “How to Cook Everything”. But his recipe takes like twenty minutes to cook the eggs, and my usual method is a lot quicker than that.
When in doubt, I order them ‘hard scrambled’. If they ask what that means, I tell them I don’t like them runny.
Two eggs in a bowl. Add some cream when I have any, otherwise add milk, and salt and pepper. Beat well with a fork. (Unlike pulykamell, I never liked big chunks of egg whites in my scrambled eggs when I was growing up.) Pour into a hot pan (‘6’ on the electric stove) with butter in it. Let the bottom set, as if I was making an omelette. Fold the eggs with a spoon to scramble them. Keep stirring them around, and turn off the element just before they’re done. Keep turning and serve immediately.
The eggs are ‘creamy’ flavour-wise, but are ‘fluffy’ shape-wise.
I view creamy scrambled eggs as a different dish from the scrambled eggs I grew up on. Both are good, just like both over easy and hard boiled are both good. They are just different.
It took me a long time to really grok creamy scrambled eggs though and they are a lot of work to make and if you over or under cook them even a little they are weird and gross. Same with a traditional French omlette which is almost like an egg crepe with creamy scrambled egg filling rather than an American omlette. Because it’s not what is typical, it takes a bit of time to wrap your head around it.
I think these articles from serious eats with pictures really help.
Eta:accidentally hit post too soon.
Links:
I have successfully made the spoon able recipe once. But only once.
Same here. It always surprises me to learn just how many people put some kind of dairy in their scrambled eggs (typically, milk or cream). Not that it’s bad-tasting or anything … just that it seems to be more fuss.
If one were to survey all humans on earth who prepare something they conceive of as “scrambled eggs” at least a few times a month: what would be the “default” recipe for scrambled eggs? With cream/milk or without?
I am with you here – assuming “creamy scrambled eggs” equals “eggs scrambled with cream/milk”.
Ah, no. I mean creamy as opposed to fluffy. See the first link at the bottom of my last post. I like a drop of milk in my scrambled eggs either way. But just a drop.
A good scrambled egg will hold its shape(s). For such a simple thing its amazing how many people screw eggs up, either fried, poached, or scrambled. I think a splash of milk improves them, but it’s not necessary.
I wouldn’t add cream or milk, just butter to cook with: melt butter, pour in the beaten egg, turn up the heat a bit till the bottom starts to solidify, turn down the heat and keep stirring/scraping till you get the consistency you like. In my prejudice, I assume that’s the default. Except for hotel buffet breakfasts, god only knows what they do to them.
I had a chef once explain to me that he takes out the whites, whips them separately and then adds them back into the yolks. This might explain my pet theory that the better the hotel/restaurant, the worse their scrambled eggs.
I like a little milk to help with creaminess. The real key though is to avoid overscrambling during cooking. I let them sit for a while the bottom cooks and then flip over large chunks to cook without chopping into little bits. Similar to cooking a steak instead of ground beef. Then you want to remove from heat and put in a bowl with a lid while they’re still a bit creamy. They will still cook a bit more while cooking and will end up just creamy enough to have perfect flavor.
The way I make scrambled eggs will probably be seen as sacrilegious by some of you. I chop up some pepperoni into little pieces and fry it in the pan a bit. Then I crack the eggs into the pan, add a liberal amount of shredded cheddar cheese and add some of Paul Prudhomme’s Pizza and Pasta seasoning (the spicy version). Then I scramble it all around together, just enough so it’s a bit moist and not completely chunky, but mostly dry. The melted cheese holds it together.
Sausage patties or bacon on the side and an English Muffin with peanut butter make it a complete breakfast. Maybe some fruit, if you want to be all healthy about it.
I like them in between creamy and hard scrambled. To where the curds are solid and there is no runniness but when you bite into them they are juicy. Which means no restaurant can get it right. So I only eat them at home where I can judge their doneness.
Scrambled eggs should have the texture of porridge. It is a spoon food. If you need to cut it to get a bite, it’s just a messed up folded omelette.
No, they shouldn’t.
Yes they should. Sometimes. Different foods.
I saw a recipe by Alton Brown in this morning’s paper for “the best scrambled eggs”, with mayonnaise and water instead of cream, and butter in the pan.
I love AB, but he goes way off the reservation sometimes.