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You’ve Been Cooking Scrambled Eggs Wrong This Whole Time
Bustle ^ | April 17, 2021 | Kay Leong

Posted on 04/17/2021 1:32:39 PM PDT by be-baw

Scrambled eggs are just one of those foods. You know, the type that seem simple enough in theory, and yet have somehow generated many tutorials, hacks, and recipes — each only slightly tweaked from the last but still garnering their own loyal following. Perhaps Chrissy Teigen’s recipe is your holy grail, or you swear by Anthony Bourdain’s. Well, I’m sorry to tell you that there’s a new contender in town: J. Kenji López-Alt’s viral recipe that promises the fluffiest, creamiest scrambled eggs with the help of one unexpected ingredient. Maybe it’s time to reconsider your favourite?

The American chef’s secret trick? Adding starch. In an article for the New York Times, López-Alt explains that he stumbled upon this hack by way of Mandy Lee, a Vancouver-based Taiwanese food blogger who runs the website Lady & Pups. Cooking for her sick puppy, Lee found that adding cornstarch to her eggs allowed them to remain silky and soft. Multiple experiments with starch were able to replicate this result, even when the eggs were cooked over high heat.

In fact, the use of starch to enhance egg recipes is not entirely a new phenomenon. It is a common ingredient used in Chinese cooking to keep omelettes fluffy on the outside while crispy on the outside.

But how does this figure into your morning scrambled eggs? López-Alt claims that applying this technique speeds up cooking time, writing that, “it takes on new life when combined with Mr. Boulud’s cold cubed butter and my own modest evaporation method of gauging proper pan temperature...now even my weekday morning eggs can be as velvety and tender as I’d like.”

Without further ado, here’s López-Alt’s recipe.

What you’ll need: two teaspoons of starch (potato, tapioca or cornstarch will do), four tablespoons of cold unsalted butter (cut into quarter inch cubes), four eggs and a pinch of salt.

He then adds the starch to one and a half tablespoons of water to form a slurry. He adds half the butter cubes, eggs and salt to this slurry and whisks it till it’s combined and frothy.

To properly gauge the heat of the pan, he adds a little water — roughly a tablespoon — to it. The water helps to regulate the heat of the pan, and once it’s almost fully evaporated, that’s a sign that your pan is at the right temperature, just above 100 degrees celsius or 212 degrees fahrenheit.

In the pan, melt the remaining butter until it is almost fully melted, which should take about 10 seconds. Take caution to ensure the butter doesn’t brown. Add the egg mixture to the melted butter, and using a spatula, push and fold the eggs. Do so until they just slightly underdone compared to how you usually take your eggs, because the remaining heat will continue cooking them. It should only take about a minute or two, depending on your preferred doneness. Et voilà — scrambled eggs!

It sounds simple enough doesn’t it? And it looks delectable too — López-Alt pairs his luscious eggs with two slices of toasted bread. A perfect breakfast. Why not give it a try? You can thank us later.


TOPICS: Food
KEYWORDS: dsj03; eggs; scrambledeggs
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To: be-baw

I despise Kenji’s politics, him being to the left of Mao, but he can cook. I will give him that. Unfortunately, in his utopia, bark soup will be all there is for dinner.


41 posted on 04/17/2021 2:01:44 PM PDT by LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget
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To: be-baw

**


42 posted on 04/17/2021 2:03:08 PM PDT by MountainDad (A strong man stands up for himself. A stronger man stands up for others. Support your local militia.)
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To: be-baw

I sprinkle in a little pepper or Tony’s


43 posted on 04/17/2021 2:03:45 PM PDT by Married with Children (At)
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To: be-baw

No I have not. I do not cook scrambled eggs.


44 posted on 04/17/2021 2:04:03 PM PDT by a fool in paradise (Lean on Joe Biden to follow Donald Trump's example and donate his annual salary to charity. )
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To: be-baw

No thanks... Over easy please.


45 posted on 04/17/2021 2:04:49 PM PDT by Bullish (CNN is what happens when 8th graders run a cable network.)
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To: be-baw
Except does it really require Anthony Bordain to explain how to cook scrambled eggs? I could cook them when I was 8 years old. Or are people just ridiculously picky about preparing a staple?

As long as the eggs aren't those nasty powdered ones we got on those rare occasions qe got hot breakfast on a field exercise, who cares? You'd have to be moron to ruin a dish that requires only one freaking ingredient.

46 posted on 04/17/2021 2:05:12 PM PDT by Bruce Campbells Chin
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To: be-baw

I find adding a tablespoon of milk, when I microwave my eggs, has that fluffy effect.


47 posted on 04/17/2021 2:06:37 PM PDT by Jonty30 (What Islam and secularism have in common is that they are both death cults. )
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To: al baby; Gamecock; SaveFerris; PROCON; mylife

48 posted on 04/17/2021 2:08:54 PM PDT by Larry Lucido (Donate! Don't just post clickbait!)
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To: Sacajaweau

Cornstarch....I use it on many occasions mostly add to stews to thicken gravy.
But found it to be great for potato wedges.


How does that work?
Dip wedges in oil or butter and spices including the corn starch?


49 posted on 04/17/2021 2:08:56 PM PDT by Freedom56v2 (If I wanted to live in China, I would move there!)
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To: Do_Tar

I learned to never hard boil eggs in the microwave.
You might blow the door off of the microwave in a SCIF...


50 posted on 04/17/2021 2:10:42 PM PDT by EEGator
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To: be-baw

Just use cream instead of milk, the eggs will be plenty fluffy.


51 posted on 04/17/2021 2:11:27 PM PDT by csvset (tolerance becomes a crime when attached to evil)
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To: be-baw

I’ll stick with Jacques Pepin’s technique. Simple, nez pas?


52 posted on 04/17/2021 2:13:05 PM PDT by llevrok (I'm old enough to remember when the quarantine was to be 2 weeks)
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To: gr8eman; Ouderkirk

Half & Half works great. Scrambled eggs aren’t complicated.


53 posted on 04/17/2021 2:21:50 PM PDT by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit..)
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To: be-baw

Following


54 posted on 04/17/2021 2:22:26 PM PDT by chicagolady (Mexican Elite say: EXPORT Poverty and Let the the Stupid AmericanTaxpayer foot the bill !)
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To: be-baw

This is easy.

1 tbspn of bacon fat over medium low (leaning towards low) heat.

beat eggs with just a touch of milk. Pour in pan. Constantly stir. Take out when soft scrambled (not creamy scrambled - difference of about 10-15 seconds).

Sourdough toast with butter.

Good stuff.


55 posted on 04/17/2021 2:23:29 PM PDT by GeorgiaDawg32
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To: Cletus.D.Yokel

adds half the butter cubes, eggs and salt to this slurry and whisks it till it’s combined and frothy. ::

It calls for cold butter.
Whisking until frothy will take about 20 minutes.
Ain’t nobody got time for that!
Takes less time to drive to waffle house.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hmmm I had different take...

I read article and watched video (entire process took 10 min or so).

Maybe I missed it, but nowhere did it say or seem to take 20 minutes to make frothy...Don’t have to disolve/melt the butter.

My take, Faster, tastier, and cheaper than Waffle House. Eh based on other poster’s comment, maybe safer too ;)

Have a good evening.


56 posted on 04/17/2021 2:23:31 PM PDT by Freedom56v2 (If I wanted to live in China, I would move there!)
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To: Telepathic Intruder

As with flour, corn starch is an easy way to thicken-up gravies and soups.


57 posted on 04/17/2021 2:23:51 PM PDT by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit..)
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To: Bruce Campbells Chin; Karliner; Mariner; Fungi; CodeToad

How do y’all make scrambled eggs? I might try to make them your way and report back on how they were.


58 posted on 04/17/2021 2:23:55 PM PDT by be-baw
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To: oldasrocks

That’s an omlet.


59 posted on 04/17/2021 2:24:22 PM PDT by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit..)
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To: be-baw

I prefer the Gordon Ramsey way. It relies on technigue. Not ingredients. He uses it to test a chef for expertise.


60 posted on 04/17/2021 2:24:35 PM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (If liberals had a conscience, they wouldn't be liberals. )
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