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.
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.
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I sprinkle in a little pepper or Tony’s
No I have not. I do not cook scrambled eggs.
No thanks... Over easy please.
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.
I find adding a tablespoon of milk, when I microwave my eggs, has that fluffy effect.
Cornstarch....I use it on many occasions mostly add to stews to thicken gravy.
But found it to be great for potato wedges.
I learned to never hard boil eggs in the microwave.
You might blow the door off of the microwave in a SCIF...
Just use cream instead of milk, the eggs will be plenty fluffy.
I’ll stick with Jacques Pepin’s technique. Simple, nez pas?
Half & Half works great. Scrambled eggs aren’t complicated.
Following
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.
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.
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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.
As with flour, corn starch is an easy way to thicken-up gravies and soups.
How do y’all make scrambled eggs? I might try to make them your way and report back on how they were.
That’s an omlet.
I prefer the Gordon Ramsey way. It relies on technigue. Not ingredients. He uses it to test a chef for expertise.
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