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.
fluffy
Me too reference bump?!
;-)
is anybody else sick of our betters telling us what to do and how to do it and that we’re so stupid that we can’t make scrambled eggs properly?
That's pretty much it. I suppose you could add anything else you'd like to that, like cheese, peppers, or whatever, but that doesn't require a recipe, and that has nothing to do with the actual cooking of the eggs anyway.
Nah. The key is to use a whisk and get lots of air bubbles in them before pouring them in the pan.
I don't seem much picky about Bourdain's method of cooking scrambled eggs. His approach works for him and is down to earth. I've tried his technique before, which is exceptionally simple. On the other hand, I have seen people who use the same ingredients as Bourdain and different technique that make really lousy scrambled eggs. But that is a personal preference and everyone has personal preferences or none at all. There's no supreme judge of what is correct or incorrect in cooking or eating.
barf!
Classic French scrambled egg recipe. Thanks for the link. His eggs looked great but, man, he sure puts a lot of arm work into it with all that constant whisking.
No cooking fat, no salt, no pepper? What kind of pan do use? Non-stick?
That’s pretty much how I do it. A splash of milk if I have some mostly as an emulsifier. Low heat (pre-heating) while I scramble in a bowl. Then pour, scrape and turn regularly with a spatula, and I move them off the heat before they’re done. Pan is hot enough to finish the job. Doesn’t take long. I don’t make them soggy but I don’t really see the need to cook them too much either. The wife likes to melt butter on the pan first but I don’t. Just keep the eggs from baking onto the pan and they clean up easily enough.
As you said anyone can gussy up a dish but at some point you meddle with it and it’s no longer “scrambled eggs”. It’s something else. Which is all good. Just not for me.
That's pretty much it. I suppose you could add anything else you'd like to that, like cheese, peppers, or whatever, but that doesn't require a recipe, and that has nothing to do with the actual cooking of the eggs anyway.
It isn't complicated.
Here’s what I like. ( for breakfast fast leaving for work )
Toasted English muffin or croissant with some kind of really good cheese sharp cheddar pepper jack etc
Fry in a pan with some butter mushrooms peppers spinach sun-dried tomatoes almost anything else
throw in an egg at the last minute ; stir together till egg is cooked
throw it on top. Run to work
What heat setting on your burner do you use? How do you know when the eggs are done?
I add yogurt water to the eggs along with turmeric and Adobo
To me, the simpler the better. You need only eggs, butter, salt & pepper. No water, milk, cream, starch, or other “improvements”. The biggest mistakes to my mind are a pan that is too hot, or not whisking enough to get air bubbles into the eggs. Chefs decry whisking them too much. I disagree - you need the air of a good whisk to create a good, fluffy texture.
Whisk the eggs vigorously with a salad fork. Add a pinch of salt and black pepper while mixing.
Melt about a tsp of butter in an omelette pan. The pan should be medium heat, or maybe a tad less. More and the butter browns and the eggs get dry; less and you get a runny mess that sticks to the spatula.
Pour in the egg mix and allow to begin setting.
Fold the eggs over themselves. This allows them to “rise” and retain the airiness you beat into them. Keep turning and folding so the “down” side has nothing more than a moist sheen. If dry, you waited too long to turn or fold them.
When done properly, they’ll be moist (but not runny), and airy or fluffy.
Serve with a good southern biscuit or 2, and maybe some bacon and cantaloupe.
Yum!
Every single time I read one of these articles, I cringe. I’ve read to add mayonnaise, too. That’s the ingredient some fancy hotel uses. I don’t think we need to add a thing. Most people overcook their scrambled eggs. It also helps if one has chickens - I do - since the freshest eggs are the BEST.
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