Four Secret Ingredients to Give Your Scrambled Eggs More Umami

lifehacker ^

[mylife]

Like a mother with her children, I have a hard time picking favorites when it comes to egg preparation methods. As my esteemed colleague Stephen Johnson has pointed out, cooking eggs can literally teach you how to cook. They truly give us so many gifts.

I’ve been on a bit of a scramble kick recently. I enjoy cooking scrambles because they take well to last minute tweaks and additions: You can dash and sprinkle them with a wide variety of sauces and seasonings, impulsively and without much measuring (my favorite style of cooking).

As you may know, I am a big fan of umami, and that enthusiasm been reflected in my most recent scrambles. Here are a few of the impulsive, last-minute, umami-boosting additions I’ve been playing around with.

Add onion powder for subtle savoriness On a lark, I added the last bit of onion powder from an almost empty jar, and was rewarded with deeply savory eggs, with lovely notes of toasted allium. The effect was delicious, but subtle enough to qualify as a “secret ingredient.” You, and anyone else you feed these eggs to, will notice that they taste better, but the yolk tempers the onion so it doesn’t scream “onion powder.” A pinch or two per egg is all you need (depending on how fresh your onion powder is, of course).

Add soy sauce for deep, rich saltiness Unlike onion powder, soy sauce isn’t subtle. It barges into your scramble screaming “UMAMI” and “SALT,” and honestly your eggs are the better for it. Just a splash adds dark saltiness and a touch of fermented umami that punctuates the richness of the egg. I prefer to do a low and slow scramble when soy sauce is involved; sometimes I add a little mirin for sweetness.

[Southside_Chicago_Republican]

I had to look up umami to see if I wanted more of it.

[wally_bert]

Learned a lot from Alton.

[PIF]

Black Bean Sauce

[mylife]

Jacques Pepin? is dat you?

[kiryandil]

[kiryandil]

Yes, tamari.

[doorgunner69]

No diced habaneros?

[kiryandil]

My tarragon bushes are 5 feet high. Will try.

[kiryandil]

Yeast flakes, also.

[CommerceComet]

Of course, all recipes are matter of personal taste. I have eaten several modifications to scrambled eggs but nothing beats this IMO.

Early morning in an isolated camp site. Bacon is fried in a pan (and in this scenario, there is no such thing as too much bacon). Eggs are then cracked open into the pan of bacon grease. Nothing added to the eggs. Season the eggs with black pepper after they are taken from the pan. Serve with the bacon, hash brown potatoes (also cooked in bacon grease), buttered toast, and black coffee. [Works great with eggs over easy, too.]

I told this to a friend of mine who is a cardiologist and he told me not to eat that too often but that the next time I have that breakfast to invite him.

[mylife]

[Valpal1]

Black bean sauce with a side of pickled red onion.

[Jeff Chandler]

My Scrambled Eggs:

1. Mix the eggs in a bowl with a dollap of heavy cream.
2. Heat a pan at medium hot, add a good sized chunk of butter.
3. When the butter is mostly melted, pour in the eggs and lower the heat.
4. Allow the eggs to set, but not burn. Turn large portions at a time with a silicone bowl scraper, but DON'T OVERDO, just enough to keep the bottom of the eggs from drying. If you turn too often, you will end up with tiny curds instead of thick, glorious scrambled eggs. The farther along the cook, the less you should turn. If you're worried about burning, turn down the heat and take your time.
5. When closing in on done, turn off the heat and continue turning IF NEEDED. Watch closely and resist the urge to turn just one last time.
6. When the eggs are still moist and tender but not wet, pull the pan from the burner. Season and serve.

[mylife]

not a habenaro fan, not great flavor

[doorgunner69]

The little character that started it all.

[mylife]

amen on the bacon lard

[Jeff Chandler]

Early morning in an isolated camp site. Bacon is fried in a pan (and in this scenario, there is no such thing as too much bacon). Eggs are then cracked open into the pan of bacon grease. Nothing added to the eggs.

That.

[Magnatron]

Maybe Pierre Delecto…? 😂

[mylife]

isn’t he fighting a war in Ukraine?

[Magnatron]

Fine foods are one of the highest joys of life.

Eat well and prosper (sort of Spock)…