How To Make Creamy, Luscious Scrambled Eggs

 

Writing a how-to on making scrambled eggs feels like taking my life in my hands. Everyone makes scrambled eggs differently; everyone has strong feelings about them. And, besides, isn't preparing this dish elementary? Surely, everyone already knows how to do it!

Well, personally, I like my scrambled eggs creamy, luscious and custard-like. And, at the risk of starting interminable arguments, here is how I make them.

These are slow-cooked eggs -- they stop short of Laurie Colwin's method of cooking them very, very slowly over an hour in a double boiler with half a pint of cream, but they are made in this spirit. They should be cooked in the smallest pan you have, over very low heat. (You can use a flame-tamer on a gas stove to get a really low, even heat.)

The result is creamy, custardy eggs that slip off your spoon into your mouth; they wobble ever so slightly and spread like fluffy ricotta on toast. They are simply luscious -- and if I'm going to make scrambled eggs, this is how I am going to do them.

Creamy, Luscious Scrambled Eggs

Serves 1 or 2.

Ingredients:

2-3 fresh eggs

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

2-3 teaspoons cream (optional)

Salt

Pepper

Chopped fresh herbs (optional)

Equipment:

Bowl

Whisk or fork

Very small saucepan or high-sided saute pan

Wooden spoon or spatula

Instructions:

1. Choose the smallest saucepan or saute pan you have. It should be heavy, with a good solid bottom to distribute heat evenly.

2. Pull out your eggs and decide how many you want. I feel that, for best effect, it's good to do at least two or three. Ideally at least three. Fewer than that, and it's hard to keep the eggs from cooking too fast.

3. If desired, you can also add some cream to help buffer the eggs and make them creamy. (See note below about cream vs. milk in scrambled eggs.) I add about 1 teaspoon of cream per egg, so for this batch of 3 scrambled eggs, I added about 1 tablespoon.

4. Before you beat your eggs, heat your small pan over low heat, and add a small knob (about a teaspoon) of butter. Let it melt.

5. Break your eggs into a small bowl.

6. Beat the eggs thoroughly. This simple step is actually very important to good scrambled eggs. Beat them so that the yolks are completely broken up and incorporated with the whites. The mixture should look evenly yellow -- not patchy and half-mixed. If you are using cream, whisk it in now as well.

7. By now, your butter should be melted and evenly distributed in the pan. Any foam will have subsided.

8. Pour in your eggs, and make sure the heat is still very, very low.

9. Depending on the amount of eggs you used, and the size of your pan, you should now plan on cooking the eggs for about 15 minutes.

10. The more frequently you stir the eggs, the more custardy they will be. If you stirred constantly they will turn out almost like a creamy pudding! I don't have the patience for that, so I stir every couple minutes, which works out well if you are prepping other breakfast items. You can make toast and coffee and slice up some fruit in the time it takes for these to cook.

After about 5 minutes, you will see here custardy curds of egg forming. Near the end of cooking the eggs will get much thicker, but will still be creamy.

11. When the eggs are dry and cooked enough for your taste, season lightly with salt and pepper, and stir in fresh herbs, if you would like. (Chives, pictured, are perfectly delightful.)

12. Bonus step: Don't forget to fill the egg pan with hot soapy water immediately after you take the eggs out! Then the cooked egg will come right off when you go to wash it. If you let it dry and get hard, it will be a real pain to wash off.

Additional Notes:

-- Some people use milk in their scrambled eggs. I firmly believe that this makes the eggs rubbery. The full-fat whipping cream makes them creamy, but either use it or leave it out completely. Don't substitute milk.

-- You can hold these eggs in a slightly warm oven, or in a double boiler, to keep them warm for brunch. But they cook so slowly, especially when you are preparing a larger quantity, that it should be easy to time them to be done precisely when you sit down to eat.

 

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How To Make Creamy, Luscious Scrambled Eggs

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