This Is How You Get the Best Scrambled Eggs

[elleng]

(Thought I'd drop this here, for 'fusspots' among us!)

*My weekday scrambled eggs need to be done in the amount of time it takes to toast a slice of bread. With that in mind, I wondered: Is it still possible to cook scrambled eggs that are as creamy and tender as you’d like, and more important, creamy and moist whether you prefer them soft, medium or even firmly scrambled?
...

First things first, some basics: Eggs are mostly water, along with a good amount of protein and fat. As eggs are scrambled over heat, their proteins — mainly ovalbumin and ovotransferrin — begin to denature and become entangled, forming a spongy matrix that traps moisture. The hotter these proteins get and the longer they’re cooked, the tighter the matrix becomes, until eventually moisture begins to squeeze out, like a sponge being wrung. So, it seems, the key to keeping eggs tender and moist is managing the degree to which those proteins constrict.

A pan’s initial temperature can have a profound effect on an egg’s final texture. A hot pan will lead to the rapid creation of steam within the egg mixture, adding fluffiness and giving it a soufflé-like quality, while eggs started in a cold pan will remain dense and creamy as they cook. I like my eggs somewhere in the middle: mostly creamy with a few lighter, fluffier curds interspersed. However, without an infrared thermometer, gauging a pan’s temperature is difficult.

A workaround I’ve discovered is to preheat the pan over medium-high with a bit of water in it, swirling as the water evaporates. This water will draw energy from the pan’s surface until it completely evaporates, at which point I know the pan’s surface is just above 212 degrees Fahrenheit, water’s boiling point and an ideal temperature for scrambled eggs. . .

What about salt? Some chefs insist that you not salt your eggs until they are nearly finished cooking, while others recommend salting as you beat them. Salt can break down some egg proteins. . .

Fat, which is found in egg yolks, can also aid in tenderness. . .

Heavy cream or even crème fraîche can serve a similar function, but I prefer using butter. At his Brookline, Mass., sandwich shop, Cutty’s, my friend Charles Kelsey blends raw eggs with butter in a high-powered blender before scrambling them and tucking them into egg sandwiches.'>>>

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/19/dining/perfect-scrambled-eggs.html?

On to 'something!'

[Binkie The Clown]

1. Put egg in cup. Beat. Microwave for 1 min. Chop up and serve. easy peasy. nt

[soothsayer]

2. Julia Childs used water

I just cook mine very low and slow (with butter). They take forever but they’re awesome.

Mostly what I’ve learned is that the egg I intend to fry will get a broken yolk and end up destined for scrambling, while I can open an egg a foot or more above the pan when I’m planning to scramble it and the damn yolk stays intact.

[rickyhall]

3. I add a bit of shredded cheddar/jack cheese to fluff them up.

[Midnightwalk]

4. That's my timeline too

Toast in and start on the eggs. I like them in a hot pan and now I know why. To me, eggs don’t need salt.

I like my toast dark so I usually have to wait on it

[Major Nikon]

5. I add creme friache at the end of the cooking

1) Stops the cooking process
2) Adds both acidity and creaminess to the eggs

[TlalocW]

6. I put milk in mine

Makes 'em fluffy.

TlalocW