You might have nightmares of scraping overcooked, rubbery scrambled eggs from your go-to nonstick pan. Worst case scenario, you actually have guests over that are supposed to enjoy these franken-eggs that you have managed to morph into something that may be mistaken for a large pile of cake crumbs, or worse, a giant jell-o mold. Ok, maybe your eggs aren't that bad but here are some tips and tricks to take your egg game to the next level, and maybe impress a few people. Try not to brag and invite everyone over for sunday brunch, but you will be the ruler of the scrambled egg kingdom.
Let's get your eggs 'restaurant ready'.
What you need:
The Tools: Non-stick skillet, rubber and heat resistant spatula, a whisk and a small mixing bowl.
Ingredients: Two eggs, two tablespoons of milk or cream, one tablespoon oil and a pinch of salt.
(See 'My favorite additions' below for other optional ingredients)
Step 1: crack your eggs, add the milk and mix with your whisk
The rule of thumb is to add about one tablespoon of milk for every egg you use. Milk helps the eggs stay silky smooth and keeps them from drying out. Milk is of course optional, but the higher % fat milk you use, the creamier the eggs will be. This is also the time to add a pinch of salt or crack some fresh pepper or other dry ingredients, then whisk it all together.
Step 2: Get hot
Put your pan on medium to medium-high heat and add your tablespoon of oil. Any oil will work, but if you use olive oil, just know that your eggs might taste like olive oil! Once the pan is hot, pour in your whisked egg mixture.
Step 3: Get cooking
Don't touch the eggs! Once you pour in the eggs, let them sit in the pan for a few seconds until you see egg start to cook around the edges. You might be tempted to start mixing, but please resist and just convince yourself that you are going to make a giant egg pancake for a few brief seconds.
Step 4: Gently fold
Once the egg rim starts to cook then start to lightly fold the eggs by nudging the edges with my spatula. This is gentle and is really more like folding than mixing. The goal is to not over mix or over cook. Never walk away from your eggs at this point! The folding should only take about 15 seconds and is all done on the stove.
Step 5: Almost done?
So the big question is 'when will I know when to pull my pan from the stove?'. Eggs are ready when they are slightly underdone and still have some runny bits oozing out. You might freak and think you are serving raw eggs but trust me, the eggs are still so hot that they will continue cooking even after you plate these fluffy beauties. Knowing when to pull an egg off the heat might take some practice but once you see them start to firm up but are still glistening, you will be known as the egg whisperer.
Step 6: Garnish (optional)
No dish is complete without something on top. At least that is true in the restaurant world. To look like a true pro, sprinkle on some freshly chopped chives to add a new, fresh flavor.
My favorite additions:
Aside from the chive I mentioned above, eggs are really the place to add a pop of flavor. You can sauté a clove of minced garlic, onions and mushrooms in the pan before you add the raw eggs mixture to make a veggie-filled scrambled egg. Herbs like rosemary or thyme can be added to the raw egg mixture before it goes into the hot pan.
A trick I love to use with eggs is adding garlic or onion powder to my raw egg mixture. That's my lazy way of sneaking in flavor with almost zero effort!
Another flavor tip is when making bacon for breakfast, use the fat leftover in the pan to cook your eggs. Although it isn't the slightest bit healthy, what is better than eggs cooked in the essence of bacon? Nothing.
What about egg whites?
Egg whites can be tricky. Removing the yolk means you are going to have a shorter cook time and have a much higher chance of overcooking your egg whites. Lowering the burner temperature and shortening your cooking time will help prevent your whites from overcooking.
If you are removing the yolk to make your morning meal low-fat, you can replace the milk/cream in the above steps with water or skim milk, which will still add some silky texture and help your cook time.
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