The Complicated Simplicity of Scrambled Eggs

A Simple Matter: Scrambled Eggs

You would think there is nothing easier than to scramble an egg. But if you research the matter, you may conclude that scrambling is as complicated as unscrambling.

   This is due to the diversity of opinion regarding how to do it. Should you use cream, milk, butter, water, no additive at all? To whisk or not to whisk? Start with a cold skillet? A heated skillet? Cook the dish quickly? Take your time, as much as half an hour?

   Plus, we need a psychological assessment of the cook or chef. According to food writer extraordinaire MFK Fisher, eggs should never be scrambled by “a nervous, harried woman, one anxious to get something on the table and get it over with.”

   Keep calm and scramble your eggs.

   That warning is in keeping with the counsel of many other chefs or cooks who advise “patience” as a primary ingredient of the dish.

   Fisher says scrambling should go on for half an hour. This is seriously contrary to advice elsewhere. You find it said that a minute is sufficient time.

  

                      Choosing a Good Egg

   Before we actually scramble, though we should consider -- what sort of eggs?

  
Damon Lee Fowler in Classical Southern Cooking, says:

 “I prefer natural, organically raised eggs because they have more flavor and produce finer results in all instances. But also, since they are produced without hormones or antibiotics, they are less susceptible to contamination. Buying locally-produced eggs gives you the added assurance that they are reasonably fresh.”

   Eggs such as he recommends may be found at health food stores, according to Fowler.

   If you prefer a contrary view, Harold McGee, author of many books on the science of food, assures us that scrambled is a way to use eggs of lesser quality.

  

                      To Whisk or Not to Whisk

   So, do you beat the eggs prior to putting them in the skillet? Most recipes assume you will, and that you will whisk as the eggs cook.

   Daniel Gritzer on the Serious Eats site tells us that whisking makes the eggs less fluffy. “The fluffiness in scrambled eggs (and also soufflés) comes from the expansion of heated gas and water vapor that's trapped in bubbles within the eggs. By whisking, those bubbles are repeatedly broken and disturbed, allowing the gas and water vapor to escape.” (High heat is also a factor; lower heat equals less fluff).

   Harold McGee also favors continued whisking or stirring: “Constant scraping and stirring prevents the egg proteins at the bottom from setting into a separate, firm layer, and produces a creamy, even mass of yolk and thin white punctuated with very fine curds of thick white.”

   But of course some people like their eggs fluffy.

   Contrary to most common instructions, the Healthy Way web site does not approve of adding milk or cream, claiming it leads to overcooked eggs. Just add a little butter or sour cream when the eggs are almost done, they say.

   Elsewhere I have seen similar admonitions. “Never add milk.” Or, use water if you want fluffier eggs.

   Gordon Ramsey, it is said, uses cream. You will also find devotees of half and half.

  

                      And What About Salt?

   Some recipes advise salting the beaten eggs and letting stand for 15 minutes prior to cooking. You will also see comments to the effect that salting will ruin the eggs.

   All in all, it seems that salting at this time or that does not make a great deal of difference, but early salting may produce somewhat fluffier eggs as it reduces water content.

   On the other hand, Gordon Ramsey says salt at the finish as otherwise it will produce watery eggs. Others say salt makes the eggs tough and dry.

   It comes down to, if you like salt, salt.

   Pour the eggs into a pre-heated pan unless you are following rules like those of MFK Fisher. Her recipe will be given shortly.

   A tipster in the restaurant business says commercial eateries use liquid egg for omelette, frittata, quiche, and scrambled eggs, etc. Those sorts of eggs are chemically stabilized, producing a rubbery result.

   Now, about MFK Fisher and scrambled eggs.

  

                      MFK Fisher Scrambles Eggs

   When living alone in a one-room apartment, she said a regular meal consisted of two eggs scrambled in a little sweet butter. I’m not sure how she cooked in that cramped situation, it is very possible that she used a chafing dish.

   Elsewhere, Fisher gives a more elaborate recipe that she says she loves, “for its very gentleness, and for the demands it makes upon one’s patience, and the homage it deserves from its slow tasting.” In many ways it runs contrary to other recipes, but so it goes:

Eight fresh eggs

One and one-half cups rich cream (more or less)

Salt, freshly ground pepper

Four tablespoons grated cheese, or finely minced fresh herbs if desired

Break the eggs into cold, heavy iron skillet, add cream, stir gently until fairly well blended. Never beat. Heat very slowly, stirring occasionally in large curds up from the bottom. Never let bubble. Add seasoning (and/or cheese and herbs) just before serving. This takes about half an hour – poky, but worth it.”

   There you have it, from MFK Fisher.

   It is generally suggested to remove the eggs from heat while under-done as they will continue to cook.

   Probably some readers are saying, could you just give us a simple basic recipe? Here is one. 

   And in closing I offer a curiosity, Joe’s Special Scrambled Eggs.  It was popularized during World War II at various “Joe’s” restaurants in San Francisco. Here is one recipe that seems true to the original. I would have to add that I also like the idea of “Mexican Joe’s,” substituting chorizo for the ground beef.