Kitchen Hack: Master Perfect Scrambled Eggs With These 5 Tips

Golden, creamy, and fluffy, scrambled eggs are about as comforting as comfort food gets—whether served with toast at an old-school diner or fresh chives and goat cheese at an upscale restaurant.

They’re also fairly easy to master at home. If you follow these five tips, it’s simple enough to avoid the most common scrambled-egg pitfalls—and conjure up some breakfast magic.

1.  Add a little milk or cream for extra fluffiness.

Throwing a few tablespoons of milk or cream into your eggs makes for the creamiest, most decadent texture. Just mix it into the eggs well before they go in the pan.

Of course, the egg purists out there will protest this addition: “The cream will separate during cooking!”and “What about dairy-free people?” If you feel strongly about keeping eggs plain, go for it—but in our opinion, a little bit of cream goes a long way.

2. Give ’em a good whisk.

Before adding your eggs to the pan, you want to beat them until the whites and yolks are completely homogenous and starting to form a bit of froth. All that extra air you’ve whisked into them will help give them body as they cook. If you want to go the extra mile, take a page out of Bon Appetit’s book and use an immersion blender to beat them.

3. Cook over low heat.

The biggest culinary sin you can commit while scrambling eggs? Overcooking them until they form hard curds—or worse, a sort of egg pancake. To avoid scramble suicide, make sure to cook your eggs over medium-low to low heat. It takes a bit longer, but the result is worth the wait.

4. Use the right tool to gently fold the curds.

When the eggs are in the pan and you’re ready to scramble, don’t reach for a hard plastic spatula or a fork (gasp!). Rigid tools will break the delicate curds into distinct chunks, ruining the aesthetic and texture of your scramble.

Instead, grab a silicone or rubber spatula, and very gently stir the curds as soon as the egg starts to cook. You want to imagine folding layers and layers of egg—not pushing huge cooked chunks around the pan. To help combine the eggs, you can also try ever-so-gently shaking the pan.

5. Remove the pan from the heat just before the eggs are done.

When you think the eggs are 90-percent done, turn off the burner and remove them from the heat. To achieve that creamy consistency, allow the eggs to finish cooking in the pan or on the plate for a minute or two. Scrambled eggs are ready to serve when they’re soft, no longer liquid-y, and just barely solid. They shouldn’t offer much resistance when you scoop them up with a fork.

Pro-tip: Heat the plates for a few minutes in a warm oven to keep the eggs at the perfect serving temperature. Top them with a little shredded cheese or your favorite herbs if you’re feeling fancy.

Photo credit: Paul Delmont