Who doesn't like a plate of scrambled eggs? They're the perfect breakfast, lunch, and dinner meal, on their own or with any kind of breakfast meat. The key is creating a mix of creamy and firm curds together. Can it be done? Yes!
Chef J. Kenji Lopez Alt decided to experiment with this humble dish and write about his findings in yesterday's New York Times Food section. You would think a dish that only requires eggs butter and sometimes water would be a snap to create. It's not. Scrambled eggs can have textures that range from drippy to rubbery and sometimes with no in betweens. Chef Lopez Alt breaks down the recipe to give a dish of scrambled eggs something creamy and flavorful. He first analyzes the egg - namely their proteins. All eggs contain ovalbumin and transferrin which start to denature as they're cooked over heat. The hotter these proteins become, the tighter the matrix becomes, resembling a sponge with all the moisture wrung out of it. Then there's the cause of this heat - the pan. It's best to start cooking in a cold pan which will result in dense and creamy eggs. The rising steam from it will give the texture an airy souffle like mouth feel. You could also preheat the pan with a bit of water in it, swirling it as the water evaporates., This also lets you know that the pans temperature is about 212 degrees Farenheit, the perfect temp for cooking eggs.
What about add in like salt and butter? Eggs that are salted before cooking will retain moisture better. Salt them and let them sit awhile. As for butter, yes use small cubes of it. Doing so will result in a more French style omelet. The eggs surround the butter cubes are kept cooler causing them to set more cooler. This creates a rich buttery sauce that mingles and coats the firmer curds. You could use creme fraiche or heavy cream too but butter is your best bet.Now, here's an ingredient you may not think of adding but it is vital in Asian egg dishes - cornstarch. Food blogger Mandy Lee was making a scrambled egg dish for her sick puppy and added cornstarch. She noticed how creamy the eggs were even though they were set. From there she experimented, adding a cornstarch slurry to her own scrambled eggs , to keep them creamy and tender.Also the cornstarch, which can be replaced by potato and/or tapioca starch keeps moisture from escaping. The eggs will maintain their moisture thanks to the starch granules expanding during cooking. This means a scramble that's not dried out or tough.
Can you create the perfect plate of scrambled eggs? Absolutely! Follow Chef Lopez Alt's advice and you'll be enjoying a bite of creamy , scrambled deliciousness. It's easy now to turn something so simple into something so sinful!
Posts
