Cooking with Kids: Scrambled Egg Smackdown with Tyler Florence
My daughter and I eat a lot of scrambled eggs for breakfast, and I make them over medium-high heat and get them in and out of the pan as fast as possible. But according to Food Network host Tyler Florence, whose son Hayden (19 months) is also an egg aficionado, I’m doing it wrong.
“My son, he loves scrambled eggs,” said Florence when I spoke to him on the phone recently. “Farm-fresh organic eggs, a little bit of whole milk, two tablespoons of butter and a nonstick pan. Cook eggs at a low temperature, because the temperature reacts with the protein in eggs and makes them very rubbery. Light, fluffy, billowy eggs, that is achieved with a low, slow cooking process.”
This is how they make scrambled eggs in France, often to showcase luxurious ingredients like truffles or lobster, and exactly the opposite of how I make them at home. So I gave it a try. The eggs were more flavorful and buttery, but they took ten minutes to make and my daughter and I both, no surprise, preferred the chunky texture of the eggs we’re used to.
While I had Florence on the line, I asked him if he had any other advice for cooking for small children.
“Don’t be afraid of salt! You wonder why kids go running and screaming into the arms of the clown. Don’t be afraid of a little bit of butter. I’d rather give my child organic, natural butter versus trans fats and fast food.”
There; I couldn’t agree more.
Related
Gordon Ramsay Makes Scrambled Eggs Without Yelling
Sunday Brunch: Kenny Shopsin’s Perfect Scrambled Eggs and Really Good Toast
How to Scramble Eggs Perfectly
About the author: Matthew Amster-Burton lives in Seattle. His work appears frequently in the Seattle Times and Seattle magazine. He also maintains the blog Roots and Grubs. His favorite food is pad Thai.
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16 Comments:
buttery scrambled eggs are a gift from God.
_greenbean at 10:29AM on 03/05/09
I like to start with a pan that is at a low temperature but on high heat so that the eggs start cooking slowly and get that light fluffy texture but still end up cooking faster than low and slow for the entire process. Either way - how can you go wrong when butter/salt/eggs are involved?
jareddee at 10:33AM on 03/05/09
The scrambled eggs my dad used to make for Sunday breakfast were always soft, creamy, glossy, and gently curdled -- it took me years to figure out that very slow cooking was the secret, and taking them off the heat before they're quite finished. I'm still too impatient to get it right consistently.
Fast-cooked scrambled eggs are really just a broken-up omelet. Tasty, but a completely different thing.
benbenberi at 10:39AM on 03/05/09
I'm also in the "quick-cooking, large curd" camp. I've tried the low and slow method, but I'm just not thrilled by the texture.
patricium at 10:49AM on 03/05/09
Low and slow and mix in a pat of butter as you're taking them off the stove. Fluffy, creamy, delicious!
PerkyMac at 11:01AM on 03/05/09
I cook em medium low, salt and butter, no milk. In fact, this is making me hungry.
RookieCAF at 11:03AM on 03/05/09
Water, not milk, and a dash of Tabasco, no more. Butter for the pan. Lowest heat. Leave room. Come back in a few minutes. Stir gently to make large curds. Make sure uncooked parts are on the bottom. When still very soft, remove to warm plate and sigh happily.
MFK Fisher talks about eggs like that, which is how I got started. The single thing I miss about my old electric stove from years ago is that it had a setting called warm, and with my small Corning Ware skillet, it would take half an hour from idea to plate but they were divine.
lemons at 12:02PM on 03/05/09
I'm not a fan of creamy curds. I like my cooked thoroughly, even though I know that's the "wrong way" to cook up. Quick and hot.
KBestOliver at 12:24PM on 03/05/09
I like to scramble mine in the pan, instead of mixing it up into a homogeneous eggy mass in a bowl. This eliminates the water/milk fluffing method, but I like the some yellow bits, some white bits.
inothernews at 1:57PM on 03/05/09
"Cook eggs at a low temperature, because the temperature reacts with the protein in eggs and makes them very rubbery."
Temperature is never a reactant. Some reactions release heat, and some require heat, but heat cannot be a reactant.
Temperature's role in cooking eggs is that it causes proteins in the egg to denature (unravel). Perhaps the author believes that when this process is done too quickly, the eggs get nasty.
Sorry for being a nitpicker. The quote just bugged me.
gschaefer at 2:42PM on 03/05/09
Oh, thank you, gschaefer, for being a science geek, too. That quote also bugged me.
Now if only there was time enough in the day to debunk the myth that salmonella is only found on the outside surface of the egg's shell!
Tokyorosa at 2:51PM on 03/05/09
I make my scrambled eggs both ways. It depending on time constraints and what mood i'm in =)
But the best scrambled eggs I know of came from a cafe that used to make them with the milk frother on the espresso machine. Light, fluffy, creamy and according to the chef easy.
tinat at 2:52PM on 03/05/09
I'm definitely in the slow cook camp. BF has gotten used to it and now greatly prefers. Then again, we only cook eggs on the weekend when the timing isn't much of an issue...
mookie at 2:58PM on 03/05/09
Ten minutes??? If you are cooking them at a low-enough temperature to do them right, it will take you at least half an hour.
growler at 6:26PM on 03/05/09
Reading through the comments here confirms to me that what we grew up with has a great deal to do with how we like our eggs. I prefer mine cooked on medium and sometimes I will just scramble them in the pan instead of in a bowl, that's how my mom did it. I also don't like them creamy, they seem undercooked that way.
As far as the water or milk issue, my thought is that water does the better job of making the eggs fluffier.
kitch at 10:06AM on 03/06/09
I microwave them with some sour cream, butter & cheddar. I'll do about 10 eggs at at time for my family of 4. The secret is carefully watching how the 'set' is progressing. I'll microwave for 2 minutes then stir, and then for about 1 more minute & stir. When eggs start to set, then stop cooking, cover & let stand. in a couple of minutes uncover & stir and you'll
have light, fluffy, creamy goodness!
tinytim at 10:43PM on 03/09/09