Ever wondered how to make fluffy scrambled eggs? It’s easy! In this post I will teach you how to make a perfect scramble that is light and moist with just the right texture. Achieve delicious results every time with a few simple tips!
I’ve been told on more than one occasion that I make the best scrambled eggs ever. I’ll admit, I have been refining my scrambling method since junior high home economics class… do they even offer that class anymore? That’s where I first learned how to pull the cooked edges of the eggs from the outside in (details below). This simple tip, along with a few others I’ve learned along the way, have developed into a foolproof method for a scrumptious scramble every time.
“Everybody knows how to scramble eggs,” you might think. True! But making a fluffy, moist scramble is a bit of an art form. Ever had dry eggs at a deli or cafe? I have, and it’s so disappointing! I really loathe overcooked, rubbery, or browned eggs. So many diners and delis serve them this way, which means I rarely go out for breakfast anymore.
Why should I, when it’s perfectly easy (and way less expensive) to make a perfect scramble at home? Here’s how!
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How to Make Scrambled Eggs
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons whole milk, half and half, heavy cream, or water
- Shredded or crumbled cheese (optional)
- Salt and pepper (I prefer sea salt and freshly ground black pepper)
- Butter (alternate oils include olive oil, ghee, avocado oil, or nonstick oil spray)
NOTES
Instructions
- If you plan on adding cheese to your eggs, make sure that the cheese is shredded/prepared and set aside so you can add it to the non-stick skillet quickly. Place your skillet on the stovetop and turn on the heat. I leave the heat somewhere between medium low and medium, so it warms up but doesn't get too hot.
- Meanwhile, prepare your eggs. Break them into a bowl with a tablespoon of milk, half and half, or water (I prefer half and half or milk). Add some salt and pepper – I typically add about 1/8 teaspoon of sea salt and a few turns of black pepper. You might use more or less according to taste. If you're dairy intolerant or don't like the taste of milk, feel free to use water – but don't skip adding a little liquid, as it helps to add fluffiness to the scramble. I personally love the way creamy half and half enhances the flavor of the eggs.
- Use a fork or whisk to beat the eggs briskly for 30-60 seconds, making sure the eggs are fully broken up and mixed well with the milk and the seasonings. Use a little elbow grease here, the more you whip it the better.
- Lightly grease your hot skillet, coating the surface with a thin layer of oil or butter. I typically use butter, but only if the skillet isn't very hot – butter has a low smoke point, which means it burns easily. If the skillet has heated up a lot, try using ghee, avocado oil, or something with a higher smoke point. If using nonstick spray oil, use caution and keep it away from any open gas flames.Pour the eggs into the skillet. Keep the heat on medium/medium low, you don't want to rush it here– if the skillet is too hot the eggs will cook too quickly and become rubbery. Once you pour the eggs in they will begin to cook immediately. Using a spatula (I use a wooden or silicone spatula so I won't damage my pan's nonstick coating), begin pulling the cooked outer edges in towards the center of the eggs. Uncooked eggs will flood the area you just pulled back. If you are adding cheese, now is the time to sprinkle it into the skillet. This will allow ample time for the cheese to melt and integrate into the eggs.
- Move the spatula around the edge of the skillet, pulling the cooked edges towards the center and re-flooding repeatedly. Cooked scrambled eggs will gather in the center of the skillet.
- At a certain point, the uncooked eggs will no longer flood and the scramble will all collect in the center of the skillet, but it will still be slightly runny in texture. Begin breaking up the scramble; quickly turn undercooked areas and keep the scramble moving to make sure that all surfaces cook evenly. Never leave a surface in contact too long with the skillet or it will become overcooked.
- Turn off the heat when the eggs are about 90% cooked. When the eggs are done, serve immediately. Perfectly cooked scrambled eggs are moist but not runny, with no crisp or brown edges. This technique may take a bit of practice, but it is quite simple. With time you too will be making and serving moist, fluffy scrambled eggs!
V. Colclasure says
Pictures were a great help. Thanks.
MarkB says
I did a little more checking…
Eggs. All they’re cracked up to be?
When I was growing up, everybody ate eggs. Nobody thought about whether they were good or bad. They were just food. Along came cholesterol and heart disease and all of the sudden eggs were evil. Now we are at this idea of good and bad cholesterol and eggs have gotten something of a parole.
The current blah-blah is that eggs contain both good and bad cholesterol. There’s more good cholesterol (HDL) than bad (LDL) so once again, eating eggs is OK.
Aside from the cholesterol thing, are eggs good or bad for you?
As with many food products, they can be either. It depends on what people do to them. Eggs are a great example of this.
In much (most?) of the world, eggs are not washed prior to sale. In the US, the USDA in their infinite wisdom has proclaimed that all eggs must be washed prior to sale. So how could washing an egg be bad?
When a chicken lays an egg, the egg is coated with what’s called a cuticle or bloom. The bloom prevents bad bacteria from getting into the egg. When you wash an egg, the bloom is also washed away and the egg becomes more susceptible to things like salmonella.
Where eggs are not washed, they are typically left out at room temperature prior to sale. You can’t do this indefinitely. In the US, once eggs are washed, they must be refrigerated. There’s good and bad to that. An unrefrigerated egg has a shelf life of about a week. For a refrigerated egg, it’s about 5 weeks. So for big commercial eggs producers that ship their eggs all over the US, washing eggs and refrigeration is a good thing.
Still, even with the washing and refrigeration, bad bacteria can get in. In the UK where washing eggs is illegal, the number of cases of salmonella is actually a fraction of the US.
In the UK chickens are vaccinated. It was proposed for the US but I would guess that’s something industry would lobby hard against.
Check your oil.
Egg shells are actually very porous. Besides letting bacteria in, they also allow oxygen and water to go in and out. As an egg ages, some of the water inside evaporates away.
Eggs also have a membrane in between the white and the shell. As the water evaporates through the shell you get an air pocket between the shell and the membrane. One way of determining how fresh an egg is, determine the size of the air pocket.
If the egg is hard boiled, it’s easy to tell. A fresh egg has essentially no air pocket. A raw egg, if it’s fresh will sink in water. If the egg is old, a hard boiled egg will have what I call a “flat top”. An older raw egg will float in water.
A side note: You will often read that the way to know if an egg is spoiled is to use your nose. A spoiled egg smells nasty. You may also read that an egg that floats should be discarded. Why? Just because an egg is a floater does not mean it’s spoiled. It just means it’s old. If stored properly, an egg will literally dry out before it spoils. Still we say a (washed) egg has a shelf life of 5, 6 at most, weeks. I guess if you want to be safe, use the eggs by 5 weeks and smell them. If they smell bad, definitely discard.
From what I’ve read, the “experts” say you should immediately discard an egg that floats in water. If you want to be extra careful, sure, you can do that. You could also crack the egg into a small bowl and smell it. If it was me, if it smells OK I would probably still eat it. I have eaten floaters in the past. Also remember, cooking eggs to 160F should take care of any salmonella that might be present. So in that sense, if you are going to eat a floater, maybe you cook it hard scrambled instead of over easy.
A good thermometer is one of the most important tools you can have in the kitchen.
Back to changing your oil…
Another trick commercial egg producers often use is coating their eggs with mineral oil.
The idea is to essentially seal the egg, preventing water from escaping thereby extending the shelf life. Personally, I don’t like the idea of putting petroleum based products on my food. Remember that egg shells are porous and some amount of that mineral oil is going to get into the egg. I’ve read that coating eggs with mineral oil can give eggs a shelf life of up to a year, although 8 to 9 months is the time I’ve seen written most often. That far out, the eggs may also acquire off flavors. Mineral oil leeching into the egg will cause the egg whites to not fluff up. So eggs treated with mineral might not be usable for baking cakes, etc.
When it comes to washing eggs, the USDA does not publish a list of approved chemicals that can be used for cleaning/disinfecting/washing. They say it’s up to the FDA. Mineral oil has a strange status. It’s not a sanitizer but many producers apply it as part of the wash process. It’s supposedly not on the approved list so it’s not clear if it’s even legal to apply it. But the USDA certainly knows it’s standard procedure among the big egg producers.
I have seen vegetable oil mentioned as a substitute for mineral oil. I would think vegetable oil would go rancid after some period of time but it still sounds better than mineral oil. I would think enterprising egg producers might even coat their eggs with olive oil. Some consumers would no doubt equate extra virgin olive oil on their eggs as a good thing. Whether it would be or not, it sounds better than mineral oil…unless maybe you’re constipated. That’s what mineral oil is used for, relief from constipation. Olive oil has its own problems as some of the EVOO out there is cut with lower grade oil..or worse.
If enough mineral oil is present, the egg shells may have a satiny, almost glossy appearance that un-oiled eggs will not. Not sure if this can be relied on as the amount of oil applied and how long ago it was put on could affect whether you can see the difference.
Organic eggs are good, right?
Maybe up until the time people get involved. I don’t have a problem with organic other than it usually making the food much more expensive. In general, organic eggs should be good too. The problem is what happens after the chicken lays the egg? Like I said, the USDA requires that all eggs sold in the US be washed thereby erasing the bloom. From that point on, you are statistically more likely to get salmonella poisoning. You also need to be concerned by what chemicals are being used in the washing process and if mineral oil is used. Some of those chemicals are likely to migrate through the porous egg shell.
Even if the egg is organically produced, it may be sanitized with chlorine/bleach, sodium carbonate, ozone, hydrogen peroxide or peracetic acid (vinegar and hydrogen peroxide).
Vinegar is an effective sanitizer and is derived from natural sources. To me it would be preferable to other synthetic chemicals used.
Another interesting point about egg washing… The water used to wash the eggs should be at a slightly higher temperature than the egg itself. That way, any contaminants, including bacteria are pushed out through the pores in the shell by expansion of the egg contents. Using a cold wash will reverse the flow and suck the bad stuff into the egg.
What else do we know about eggs?
Q: If you’re cooking and a recipe calls for an egg but does not say what size, what size egg should you use?
A: If the recipe does not call for a specific size then “large” is assumed.
The size of a dozen eggs is not determined by the size or weight of the individual eggs. It’s determined by the weight of a dozen eggs.
1 dozen jumbo eggs = 30 ounces.
1 dozen extra large = 27 ounces
1 dozen large = 24 ounces
1 dozen medium = 21 ounces
1 dozen small = 18 ounces
1 dozen peewee = 15 ounces
The older the chicken, the larger egg it can lay. As the chicken gets older it can lay larger eggs. A young hen will not lay a jumbo egg.
The weight of an average egg is 57 grams.
Number of eggs consumed in the US, per person, in 2014 = 261 est.
Hens will typically lay between 7 and 11 AM.
Eggs should not be frozen in the shell as the shell will burst. If you want to freeze, remove the eggs from the shells before freezing. Consume immediately after thawing.
Do not microwave raw or hard boiled eggs! If the egg does not explode in the oven, you are likely to get a nasty steam burn on your lip when you bite into it. If you feel like this is something you must do, at least poke a hole through the egg so steam from the yolk can escape out through the egg white. You should mention this to your kids as it’s one of those things they’re likely to find out the hard way.
Hard boiled eggs will safely last about a week in the fridge. I leave mine in the shell until I am ready to eat one.
Eggs should be stored at 40 degrees F and not higher than 45.
Shelf Life: One day of keeping eggs at room temperature is equivalent of 1 week refrigerated.
Eggs in the US are sold with two dates stamped on the carton, the pack date and the sell by date. The pack date is in the Julian format i.e. January 1 is 001 and December 31 is 365. It may be several days before eggs are packed so you won’t know eggzactly how old the eggs are. I don’t think they say if the eggs are coated with mineral oil either.
Fact or fiction? If you want to brine a chicken or turkey you can use an egg to test if you have enough salt in the brine? If the egg floats, you have enough salt.
It’s Fiction. An older egg will have a large air pocket and will float whether there’s salt in the water or not. A fresh egg might get you in the ballpark but it’s not a good way to measure. An absolutely fresh egg has no air cell.
Many of the laws that apply to large commercial egg producers do not apply to smaller operations.
Making the Grade
Eggs are by grade as well as size. AA is the best. What you’ll typically see in your market is grade A. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen grade B eggs on the store shelf. If they’re there, I would guess they would be the low priced bulk quantity eggs. I don’t know but my guess is most of them go to restaurants or commercial food producers.
I buy my eggs from a nearby farm. They do not grade their eggs but the hens live in better conditions than most big commercial operations. I haven’t really paid much attention to the grade quality when I crack them open. I have to take a look at that.
A quality egg should have a nice round yolk that stands tall in the pan. The thicker egg white that surrounds the yolk should also stand up tall and compact.
How to cook a perfect hard-boiled egg.
Arrange your eggs in a saucepan making sure there’s lots of space between the eggs.
Fill the pan with cold water covering the eggs with ½ to no more than 1 inch of water over the top of the eggs. Cover the pot and put it on high heat. You want the pot to come to a boil as quickly as possible. The longer you take to get to a boil, the more your eggs will cook, throwing off the time. As soon as you get a raging boil turn off the heat. Leave the lid on. Set a timer for 5 minutes. When the 5 minutes is up, drain the pot and quickly refill with very cold water. Do this a couple times to make sure the eggs get cooled down quickly.
The majority of the yolk will be opaque with the center having just a tiny bit of translucence. There will be no greenish color around the yolk. If you want softer or harder egg, adjust your time up or down.
There’s a cooking show on TV that uses a variation of this process. They use less water, not covering the egg. They rely more on steam to cook the eggs.
How to peel a hard boiled egg?
The standard spiel here is that a fresh egg will be harder to peel than an old egg. It has to do with the air sack expanding as the egg gets older.
I don’t see it. I have had absolutely fresh eggs where the shell drops off like an old shoe that’s way too big and I’ve have old eggs that look like the far side of the moon by the time I got done peeling/destroying them.
I have not completely figured this out yet and there are lots of home-grown voodoo-like methods for removing the shells on the internet…soaking in vinegar…sticking them with a needle, etc.
I usually start by cracking the shell in several spots and gently rolling the egg between my palms to hopefully loosen the membrane. Not sure if that works or it’s just wishful thinking on my part.
Start peeling from the larger end with the air cell and if the membrane doesn’t tear by itself, use your fingers to tear it. Use the side of your thumb to get in between the membrane and the egg. Gently push in on the egg white while running the egg under hot water, nudging the shell with the side of your thumb. You can tell by feel if your thumb is on top of or underneath the membrane. If you are under the membrane, the egg has a slick smooth feel. As you work the shell off, push down gently on the egg so warm water can get down in between the membrane and the egg white. If it feels like the membrane is not coming off, switch to a different spot on the egg. The sticky part may come off easily when you come at it from a different direction.
P. Curran says
Thank you for sharing your research. I didn’t know about the washing of the eggs and what that did. I have used a technique to hard boil eggs. Before I used this I lost a lot of the egg as you described. I start with boiling the water first, once to a boil I take it off the heat and with a spoon add the eggs. Let them sit for 2 minutes off the heat, then but the pan on the burner. Let the pan boil for 10 minutes. After cooking run clod water into the pan in the sink until cool, put the eggs into the refrigerator. This method seems to work constantly. The egg shell separates cleanly from the white. However if the egg is old I use a metal spoon (curved part) between the shell and white a carefully separate them.
Mark says
I have William Shakespeare’s Omelette on DVD. I watched the whole thing and nobody ever made any eggs. Worst cooking DVD ever!
Seriously, here’s a question that NOBODY has ever answered satisfactorily.
How do you peel a hard boiled egg without destroying it, regardless of whether it’s an old or fresh egg?
As an egg gets older, some of the moisture inside evaporates. That leaves a little pocket of air at the top. So if you put an old egg in water, it will should stand up vertically.
Many people say the key to peeling a hard boiled egg is the egg must not be a fresh egg. I don’t see that as the problem.
The best I’ve been able to determine is that you must peel the egg under hot water. Hot as you can stand.
The other critical point is there’s a thin membrane between the shell and the egg. It’s absolutely imperative that you get your finger underneath the membrane. Pressing down on the soft white with the side of your thumb helps to get underneath the membrane. .
Are there any other secrets out there that actually work…on old or fresh hard boiled eggs?
You can buy packages of perfectly peeled hard boiled eggs in the grocery store so somebody must have figured this out. If they were old eggs they would have “flat tops” but the eggs appear to be fresh, id est,, perfectly oval.
Mark says
A couple things I’ve learned since originally posting. If you plan to brine a chicken or turkey, it is often said that if an egg floats, you have enough salt in the brine. That’s not really true. An egg loses moisture as it ages. That’s why you have the air pocket inside anything other than the freshest eggs. The larger the air pocket, the older the egg. If the egg is old enough it will float in any brine.
I also saw that an egg that floats is an indication of a rotten egg. I doubt that’s true. I suppose the egg could be bad but again, it’s more likely an indication of how old the egg is. Bottom line…a floating egg is not a useful indicator of adequately salted brine…and probably not that the egg is bad.
I had wondered if it might be possible to coat an egg to prevent evaporation of the contents and make the egg last longer. Turns out that although few people coat their eggs, it is a well known way to preserve eggs. It is uncommon in most parts of the world to refrigerate eggs. It is desirable though if the protective “bloom” is removed by washing the eggs…typical in the US. My original thought was candle wax but it turns out that mineral oil seems to be the recommended substance to use for coating eggs. There are some caveats associated with coating eggs so do a little research first. It looks like you can make eggs last 9 to 12 months in the fridge if they are coated.
Donna Bailey says
Egg peeling is a pain for sure but I’ve always had success the way I do it. Not too fresh eggs, a week or more old at least. Eggs in a pan of water, low flame, slowly bring to the boil and boil for a few minutes. Pour off the boiling water dump eggs in a large bowl of ice and wait till the ice melts and the eggs are cold. Tap to crack and gently roll the egg on a hard surface and using your thumb lift at a crack and slide the shell off. You won’t even need running water. I’ve had the shells come off in two pieces most of the time. Fresh eggs are the worst ones to peel unless you put some aside and wait at least a week, maybe more in the refrigerator of course. I hope you have luck with this. I’m nearly 80 and I’ve been doing this a long while.
Mark says
Only two things you really need to remember. Cook at a very low temp and remove the eggs before they’re fully cooked. They’ll finish cooking while sitting on the plate.
I use a pat of butter and some salt. I crack the eggs into the hot pan and let them set until the whites become opaque. At that point I break the yolks and give them just a little scamble. I like the look of the mixed white and yellow. If I am doing an omelette, I’ll put the eggs in a blender, but not for scrambled eggs. It makes your eggs look like they came from a factory.
The size of the egg is largely determined by the age of the chicken. Young chickens do not lay jumbo eggs, free ranged or not.
When a recipe asks for an egg and it doesn’t say what size, it’s asking for “large”.
Whether a dozen eggs are classified as medium, large, jumbo, etc is determined by the weight of a dozen eggs, not by the size of each individual egg.
Laura Bissonnette says
Another great way to make fluffy eggs is to cover the pan with a lid and cook on low. Simply add milk and pinch of salt to the scramble before pouring into the pan. It may take awhile to cook, but the results are excellent! Tip: grease the pan with butter, and stir minimally.
Tori Avey says
Great tip Laura!
George says
I’ve heard a few times that people would like being served ”Breakfast” for any meal, morning, noon or night. Eggs prepared in any style; cheese of choice (if adding cheese in my eggs, I sprinkle grated Parmesan); potatoes in any style; bacon or a hearty slice of ham for those of us who enjoy it; buttered, toasted bread, bagels or muffins (rye, white, wheat, corn, bran); at least 2 choices of jam. And coffee.
Prolific Recipes says
This looks spectacular. I’ve made various scrambled eggs but this technique looks like it is worth a try.
Cheers!
Kathy says
I’ve perfected my eggs same way, moving to water to replace milk (or sometimes a bit of almond milk) but at end, since eggs r still cooking, as I turn off skillet at maybe 80% cooked since I use an iron skillet, then I fold the cooked bottom to the top of some less cooked eggs, keeps em really moist! My son likes to splash some evooil on at this point,
Eva Lettner says
just used your technique for my breakfast eggs and they are honestly the best and fluffiest scrambled eggs I ever had 🙂 yumyum
Tori Avey says
Love it Eva! A simple technique you can use for the rest of your life. 🙂
Jodi Shaw says
I usually use a splash of milk and a splash of water… but if I’m making Lox & eggs, I use cream cheese & a tiny bit of green onion. Tried your method of pulling into the middle. Perfect!
Kathy Chosky Pasquerilla says
1/2 tsp b.powder
Cydnie says
Toda raba! I used your technique this morning with our farm fresh eggs, raw goat milk, and goat cheese . It made a healthy breakfast into a gourmet one!
Tori Avey says
Yum Cyndale! Sounds delish! I love goat cheese. 🙂
Marla A. says
GREAT TIPS—-This is exactly how I prepare my eggs except I always use unsalted butter–This method was given a “thumbs up” from a former room mate of mine who was from Paris,France and was/is a “foodie”…She said this is how they do their “Omlets”, basically–and you know how picky (bossy-lol) French chefs usually are! So to see this “outside-in” technique is really a treat—THANKS SO MUCH! “Bon Appetite”
Matt Surrena says
Cream of tartar is what I use instead of milk … Come out great! It’s all about a whisk getting tons of air in ’em…
Carlie Craig says
for those who can’t/won’t use milk, use 1 T very cold water per egg and whip to a froth, then put in the skillet. The water steams the eggs and then evaporates and you get the most moist, fluffy eggs ever! 🙂
Kathryn A. Hale says
I made eggs this morning for my husband and he appreciated the fluffiness with your technique. Thanks 🙂
Tori Avey says
Kathryn I’m so happy it was helpful to you!
Lisa says
A spoonful of sour cream–I use Daisy as it is made from cream without additives–added to the eggs before they are beaten makes delicious scrambled eggs. I use a heaping teaspoon of it for 2-3 eggs and a rounded to heaped soup spoon full for 4-6 eggs. In France scrambled eggs are often made in a double boiler–use a stainless bowl or the IKEA double boiler rounded pot over a sauce pan of simmering water. The result is incredible! Or try this mind-bending recipe for POACHED scrambled eggs .
Tori Avey says
Lisa, I’ve also used unsweetened goat milk kefir in the eggs with great results!
Reb Lee says
Once I saw a tv program taught us to add in some spring onion/green onion to our scramble egg at the last stage since then I’m in love with it.
Richard Reiser says
Trick I leaned on trip to New Zealand. They call it “the Queen’s Eggs.” Instead of any other cheese, add a few dollops of cream cheese. Remarkable upgrade.
Tori Avey says
Ooooh, that is definitely worth a try!
Richard Reiser says
Experienced those eggs on a trip to NZ.
They are absolutely my favorite. Easy to do with
great result.
Jessica Gutierrez says
Milk or water. Depending on your families preference (: