How do you like your eggs in the morning?
The joy of perfectly cooked scrambled eggs, a recipe (of sorts) and an exploration of The Big Question: to add salt before or after cooking.
I hated scrambled eggs as a child, and omelettes, too; it wasn’t until I was well into adulthood that I understood why. I’d only ever eaten them overcooked.
It was the fashion then, I suppose, especially at hotel breakfast buffets where they were kept in a chafing dish, to cook scrambled eggs until firm enough to slice. My dad, I have to admit, also cooked the hell out of them. The curds stood solidly to attention, seeping liquid, and tasted intensely and unappealingly eggy. I managed to eat them, but only if splattered scarlet with ketchup.
Some years later, I was served a plate of eggs cooked to the texture of silken custard, swirled through with tender curds. The eggs were set just enough to hold their shape in a raised puddle, seasoned perfectly with salt and sprinkled with black pepper just before serving. They were a revelation, a completely different beast to the stuff I’d previously eaten. Of course, there’s no right or wrong when it comes to eggs, but to me, this version was perfect.
What with the scrambled egg talk? Well, they’ve been on my mind lately because we’ll be having them for breakfast on Christmas morning with curls of Lambton & Jackson smoked salmon. Also, I recently watched a video of someone making scrambled eggs and they insisted it was terribly wrong to add salt before cooking.
This claim reminded me of the research I’ve done for various articles I’ve written about eggs. It’s a widely held belief that salting them before scrambling makes them rubbery (or watery, depending on who you listen to). But it’s actually not true
Food and science guru Harold McGee says salting before cooking helps eggs thicken at a lower temperature and produces a more tender texture. Food writer Ed Smith, who has written a brilliant cook book devoted to eggs (out in March, pre-order it now, go on) agrees you won’t ruin scrambled eggs by salting first. “It’s just important to salt at some point,” he says.
Concentrating on the cooking process - rather than obsessing about salt o’clock - is infinitely more important, he says. “Do it slowly, constantly stirring and removing from the heat a touch before they’re done so they don’t carry on cooking and be ruined,” Ed says. Injecting a dose of healthy reality into our scrambled egg chat, he also points out that this is the kind of thing that’s not worth overthinking. “They’re just eggs,” he says.
This is true. But I do love daydreaming about the extras that can be added to scrambled eggs. I’m not referring to liquids here, such as cream or milk, that are often whisked into the eggs before cooking. I think this makes scrambled eggs watery plateful (although I agree with Felicity Cloake that a tiny bit of crème fraîche adds richness).
What I’m thinking of are the accessories you can add to a plate of scrambled eggs to elevate them in some way or bulk them out into a heartier meal.
Chilli crisp spooned over is outrageously good, the salty umami-thwack of the oil a sublime marriage with the mild creamy eggs (this is a dangerous thing to try, as you may never look back). I also adore making scrambled eggs Cacio et Pepe-style by folding through grated Parmesan and loads of coarsely ground black pepper. (Be warned that the eggs will go grey from the pepper but will still taste delicious).
My husband and I devoured the most decadent bowlful of scrambled eggs as a starter in a Parisian restaurant once, where the silky eggs came showered with wisps of shaved truffle. Actually orgasmic.
Georgina Hayden’s recipe for strapatsada - a Greek dish of scrambled eggs, tomatoes and feta - is also a properly hearty meal that I love. And I’ve been meaning to try for ages - but keep forgetting to - seasoning my scrambled eggs with fish sauce, as in this Vietnamese recipe.
But my favourite scrambled eggs are the ones my husband makes for me. I can never exactly replicate them, but the way he prepares them is just the way I love them. Here’s how he does it.