I made scrambled eggs my way (plain eggs, in butter, over low heat), then I made them her way (with milk, olive oil, medium heat), and today, I show you what happened to my two large grade AA eggs scrambled and cooked...in the microwave oven.
They were right. The eggs certainly cooked. And the eggs certainly did pouf up in the microwave oven. I even went so far as to stop the microwave oven after 30 seconds to give it a stir (to scramble?). But when the final product came out of the oven, the pouf deflated and it looked like a round, very flat, sunny yellow sponge.
For the sake of the experiment, I ate it. It tasted like a rubber sponge.
Do not try this at home. Ever.
1-28-2006 @11:47AM Mike said... Around 1972, my parents got the first microwave oven on our block. For months neighbors came by to see it, friends got a demo when they came to visit.
While my dad tried nuking everything from whole chickens to cakes (using the browning element), the most popular demo food was scrambled eggs on a paper plate. Seems I was the guinea pig most of the time who got to eat the results.
I can still imagine the taste. Sponge it about right, chewy. And if food can taste "grey", that would be it.
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1-28-2006 @12:32PM Fazal Majid said... You can make decent scrambled eggs in a microwave using this method taught to me by my college buddy Q. D. Tran. Just beat the eggs with a little milk or cream, season to taste (using a spicy bell pepper sauce is quite nice). Put them in a microwave-safe bowl and in the microwave.
The secret is to interrupt the microwaving frequently, every 10 seconds at first, every 5 seconds by the end when they start coagulating, churn the eggs around with a fork or spoon, then resume. It will typically take a minute to a minute and a half for two eggs, so precise timing is very important.
A nice side-effect is that you only use one dish, which can be the serving dish, so this minimizes washing-up afterwards.
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1-28-2006 @12:41PM sarah said... if you make the effort to stop the microwave oven every 10 seconds to stir, i guess the question then becomes, why would you use a microwave oven? right? it sounds like just as much, if not more, effort than cooking on the stove top and the point of the microwave to me has always been convenience.
if you have no stove, i guess :)
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1-28-2006 @12:41PM benedict Murray said... i second fazal
its all bout the stirring
you wouldn't make scrambled eggs in a pan and stir once would you?
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1-28-2006 @5:03PM heidi said... Sarah - I urge you try one thing differently next time you scramble your eggs. Dont pre-scramble the eggs. Crack the eggs in the pan on the stove over med heat and start scrambling the whites around the yolks - dont break the yolk yet. After the whites have set, then break the yolks and let them run around the whites and after 10 seconds mix everything together, covering the scrambled whites with the yolk. I use butter - but oil works well too.
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1-28-2006 @7:35PM Bruce Dearborn Walker said... Of course, your very first scrambled eggs cooked in a pan on a stovetop were perfect, the stuff of legend, worthy of Zeus almighty himself, truly eggs of wonder and marveled at by your entire family, Nay, all who chanced upon your block that night speak of it as truly their finest hour.
Or not. Don't give up on nuking scrambled eggs. Fazal Majid is correct, you need milk, preferably some cream. A little butter and a bit of bacon fat are also good.
The real trick is to make it in a cup shape. My mom uses a 16 oz pyrex measuring cup. This keeps the air in as it heats. I've never tried it Heidi's way, but yes,don't mix it too much. Add salt and pepper before you begin.
Stop and stir when it looks like it's going to escape the cup. The importand concept is to stop cooking before it's done, as the residual heat will finish it off, leaving the eggs tender, not spongey. As you discovered, if you cook it till it's done, it's finished.
This is both quicker and cleaner than stovetop cooking, and, of course, results in a different taste and texture, which is the whole point of trying something different.
Don't fear your nukulator. Experiment. Kill a few more eggs. It's a great excuse to get a dog.
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1-28-2006 @8:31PM kitchenmage said... Hee hee, we've been fighting the holy egg wars for years around my place. I'm generally an eggumenicist, although I go through periods of eggtheism too. I do have to talk to Heidi, though -- those aren't scrambled eggs, they are *scribbled* eggs...at least if you leave them long enough to end with distinct striations of yellow and white. *grin*
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1-28-2006 @8:54PM Kristin said... If they came out spongey, you overcooked them in the microwave. I prefer mine on the stove top with lot's of butter and cooked slowly but when in a hurry, the microwave does work, but yes, you do have to stop often and give a quick stir. It takes me about two minutes total (that is including taking them out to stir). I whisk them with melted butter before I put them in the microwave, too. much quicker than pan method, but not dry or spongey at all.
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1-29-2006 @5:50AM uncle wilco said... 2 organic eggs(or straight from the chicken's b*m), splash of milk, pepper, knob of salted butted and some Herbes de Provence, whisked togther in pyrex jug with a fork.
100 secs on high in microwave.. take out, cover with some clingfilm (or plate) wait 30secs! then use fork hard and fast for another 30secs, and they will seperate lovely.. and not be rubbery
Its the only thing I use a microwave for.. btw
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1-29-2006 @1:51PM heidi said... "Scribbled eggs" - I like that! I like to be able to taste both the yolk and the whites in my eggs. I think the pre-mixed, stirred till fluffy style reminds me of a cafeteria. But my favorite egg is over-easy, which might explain my preference for the "scribbled style."
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