"scrambled eggs" news and stories

If you've already decided that foie gras isn't for you, then Michael Ruhlman's recent post on megnut probably isn't going to change your mind. If, however, you're undecided about the stuff, or (gasp) a fan, then by all means this is worth reading. Even with phrases like "pluck out any large dark veins," or "spread out the lobes," Ruhlman makes the fatted liver sound damn tasty, especially with scrambled eggs or soaked in milk and then poached. He also makes the point that, unlike most other high-end products, the foie gras available to the average consumer is likely of the same grade as the stuff available to most chefs because there are only a few suppliers in the U.S. Note that Tony Bourdain gives Ruhlman the atta-boy in the lengthy and worth-reading series of comments that follow the post.

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.

Over the weekend, I posted about scrambled eggs, and how for even this very simple thing, there are so many "this is IT" ways to make them. There were some comments about even more ways to cook them, including the microwave oven. Well, I haven't gotten to the microwave oven yet, but I did venture outside my own scrambled eggs technique of plain eggs, in butter, over low heat with a large spatula. I whicked a little bit of milk into the eggs and used olive oil over medium high heat.

The eggs tasted about the same as my scrambled eggs, but they had a different texture - instead of lumpy, bumpy curds, the eggs were smooth in some places like an omelet, which I suspect is from cooking so fast over high heat. I'll have to stick with low heat. I'm not sure how the milk affected the eggs.

However, I liked using olive oil better than butter, because I could really taste eggs. Butter is awesome, but wow, pure eggs is pretty awesome, too.

This week, I try the microwave.

I've heard and read many different ways to make scrambled eggs, all of which proclaim that this is the right way to do it for perfect scrambled eggs. This weekend, I'm going to test some out and compare to my own method.

Some say using high heat allows for quicker cooking so there's no danger of over-cooking, while others swear by low heat for the same reason. One of my sisters never uses anything but butter, the other sister only makes scrambled eggs in the fat left behind by bacon, and Mom thinks olive oil lets you "taste the eggs." Some say there's no need to add anything to plain whisked eggs except salt and pepper, but others demand adding milk or cream to keep them creamy. Even the tools get some quibbling: spatula vs. wooden spoon vs. chopstick? That last one's from my Uncle who insists that you must constantly stir the eggs with a single wooden chopstick.

For my own scrambled eggs, I melt a little bit of butter only for taste (less than a tablespoon per serving of two to three eggs), since I'm using a non-stick pan over low heat. I whisk 2 to 3 large eggs per serving with a dash of salt (I add pepper at the table), then pour into the pan. When it looks like the eggs are just starting to turn opaque, I start stirring with the corner of my spatula and cook for about 1½ minutes. When the eggs are still barely runny, I move them to the plate. By the time they get to the table, they're completely cooked.