Kelli FosterSenior Contributing Food Editor
Kelli is a Senior Contributing Food Editor for Kitchn. She's a graduate of the French Culinary Institute and author of the cookbooks, Plant-Based Buddha Bowls, The Probiotic Kitchen, Buddha Bowls, and Everyday Freekeh Meals. She lives in New Jersey.
published Jan 11, 2012
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What’s your favorite last-minute dinner? Mine is scrambled eggs. I like them soft as possible, with plenty of butter, eaten on crisp toast at 7 p.m., taking comfort in a simple, hot meal after a scattered day. If scrambled eggs are your idea of easy comfort food, when it’s for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, these five tips will make them even better.
1. Whisk the eggs just before pouring them into the pan.
Scrambled eggs are one of the few foods that it doesn’t pay to get too much of a head start. To be sure your plate is topped with the fluffiest scrambled eggs, whisk them well, until the yolk and white are completed blended to an even yellow tone, just before you’re ready to pour them into a warm skillet gilded with a layer of melted butter.
2. For the creamiest eggs, just say yes to sour cream.
A spoonful of sour cream is the secret ingredient that gives scrambled eggs a fancy spin with a rich, ultra-creamy texture. The tangy taste is subtle, although it does come through. Any type of sour cream will work, but, as you might guess, the full-fat version delivers the most indulgent results. As a rule of thumb, add one heaping teaspoon of sour cream for every egg.
3. Season your eggs before cooking.
For a more full, well-rounded flavor I always recommend seasoning the eggs with salt and pepper before cooking, rather than waiting until you’re about to eat. It means the eggs are seasoned through and though, from the inside out, instead of just the surface.
4. Low heat is your friend.
Low and slow is the motto to live by when making scrambled eggs. A low flame makes for more evenly cooked eggs, with less evaporation of water, resulting in softer, more luscious curds.
5. Remove the pan from the heat before the eggs are fully set.
Remember, thanks to carryover cooking the residual heat in the pan will continue to cook the eggs even once you take them off the stove. So with this in mind, I always take the pan off the burner when the eggs are still soft, just before the curds are fully set.
