The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 135

coolingthe
eggsand
lettingthem
setmore
slowly;this
leadsto
denser,
creamier
results.
Withallthisdata,myfluffyscrambledeggswerecoming
out great. I just had to make sure to whisk in some milk
alongwiththeeggs,touserelativelyhighheat,tokeepthe
stirring and folding minimal, and to make sure to get ’em
out of the hot pan before they were completely cooked.
Even once out of the pan, moisture will continue to
evaporatefromtheeggsandtheproteinswillcontinuetoset
tighterand tighter. Removing the eggs from the pan when
slightly undercooked ensures that they arrive at the table
perfectlycooked.
Mycreamyeggs,ontheotherhand,weregivingmemore
problems.They were coming out fine when I started them
with cubes of cold butter, used low heat, and stirred
constantly to break up curds and release air and vapor, but
they were still not quite as rich and creamy as I’d like.
Salting them well before cooking (see “Salting Eggs,”


below)andlettingthemresthelped,butifthere’sonethingI
learnedworkinginFrenchrestaurants,it’sthatwhenallelse
fails,addmorefat.Mysolutionwastoaddextraeggyolks
tothemix,aswellastofinishthedishwithatouchofheavy

cream.Thecreamservestwofunctions:itaddsrichnessand
smoothsouttheeggs’texture,andwhenaddedattheendof
cooking, it also cools them down, preventing them from
settinguptoohardintheskillet.Andhow’sthisforgilding
the lily?—use crème frche (seehere) in place of heavy
cream. The resulting eggs are the ultimate in luxury: rich,
tender, almost custard-like in texture. Eggs-ceptional!
(Sorry.)

SALTINGEGGS

H

ere’s the scenario: You’ve just beaten a few

eggs with a pinch of salt, getting ready to scramble
them,whensuddenlythedoggetsstuckinthetoilet,
yourmother-in-lawcalls,andtheUPSguyringsthe
doorbell to deliver your brand-new digital
thermometer.Thirty minutes later, you get back to
those eggs and realize they’ve completely changed
color. Once bright yellow and opaque, they’re now
darkorangeandtranslucent.What’sgoingon?And,
moreimportant,willitaffectthewaytheycook?