The Best Scrambled Eggs

By Mark Bittman

The Best Scrambled Eggs
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Total Time
40 minutes
Rating
4(2,633)
Comments
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For silky, outrageously good scrambled eggs, cook them low and slow. This method, which Mark Bittman learned from James Beard, is very low and very slow: you place the eggs over very low heat, stirring frequently, breaking up the curds as they form. The results are without compare. Make them for breakfast on the weekend, while the coffee brews and the bacon fries.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings
  • 4 or 5eggs
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2tablespoons cream
  • 2tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

310 calories; 28 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 13 grams protein; 292 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them, just until the yolks and whites are combined. Season with salt and pepper and beat in the cream.

  2. Step 2

    Put a medium skillet, preferably non-stick, over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add the butter or oil and swirl it around the pan. After the butter melts, but before it foams, turn the heat to low.

  3. Step 3

    Add the eggs to the skillet and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. At first nothing will happen; after 10 minutes or so, the eggs will begin to form curds. Do not lose patience: Keep stirring, breaking up the curds as they form, until the mixture is a mass of soft curds. This will take 30 minutes or more. Serve immediately.

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4 out of 5
2,633 user ratings
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Comments

Larry

What do you do with the cold toast and coffee when the eggs are done? :)

Bailey in LA

Amateurs. The ultimate scrambled egg uses direct sunlight to heat the pan and 7.5 hours of continuous stirring.

nativetex

No way. I do it the Jacques Pepin way. Hot and fast. The eggs turn out silky and moist. They don't need the addition of cream because they haven't been dried out in a skillet for 30 minutes. My whole family -- especially sons in law -- demand them. I use a skillet with a stainless steel interior and copper bottom and a modest amount of butter. Nothing sticks to the pan.

Wally R.

Read down one years worth of notes and I didn’t see my trick. For every 2 or 3 eggs used I add an extra yoke. Yummm!

EP

My mother always made us scrambled eggs like this for breakfast as a special treat on weekends when she had time to cook. She called them 'coddled eggs'. They are also a prelude - in much larger quantities, and without pepper - to what my family (Ukrainian-Rusyn Greek Catholics) call in English "Easter Cheese".

Sarah crane

The quality of the eggs is most important. Cheap eggs taste cheap.

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Credits

Adapted from "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman

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