Scrambled eggs are purported to be a walk in the park to make. I beg to differ. At least if you want them ‘just so’. Things become even more perilous when you’re cooking for others. Its common knowledge that scrambled eggs are very much subject to personal opinion. Absolutely eeeeveryone has a different view on what constitutes the perfect scrambled egg. Take my sister. She likes hers on the murdered side – dried out to the bone and stirred so much that they resemble an unfortunate creature that’s been dashed against the pavement. The poor old frying pan has to undergo major reconstructive surgery after she’s finished with it. I on the other hand am impartial to the light, soft and fluffy kind. The kind that’s stirred (well in this case folded is a more accurate term) infrequently to produce large pillows of rich, yellow goodness. Contrary to my sister, my kinda eggs must be moist, but with no trace of runniness or remnants of raw egg. It’s a fine line, I’m telling you.
Perhaps I have a scrambled egg complex. You might be sitting there thinking ‘scrambled eggs are easy-peasy, this girls craaaayy-zy’. Well, that’s ok with me. But my question to you is how do you like your eggs? Cream or no cream? Milk? Cheese? Salt and pepper? Dry or moist? In itty-bitty pieces or large clumps? You see, scrambled eggs are not so simple. Oh and are you impartial to those made in the frying pan or in the microwave? If you say the microwave I might just cry. At work we’re required to make scrambled eggs in the microwave. It took five or six goes on one Saturday morning before I perfected them using the darn contraption. Regardless of finally mastering that, I still swear on my best cake tin that microwaved scrambled eggs Do. Not. Taste. The. Same. as those made in a frying pan.
After some serious experimentation (I figured that if I was going to become a certified chef I needed to figure the whole scrambled egg fandangle out), I’ve come up with scrambled eggs a la Shani. So what does this involve? Very little in the way of ingredients – 2 eggs per person, a smidge of butter to coat the pan and plenty of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. No milk or cream here! Why? If using free-range eggs (which really should be mandatory) you want to let their natural richness shine through. You’ll also want to arm yourself with a decent non stick frying pan and a heat proof spatula. Now the size of the frying pan is quite important for good results – if cooking just two eggs I reach for my itty bitty 14cm pan. Don’t fret if you don’t have one of these on hand – just use your next smallest pan and be prepared to improvise with cooking times!
First whisk your eggs with salt and pepper until frothy. Meanwhile you’ll be nice and organised and have your frying pan warming over a medium heat to melt the butter. Swirl the butter around so it covers all surfaces. Oh and because your super organised you’ll also have a plate at the ready and toast (if you so wish) in the toaster. Because from now on things are going to notch up a level and you’ll want to be ready to flip the eggs out as soon as they reach the crucial ‘doneness point’. We’re totally down with using technical jargon when making scrambled eggs.
The following mantra you must remember, otherwise there’s really not point trying to cook eggs this way. Never fear, it’s not uber complicated, but it is crucial. Ready for it? Slow and steady. Hmm I wonder where you’ve heard that before? The process could take up to five minutes for one serve, or even more depending on how many people your cooking for. A low heat is essential (monitor this closely throughout, adjusting as necessary). It’s also important to fold the eggs at infrequent intervals rather than stir crazily (this breaks them all up and tends to dry them out a lot quicker).
Oh and I forgot to mention the secret ingredient – feta cheese! Feel free to omit this if you wish, but if you do have a few scraps floating around in the fridge it provides a wonderful salty tang that contrasts beautifully with the rich eggs.
Scrambled eggs. Not as mundanely simple as they seem, but when done provide immense satisfaction.
Feta Scrambled Eggs
Serves 1. Double/triple/quadruple as necessary.
Ingredients
2 large free-range eggs
20g feta, crumbled into small pieces
Plenty of sea salt and freshly ground pepper
½ tsp butter
To serve:
Balsamic roasted mushrooms/roasted tomato/wilted spinach/avocado/toast
Extra salt and pepper
Method
Place a small (I use a 14cm diameter frying pan) over a medium heat and melt the butter, swirling so that it covers all surfaces.
Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a small bowl until very frothy. Season well with salt and pepper and whisk in the feta.
Once the butter is frothing away, pour in the egg mixture all at once. Leave to ‘set’ for approximately one minute then use a heatproof spatula to gently push the edges into the middle, allowing the runny bits to flow out. Monitor the heat closely – at about this point I turn it down to as low as possible to prevent the eggs cooking too quickly and drying out. After about thirty seconds, gently move the cooked parts to one side of the pan, giving it a little jiggle to coax any still raw bits out. Continue in this fashion for another minute or so, flipping the egg over if you wish to cook the top bits. I try to avoid stirring too much and breaking up the egg in the pan, as it tends to hold it’s fluffy shape better if left in two or three big pieces.
After 3-4 minutes your eggs should be just cooked (if you’re anything like me you want them to still ‘glisten’ in a few places. As soon as they are ready to your liking slide onto a plate, carefully break into a few fluffy pieces (that’s if you’ve managed to keep the egg ‘together) Serve immediately.
Source: A Taste Without Waste original.
Taste Without Waste 