The first thing I ever learned to cook, around age eight, was scrambled eggs, and I learned it the way most people do: Crack a few eggs in a bowl, add milk, salt, and pepper, and cook over medium heat in a buttered skillet until they start to set, then rake them up to form curds. This is a perfectly respectable method, but it’s not how to make perfect scrambled eggs. And once you make them properly, you’ll find that humble scrambled eggs can become pretty sublime.
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First tip: Use a saucepan, not a skillet. Cooking the eggs in a narrower vessel makes them cook more slowly, which gives you insurance against overcooking.
How to Make Perfect Scrambled Eggs
Crack three eggs into your pan and add a knob of butter—anywhere from half a tablespoon to a tablespoon, depending on how rich you feel. Do not add milk! Milk does nothing good for scrambled eggs—it merely stretches them to feed more people. If you can afford the three eggs, skip the milk. And don’t season the eggs until they’re finished cooking, because the salt can draw water out of the whites and make them watery.
Set the pot over high heat. Using a fork, quickly whisk the eggs, which will form an emulsion with the butter. They will start to look creamy.
Take the pan off the heat, still whisking. The eggs will still cook, and begin to transform from a liquid to a solid. You might find it easier to use a spatula at this point. Continue stirring. Repeat this process, going on and off the heat, until the eggs are almost done to your liking.
When the eggs are almost ready, whisk in a bit more butter for flavor. You want the eggs wet, but not runny.
And that’s how to make perfect scrambled eggs! They may not look like the eggs you grew up eating or what you typically see on your diner breakfast plate, but give them a try. We think you’ll like them.
Garnish them with fresh herbs (chives, mint, parsley) if you’d like. Enjoy!
Do you have any tips for how to make perfect scrambled eggs? Let us know!
This post was first published in 2014 and has been updated.
Amy Traverso
Food Editor Amy Traverso oversees the Yankee Magazine Food department and contributes to NewEngland.com. Amy's book, The Apple Lover's Cookbook (W.W. Norton), won an International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) cookbook award for the category American.