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Creamy scrambled eggs served on a slice of toast
  • 10 minutes
  • 5 ingredients

How do you make creamy scrambled eggs?

low heat, constant stirring, salt at the very end

By Bastien Delorme 1 min read

Prep
2 min
Total
10 min
Calories
248
Difficulty
Easy

In short

  1. Scrambled eggs set between 62 and 70 °C: past that the proteins tighten and expel their water, which is what makes them grainy.
  2. Cook on low heat, stirring constantly, and count 8 minutes rather than 3.
  3. Salt at the end, never at the start: salt added early draws out water and slackens the curds.
  4. Take the pan off the heat while the eggs still look slightly underdone: residual heat finishes them.

Ingredients

For 3 servings
  • very fresh eggs 6
  • butter 20 g
  • crème fraîche 2 tbsp
  • salt, at the end 1 pinch
  • freshly ground pepper 1 turn

Instructions

  1. Beat the eggs briefly

    Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk just until the yolks and whites come together. Over-beating incorporates air, which makes the eggs puff up and then collapse.

  2. Melt the butter on low heat

    Melt the butter in a non-stick pan over low heat. It should foam gently, never colour. If it browns, the pan is already too hot.

  3. Stir without stopping

    Pour in the eggs and stir continuously with a silicone spatula, scraping the bottom and the sides. Small curds form after 4 to 5 minutes. Keep going.

  4. Stop early and finish off the heat

    Take the pan off the heat when the eggs still look a little too runny, stir in the crème fraîche, then season with salt and pepper at the very end. Residual heat finishes the cooking in the thirty seconds it takes to serve.

Good to know

Egg white coagulates at around 62 °C and yolk at around 65 °C. Above 73 °C the protein network contracts and squeezes out the water it held, which is exactly the puddle at the bottom of the plate. A creamy scrambled egg is nothing more than an egg stopped 5 °C before that point.

Scrambled eggs are the dish where a brunch is usually lost. They are made in three minutes on high heat, they release water, and they arrive at the table grainy.

The only variable that matters is temperature. Everything else is a consequence of it.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make creamy scrambled eggs?

Cook them on low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula, for about 8 minutes, and take them off the heat while they still look slightly underdone. Stir in crème fraîche off the heat and season at the very end. Eggs set between 62 and 70 °C; past 73 °C they release water and turn grainy.

Why are my scrambled eggs watery?

Either the heat was too high, which tightens the proteins and expels the water they held, or the salt went in at the start. Salt added early draws water out of the eggs before they set.

Should you add milk to scrambled eggs?

No. Milk dilutes the eggs and is the main cause of the liquid in the bottom of the plate. Crème fraîche, added off the heat, brings fat rather than water and does the opposite.

Can they be kept warm for a brunch?

Not really. Scrambled eggs keep cooking in their own heat and turn dry within five minutes. For several people, cook in two pans at once or serve in two rounds.