Why Scrambled Eggs Taste Better From A Restaurant Than At Home
Scrambled eggs are deceptively simple: one ingredient, a little butter or oil, plus heat, right? If only it were that easy. Just because you've heated the eggs and stirred them a bit doesn't necessarily mean they'll taste good. Most can attest that restaurant scrambled eggs are vastly superior to the homemade version, per Reddit. So what are restaurant chefs doing differently?
First order of business: think twice about putting milk in your scrambled eggs. While this habit is quite popular, it doesn't help the eggs. Instead, milk makes the eggs' texture more rubbery and makes them flavorless, says Southern Living.
The liquid that truly makes a difference between passable eggs and restaurant-quality special-event-feeling eggs is water. That may come as a surprise, but the food scientist Natalie Alibrandi told Well + Good that water makes sense at a chemical level. "By adding water to eggs, you're preventing the proteins from binding too quickly," she explained. "The water creates steam when heated, and the result is a fluffier texture." Eat This, Not That! adds that the steam actually helps the eggs cook more evenly. You don't need to add that much water, either. Chef Sam Davis-Allonce recommends one-half teaspoon per egg (via Well + Good).
Scrambled eggs need patience
Another often forgotten ingredient to perfect restaurant-quality eggs is time. Indeed, the trick to getting satisfyingly light eggs instead of hard rubbery eggs is patience. You should never rush when cooking scrambled eggs. Taste of Home suggests cooking your scrambled eggs over low heat. The lower heat means you'll have to adjust your expectations regarding how long it will take to heat the scrambled eggs. Mark Bittman's "Best Scrambled Eggs" recipe calls for around 30 minutes to heat about four to five eggs. His recipe even comes with a clear warning: "Do not lose patience" (via NYT Cooking).
An undisputed restaurant scrambled eggs expert, Gordon Ramsay, offers a slightly different take. He suggests that you start eggs on medium heat until they solidify. Then, take them off the heat for under a minute. Finally, put the eggs on medium heat for a minute or two (per MasterClass). So, give yourself a few more minutes the next time you're making scrambled. The result is worth the wait.