The Cream Technique For Velvety Smooth Scrambled Eggs
At this point, you've probably heard the tip to pour a little milk into the pan when making scrambled eggs. In reality, milk can dilute the final product and make the eggs easier to burn. However, that shouldn't deter you from incorporating all dairy options into your pan — you just need to think thicker. If you have some heavy cream or crème fraîche on hand, you have an ideal ingredient for making impossibly smooth scrambled eggs.
But, simply pouring one of these dairy products into your pan with the eggs isn't quite enough to give you maximum silkiness. There's a little technique involved here, popularized by J. Kenji López-Alt of NY Times Cooking. First, you'll want to warm up the heavy cream or crème fraîche on its own, allowing it to boil for a little under a minute before turning down the heat to a simmer. Then pour your eggs slowly on top and let them sit for 15 seconds before you go in with your spatula to lightly stir. Once they're done cooking, you can mix in a little more of your chosen cold, creamy ingredient.
The cream technique was inspired by Chinese egg drop soup
While the New York Times recipe provides a unique take on this technique by incorporating creamy ingredients, you're essentially poaching your scrambled eggs in a dairy product, which can also be done in water. In a standard poaching method, you would first beat your eggs, then pour a thin stream into a whirlpool of boiling water. After covering the pot for about 20 seconds, the eggs will be cooked, and you can strain your food out. While scrambled eggs can turn out soggy and tasteless when poached in water, the creamy upgrade will give you a thick, velvety dish instead. The technique was inspired by Chinese egg drop soup, in which beaten eggs are poured into broth in a steady stream. The result of both the soup and the scrambled versions are thin strands of eggs throughout the dish, although they're smothered in a rich sauce in the latter instead of broth.
If you're making scrambled eggs this way at home, go with the dairy product that best suits your tastebuds. Heavy cream will give you a rich dish, while crème fraîche has a little tang that will balance out the creaminess of your eggs. Don't forget the splash of cold cream at the end — not only does it add thickness, but the cool liquid prevents your eggs from continuing to cook once they're off the stove.