Julia Child's Clever Tip For Creamy Scrambled Eggs Every Time
For such a simple dish, making scrambled eggs can be tricky. No one likes eating rubbery and dry eggs so getting them to turn out perfectly each time requires careful attention and patience.
We've shared a number of handy tips to make your scrambled eggs fluffy and creamy, from whisking eggs with lemon juice to mixing in cottage cheese to your beaten eggs. Another tip that doesn't require additional ingredients is Julia Child's tried-and-tested technique: Adding some more raw egg just as the scrambled eggs are about to be done cooking. She shared this tip during a cooking demonstration with Jacques Pépin, which can be watched on YouTube. After pouring a bowl of whisked eggs already seasoned with salt and pepper into a frying pan with melted butter, Child scooped up a small amount of the mixture back into the bowl to add later. "[This is] to cream them up," she explained. Pépin remarked that the trick is "the old style" that stops the egg from fully cooking and turning rubbery.
Eggs continue to cook for about a minute after they've been removed from the heat, which should allay any fear of possibly eating raw eggs. In fact, letting them cook completely on your stovetop can lead to what Child described as "like hard nuggets." Child said, "I like a softly scrambled egg." And her trick lets the eggs retain some of their gooey texture so you end with a very softly scrambled and creamy dish.
Cook eggs slowly over low heat to keep them soft
Child didn't state a specific amount to put aside but around a fifth of the whisked eggs would be a good quantity. However, to cook creamy scrambled eggs every time, it's worth following her whole process and not just her last-minute tip. Her style is slow and on low heat — both key elements when cooking soft scrambled eggs. While other chefs like Pépin recommend cooking scrambled eggs on high heat very quickly, this slower method is more manageable to people who aren't as agile.
Child's method takes around 3 to 4 minutes and involves constant steady stirring of the eggs in the pan with a rubber spatula. The motion not only keeps the food from sticking to the frying pan but also creates a texture similar to a "broken custard," according to Child. The pan must be removed from the heat just before the raw egg gets added and stirred in thoroughly. The last-minute addition is whisked before pouring it in so it also has some fluffiness.
Before transferring your super-soft scrambled eggs into a dish, consider warming the serving plate first. You can put it in the oven set to anywhere between 324 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 40 seconds. You can also pop the plate into the microwave for a few seconds to heat it up. It's an extra step to take for a simple dish but it can make your dining experience feel restaurant-worthy.