The Reason You Should Try Adding Water To Scrambled Eggs
Every celebrity chef, it seems, has their own special way of making the perfect scrambled eggs. Gordon Ramsay's secret for the perfect scrambled eggs relies on a method where he continuously takes the pan on and off the heat, J. Kenji López-Alt uses diced up cold butter with a milk and cornstarch slurry, and Bobby Flay gets creamy scrambled eggs with crème fraiche as the secret ingredient. Truth be told, however, you don't have to get fancy with ingredients or techniques to achieve the best scrambled eggs.
As Real Simple shares, all you need is a splash of water. This may seem like an easy way to dilute the flavor of your eggs, but it actually has more impact on the texture than the taste. There is a real reason why the next time you're making scrambled eggs for breakfast, you should try adding some water to the mix.
The water steams the eggs, but more water isn't always better
The added water essentially steams the eggs as they cook in the pan, resulting in a much fluffier scramble (via Real Simple). Food scientist Natalia Alibrandi further elaborated to Well+Good that the water also slows the process of the proteins in the eggs binding together. That means you won't have to worry about tough, rubbery eggs.
When adding water to your eggs, it's best to start with a small amount at first. For scrambled eggs that are fluffy but still firm, Well+Good suggests a half teaspoon of water for each egg. The more water you add, the lighter and softer the curds will be, but try not to add any more than two teaspoons of water. They can quickly go from creamy to runny if you're not careful, and you might end up with a puddle of water around your eggs.
Per Eat This, Not That's instructions, you want to make sure you're cooking your eggs over medium heat. This ensures that the water won't just evaporate away all at once. Remember, in order for this to work, the water has to actually steam the eggs. You might be tempted to swap the water for milk, but unfortunately, this won't yield the same results. As Eat This, Not That explains, the fat in the milk contributes to a firmer texture, so if you want your eggs to be as fluffy as possible, plain water is the way to go.