Scrambled Eggs: Thinking Outside the Pan

I’d like to share with you a cooking method that I recently discovered to help make really good scrambled eggs. You are probably thinking that scrambled eggs may be one of the easiest recipes to make. It was the first dish that I started making for myself when I was a kid. And I’m sure that you all have your own little ingredient tricks to make your perfect version of scrambled eggs. Some people may prefer to add milk, cheddar cheese, sour cream or creme fraiche. Mine is adding some parmesan cheese and chives along with some salt and pepper. This post is not so much about the recipe, but rather the cooking technique.

Instead of using a traditional frying pan, I have recently started scrambling my eggs in a heated non-stick sauce pan. Using a sauce pan allows you more surface area to get a good scramble going. You can tilt and move the pan while scrambling, without worrying about eggs splashing out all over the stove top. I also like to use the 20-20 method. I start by adding a small pat of butter or drizzle of olive oil to the heated pan. Then I add my scrambled batter to the pan and start scrambling immediately and constantly with a wooden spatula. I keep the pan on the stove for twenty seconds, then I lift and remove the pan for twenty seconds, while continuing to constantly scramble. The eggs will still cook in a heated pan, even if they are not over direct heat the entire time. Twenty seconds back on the stove, then twenty seconds off again. This method gives you more control over getting the eggs to the perfect temperature and texture of your liking. Continue the 20-20 on and off steps until the eggs reach your desired consistency.

So there you have it. Heated sauce pan, repeated pattern of twenty seconds on and twenty seconds off, constant scrambling with a wooden spatula until done to your liking. Now get scrambling!!!