Scrambled eggs

Scrambled eggs is a culinary dish made from eggs (usually chicken eggs), where the whites and yolks have been stirred, whipped, or beaten together (typically with the addition of other ingredients), then heated so that the proteins denature and coagulate, and they form into "curds".

Preparation

Only eggs are necessary to make scrambled eggs, but salt & pepper, butter, milk, water, chives, cream, crème fraîche, sour cream, grated cheese, and other ingredients may be added as recipes vary.

The eggs are cracked into a bowl with salt and pepper, and the mixture is stirred or whisked. Alternatively, the eggs are cracked directly into a hot pan or skillet, and the whites and yolks stirred together as they cook. In Food in England (1954) Dorothy Hartley comments, "There are two main schools: one (which I believe to be correct) breaks in the eggs direct, so that particles of clear white and clear yellow remain in the creamy mass. The other school beats the eggs together first, maintaining it gives a smoother texture". Elizabeth David (1960) takes the latter view: "For scrambled eggs, unlike those for an omelette, the eggs should be very well beaten".

thumb|left|Preparation in pans

The mixture can be poured into a hot pan containing melted butter or oil, where it starts coagulating. The heat is turned down and the eggs are stirred as they cook. This creates small, soft curds of egg. A thin pan is preferable to prevent browning. With continuous stirring, and not allowing the eggs to stick to the pan, the eggs themselves will maintain the pan temperature at about the boiling point of water, until they coagulate. In their Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961), Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle and Julia Child write, "Scrambled eggs in French style are creamy soft curds that just hold their shape from fork to mouth. Their preparation is entirely a matter of stirring the eggs over gentle heat until they slowly thicken as a mass into a custard."

Alternatively, Escoffier describes using a double boiler and can also be prepared using sous-vide cooking, which gives the traditional smooth creamy texture and requires only occasionally mixing during cooking.

Variations

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align: left; margin-right: 0;"

! scope="col" |Name

! scope="col" |English

! scope="col" |Ingredients

! scope="col" |Ref

| à l'amiral

| admiral's style

| garnished with diced lobster, served with lobster sauce

| aux anchois

| with anchovies

| mixed with chopped anchovies garnished with strips of anchovy fillets

| à l'Argenteuil

| with asparagus

| garnished with asparagus tips

| à la bonne femme

| housewife's style

| mixed with croutons fried in butter, served with demi-glace

| à la grand'mère

| grandmother's style

| mixed with chopped parsley and croutons fried in butter

| à la monégasque

| Monaco

| garnished with slices of lobster, masked with lobster sauce

| Salamanque

| Salamanca

| mixed with diced truffles served on artichoke bottoms covered with cheese sauce and glazed

| à la westphalienne

| Westphalian style

| mixed with fried diced Westphalian ham

| additional butter is melted and stirred into the egg mixture before cooking.

Scotch woodcock – British variant of scrambled eggs, served over toast that has been spread with Gentleman's Relish.

France

thumb|Video showing the steps in which basic scrambled eggs are prepared with mushrooms and cheese

There are more than a hundred variants of scrambled eggs (œufs brouillés) in French cuisine. Among the favoured additions are asparagus tips, crayfish, truffles, ham and mushrooms.

Italy

An Italian version of scrambled eggs: Uova stracciate al formaggio. In addition to the eggs and butter, cream is added, and when the eggs are cooked, grated Parmesan cheese is sprinkled on the top.

Nigeria

The dish is called "fried eggs" in Nigeria. The mai shai stalls cook scrambled eggs to the point of being heavily crisp.

Philippines

thumb|[[Poqui poqui, a scrambled egg dish with grilled eggplants, tomatoes, shallots, and garlic, from the Philippines]]

Poqui poqui – a Filipino dish consisting of grilled eggplants with sauteed garlic, tomatoes, and shallots and scrambled eggs.

South America

Parrot eggs ("Perico" in Spanish) is a dish in Venezuelan cuisine and Colombian cuisine prepared with scrambled eggs, butter, sautéed diced onions, and tomatoes. White cheese is also sometimes used.

Syria

Jaz maz [جظ مظ] – a Syrian variant of scrambled eggs made by first frying chopped tomatoes and onions in oil, butter or ghee. After frying the vegetables, eggs and spices (usually salt, pepper, red pepper powder, and sometimes the spice mix 'sabaa baharat') are added. It is eaten with the traditional Syrian bread khubz. It is typically eaten as breakfast, but can be a lunch or dinner dish too.

United States

Eggs frizzle – scrambled egg dish made with chipped beef "frizzled" in butter before eggs are added to the pan and scrambled. To make a variation called "Eggs a la Caracas" the beef is frizzled with tomatoes, spices, and grated cheese.
In American style, the eggs are scooped in towards the middle of the pan as they set, giving larger curds.

Notes

References

Escoffier, Georges Auguste. Escoffier: The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery. Translated by H. L. Cracknell and R.J. Kaufmann. New York: Wiley, 2002
FoodMayhem.com. Chef Jody Williams Shows Me How to Steam Scramble Eggs. New York: FoodMayhem.com, 2009.
McGee, Harold. On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. New York: Scribner, 2004.
Robuchon, Joël, Members of the Gastronomic Committee. Larousse Gastronomique. New York: Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2001.