Everyone has their own preferred way to cook eggs, whether it be fried, poached, boiled or scrambled. Regardless of how you like them, they all have one thing in common – they are difficult to cook to perfection. Some may put their overcooked or underdone eggs down to being impatient, but the fact is that eggs cook quickly due to the nature of the proteins within them and how they react to heat.
When heated, the proteins in the egg white unfold and bond with other proteins, solidifying the egg. This process, called coagulation, happens rapidly, especially with higher heat. But a chef has suggested that it’s not always how long you cook eggs on the stove for, but rather what you do with them afterwards that really makes a difference: “Most people ruin their scrambled eggs with this one mistake”, said Andy (@andycooks) on TikTok.
Andy demonstrated how he makes “perfect” scrambled eggs, showing his sizeable TikTok following that there’s just one thing people often forget.
When cooking eggs, it’s important to ensure the pan is not too hot. Low and slow is generally the best approach for delicious, creamy eggs.
But the cooking maestro notes that none of these steps will solely ruin your eggs. One thing that can, is waiting for them to be fully cooked before removing the pan from the heat.
Andy said you should wait for the eggs to get to the desired temperature you want them, not wait for them to appear fully cooked.
“The mistake that most people make is not taking them [the eggs] out of the pan soon enough, and they overcook”, he explained.
Carryover cooking refers to the continued cooking of food even after it’s removed from the heat source, due to the residual heat trapped within. For eggs, this means they’ll continue to cook after being taken off the stove, which can lead to overcooking if not accounted for.
His “hot tip” to scrambled eggs fans is to take them off the heat about 30 seconds before they look done.
How to cook perfect scrambled eggs
Andy suggests beginning with three room-temperature eggs and cracking them into a mixing bowl before seasoning them with salt.
The culinary expert then beats the salted eggs with a fork to form a thick mixture. His next step is to add some butter to a frying pan over medium heat and bring it up to temperature.
Then, pour the eggs into the pan and stir continuously until the eggs are at the temperature you like. Remove from the pan before they appear fully cooked. By the time you eat them, they should be creamy and cooked through.
Scrambled eggs typically take three to five minutes to cook on the stovetop. The exact time depends on the number of eggs and the desired consistency. For a soft, creamy texture, cook them low and slow.
