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The ability to cook scrambled eggs is beneficial — this delicious dish can be a quick snack if you are in a hurry. Scrambled eggs are a dish made from eggs (usually chicken eggs), mixed, or beaten together when gently heated, usually with salt, butter, and other ingredients.
Scrambled eggs are the easiest and fastest breakfast option. In our latitudes, it is customary to eat boiled or fried eggs. But the option of scrambled eggs has not yet taken root.
Although this dish is no less delicious, and even a beginner in cooking can prepare it. In many restaurants in Europe and America, it is the chatterbox that you can find on the breakfast menu.
History of appearance
Scrambled egg is a British version of an omelet. It is a very popular dish in the USA and Europe. Before cooking, the eggs are shaken. First in a bowl, then in a frying pan, during cooking. It turns out a delicate, small lump of substance.
It is eaten with pleasure all over the world for breakfast, served in cafes and restaurants. Scrambled eggs got into literature and musical culture. Rex Stout in his book forced the famous detective Nero Wolfe to cook it, and the Beatles, according to rumors, even wrote one of the variants of the words of their hit Yesterday with a mention of the chatterbox, calling it that.
You can come up with many options for cooking this dish.
Features of the dish
Before you start cooking, you need to understand the main characteristics and features of scrambled eggs. To begin with, it is worth noting that this option is suitable for those who prefer omelets or fried eggs.
But if you have breakfast only with fried eggs, then this European dish is not for you. It is a mixed yolk and protein, which turn into a mass of homogeneous consistency.
A significant advantage of this recipe is the opportunity to include it in a small children’s diet. Often kids do not perceive the yolk or protein separately.
An equally important point is the calorie content of the dish. The classic version of cooking does not exceed 200 calories. At the same time, the dish itself is very nutritious, so it is perfect for breakfast or a snack during the day.
Scrambled eggs are a base that you can supplement with any ingredients. That means that it will not get bored soon, unlike boiled eggs, for example.
How to season scrambled eggs (classic recipe)
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs per person
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of butter
- 1 tablespoon (20 milliliters) of milk or cream (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions for cooking:
- In a bowl, break the eggs, pour the milk and add the spices. Mix all the ingredients with a spoon or a whisk. It is necessary not to beat the eggs, but to mix them with milk.
- At the next stage, pour the mixture into the pan. Previously, you need to melt a piece of butter in it. Do not rush to turn on the burner too much, so the dish will turn out dry. The entire frying process should take place over medium heat.
- You need to stir this fried egg in a frying pan. As soon as you pour out the mixture, the eggs will begin to fry at the edges. Constant stirring will not allow the chatterbox to overcook but will allow you to maintain a soft consistency.
- As a result, your dish should consist of small soft egg lumps. The procedure takes about 5 minutes. Ready-made chatterbox is better to serve hot on the table. You can sprinkle it with fresh herbs, add vegetables.
What spices go in scrambled eggs?
Classic seasonings are salt, pepper, feta cheese, fresh herbs, salsa, or teriyaki sauce. More complex combinations of taste can create:
- Cumin
- Chili Powder
- Paprika
- Cayenne pepper (for cooking particularly spicy eggs)
- Cajun Blend
Many cooks add a pinch of fresh and dried herbs to scrambled eggs. Mix them with raw eggs and mix. Herb options:
- Basil
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Green onions
- Rosemary Sage
The secret ingredient for fluffy scrambled eggs
Beat the eggs until smooth and add milk to them at the rate of 0.5 tbsp. l. for two eggs. Mix it up. Add the “secret agent” – carbonated water. Pour it into the egg-milk mixture (0.5 tbsp. l. for two eggs). Thanks to this, the ingredients of the scrambled eggs will not be too liquid but will become light and airy. It is significant to choose carbonated water without additives and dyes.
How do soda bubbles help? Due to the influence of heat, the water bubbles expand, “beating” the eggs. You can cook scrambled eggs only with carbonated water without milk and cream. This dish will turn out to be bland, so it’s worth adding spices there.
Why do scrambled eggs turn GREY?
The greenish-gray color of scrambled eggs appears due to the formation of iron sulfide. Eggs consist of 20 amino acids. Two amino acids (cysteine and methionine) are made up of sulfur.
When eggs are cooked at a high temperature for a long time, sulfur is released in large quantities, and scrambled eggs darken. When the protein in the eggs receives energy (heat), the protein loops unfold and sulfur escapes, reacting with water.
A thin gray layer on the border of the yolk and protein you can also sometimes notice on hard-boiled eggs. It is the process of iron sulfide isolation. The same phenomenon occurs when you cook scrambled eggs.
What is the best seasoning without salt?
The main component of table salt is sodium chloride. The salty taste activates the secretion of saliva and improves the digestive processes. Also, sodium and chlorine maintain acid-base and water balances.
Due to the regular use of salt, sodium can increase. This threatens increased blood pressure, edema, and depletion of potassium reserves. Several salt substitutes are well suited for adding scrambled eggs to scrambled eggs.
Seasoning options without salt
- Curry. Yellow seasoning from a mixture of spices (turmeric root, ground pepper, ginger, coriander) is one of the most popular spices in the kitchen. Curry gives the products a piquant taste and aroma even though there is no salt in the composition.
- Cinnamon. The spice eliminates the habit of salting and also lowers the sugar level in the blood.
- Dried tomatoes. Tomatoes dried in the sun are rich in fiber and vitamin C and contain natural salt. Tomatoes will give a spicy taste to scrambled eggs.
- Lemon juice. Citrus juice is beneficial for hypertensive patients because it reduces blood pressure. Fruit extraction is suitable for almost all recipes and is a good salt substitute.
- Oregano. Seasoning is an excellent antioxidant that has an anti-inflammatory effect. The taste of oregano evokes associations with dishes of Mediterranean cuisine, it is well suited for many recipes.
- Paprika. The spice of sweet pepper turns out so bright due to carotene, this substance is a powerful antioxidant.
- Food yeast. The seasoning, made from dry yeast, is popular with vegans. Brewer’s yeast is rich in B vitamins, contains little sodium, and tastes like spicy cheese.
- Onion. It complements the dishes with a delicious aroma and helps to forget about salt. It works best in tandem with garlic, having a restorative effect on the body.
- Garlic. Fresh or dried garlic is another product that reduces dependence on salt. It has a lot of antioxidants that normalize blood pressure and reduce inflammatory processes.
- Dill. It is rich in vitamin C, antioxidants, carotenoids. The spicy product is beneficial for the cardiovascular system.
- Vinegar. All varieties of vinegar are suitable and help make up for the lack of salt: wine (red, white), apple, and balsamic.
- Kelp. It is a brown alga with a characteristic salty taste.
What do restaurants add to scrambled eggs?
The vast majority of restaurants do not know how to cook scrambled eggs properly. Instead of the necessary airiness, they prepare the dish stiff with lumps. Chefs in restaurants in Britain make the best-scrambled eggs.
They have unique technology for cooking such eggs.
- Put the butter on the frying pan.
- Eggs should be put in a frying pan only when the foam from the oil subsides.
- Next, the cooks constantly mix the eggs.
- The eggs should come together in soft, smooth cottage cheese, then put them on a plate, add pepper, and truffle salt.
Is it better to use milk or water in scrambled eggs?
It is better to cook scrambled eggs with milk, it will turn out to be more tender in taste. Ingredients:
- three eggs
- 100 ml of milk
- two teaspoons vegetable oil
- salt and spices to taste
We put the frying pan on moderate heat, pour the oil and let it warm up. While the butter is heating, break the eggs into a bowl, add salt and mix well with a fork or whisk until completely homogeneous.
Cooking instructions:
- Pour in the milk and mix everything well.
- Pour the prepared mixture into the pan and start mixing it with a spatula, shifting the sides of the fried eggs to the center.
- Fry until tender.
- It is not necessary to mix until complete uniformity, the scrambled eggs should have a granular structure.
What to add to scrambled eggs
You can improve the taste of the dish by adding various new ingredients.
- Finely chopped spicy herbs: oregano, tarragon, or thyme. You can mix them with parsley, garlic, green onions, basil, or mint.
- Tabasco or Worcestershire sauces.
- Melting cheeses: gouda or cheddar.
- Chopped and fried mushrooms, for example, champignons or forest (white or blackberries).
- Chopped boiled shrimp.
- Tomatoes cut into small cubes (without seeds and juice – only the pulp), sweet peppers (without partitions and seeds), dried tomatoes, or olives.
- Any salsa. Just be sure to drain all the juices so that the scrambled eggs do not become too watery.
The main mistakes
Scrambled eggs are one of the most elementary dishes in a hurry.
It takes less effort to prepare it than for some poached egg or ordinary fried eggs. However, even in the preparation of such a simple dish, you can make several mistakes.
- Choose a non-stick frying pan. Eggs constantly stick to the surface of the dishes.
- Choose a smaller frying pan. One of the easiest ways not to overdo the chatterbox is to take a smaller frying pan. A large surface area of the frying pan inevitably leads to eggs dring out.
- Take plenty of salt. Salt helps to improve the structure of the product.
- Keep an eye on the temperature. The main danger in the case of this dish is that the frying pan is too hot. If you experiment with the temperature, you can cook the right scrambled eggs.
- Decide how hard you will beat the eggs. If you beat the eggs too hard, the whites will begin to unfold, and then stick together faster. Professionals advise beating eggs with a fork.
- Add the fatty ingredients. Fat is another way to give scrambled eggs tenderness and affect the process of protein coagulation.
- In a variety of sources, there is often universal advice: remove the scrambled eggs from the stove, without waiting for the moment when, in your opinion, they will be ready. Allow the residual heat to bring it to the desired state.
The difference between scrambled eggs and omelet
The chatterbox differs from the omelet in the cooking technique. The ingredients there may be identical, but the consistency is different in the end. Scrambled eggs should be constantly stirred, shaken with a whisk or a spatula.
There are various techniques for cooking chatterbox-in a water bath or just in a frying pan with the addition of butter, cream, or milk, depending on the recipe.
The omelet has a more holistic and homogeneous structure. It is either baked in the oven or cooked in a frying pan, and can be of a complex shape, while the chatterbox is more like porridge.
Final thoughts
Scrambled eggs are popular all over the world. It is a simple and cheap dish to prepare. Most often, you can find the main ingredients in your refrigerator. You can cook scrambled eggs with milk or water.
It is important to understand the difference: on the water, the dish will turn out fresh and not so airy. Do not despair if you are allergic to milk. There is a range of spices that will improve the taste of your dish.
Everyone has the main spices for cooking scrambled eggs – salt and pepper. Experiment and create your masterpiece!