The Major Mistake People Make When Scrambling Eggs

On the list of easy breakfast ideas, scrambled eggs rank pretty high. Simply crack a few eggs into a bowl, whisk, pour into a buttered pan, and voila. Your first meal of the day is ready to eat in just five minutes. While the process of making scrambled eggs is easy, not everyone gets it all right. Making scrambled eggs takes more practice — and patience — than most people think. And one big mistake novices make is over-scrambling eggs. 

While you might think it's a good practice to whisk your eggs until there are no white streaks left, this is actually a bad idea. You should only beat eggs until the mixture is combined to avoid getting a tough or rubbery texture out of the egg mixture. 

In short, when it comes to scrambling eggs, less is more. Whisk the eggs until they've just combined, not until your arm goes numb.

Stopping yourself from over-mixing is one of the many things people forget about when cooking scrambled eggs. But if you're still not convinced over-whisking is a problem, let's dig into it a little more. 

Only whisking the eggs until they're combined ensures that their enzymes are still connected in some way. This makes for a fluffy, cohesive batch of scrambled eggs that are ready to indulge in. Over-whisking breaks up the eggs into much smaller parts, which makes for dry, detached bits of egg that aren't as tasty. 

Whisk the eggs only until air comes into the mixture to make sure they're fluffy when scrambled and don't have a completely destroyed texture. Use your best judgment to make sure you're keeping that fine balance. This might mean that you choose to scramble your egg mixture with a fork instead of a whisk to avoid over-scrambling, but you can use whatever technique you prefer to get there.

If you're still having trouble creating an ideal plate of scrambled eggs, let's dig into some other mistakes you might be making.

Scrambled eggs are a delicate breakfast food, and they might come out less-than-perfect if you're too impatient. Eggs should be cooked on a stove with a low temperature so that you can control the texture of the eggs as they change. If the stove temperature is too high, your eggs could start taking on a strange texture. Speaking of strange textures, if it seems like your eggs constantly look perfect on the pan but overdone on the plate, remember that eggs will continue cooking even after removed from heat, so take the pan off the stove a little bit before they look perfect. 

It might take some practice to get these tips down, but in time, you'll be able to make a perfect plate. There are many ways to enjoy scrambled eggs, and these reminders can at least help you make the classic breakfast taste a little bit better the next time around.