Anthony Bourdain may have used sour cream as his secret ingredient for yummy scrambled eggs,
but chef Alex Guarnaschelli has a better way to make the time-honored breakfast food.
So, does her trick involve dairy, too? Keep watching to find out.
If every celebrity scrambled egg hack has failed you thus far, it's time to give Alex Guarnaschelli
a shot. Guarnaschelli, like Anthony Bourdain, Martha Stewart, Gordon Ramsay, and anyone else who
aspires to a delicious scramble, is a supporter of butter. She's also into a non-stick pan, which,
when combined with butter, as she told Reader's Digest in 2019, "is the best combo to make the
eggs cook evenly". Guarnaschelli has another unbreakable rule, too, telling Reader's Digest:
"Cream [and] milk [...] drag the eggs down."
This puts Guarnaschelli's recipe at odds with Adam Richman and Andrew Zimmern,
who both believe in dairy-infused scrambles.
"I love lots of butter in my scrambled eggs."
To achieve the perfect amount of fluff, Guarnaschelli adds one simple ingredient to her
scrambled eggs. The secret to Alex Guarnaschelli's fluffy scramble is water — and only water. The
steam adds body and levity to the eggs. As the celebrity chef explained to Reader's Digest,
you'll want to "whisk in" a "splash" of water — and "nothing else." Guarnaschelli went on to add:
"I stir consistently, sweeping the sides and edges to make sure
the egg doesn't stick and cook too quickly in only one area."
Throw out your recipe books and Youtube tutorial. You heard it from a master.
All you really need for an impeccable fluffy scramble are eggs, salt, pepper,
butter, water, a non-stick pan, and a little bit of consistency when stirring.
You might ask yourself why adding some milk or cream doesn't automatically
equate to airy scrambled eggs, but a bit of water can work wonders.
According to Certified Culinary Scientist and cookbook author, Jessica Gavin, a small amount
of liquid should add some lightness to your eggs, but the fat content really makes the difference.
Liquid, in general, prevents the proteins in cooked eggs from clumping too tightly
together — the more liquid you add, the looser of a final product you get. Theoretically,
milk or cream could also create steam to make an egg rise, but the fat content results in a
less-than-desirable product. Fat sets the texture of eggs and makes it more firm, and milk or cream
additionally strips the color and taste out of eggs, making dairy a no-go for this dish.
In addition to adding a few drops of water into your scrambled eggs to improve the texture,
knowing a few key egg hacks ensures you end up with a great scramble.
Southern Living reports that home cooks should opt to crack and whisk their eggs in a separate bowl
instead of cracking eggs straight into a hot pan. This method prevents streaks
in the cooking process and results in a much more uniform and fluffy breakfast.
"Don't let your eggs get cold."
Heat also plays an important role in churning out airy eggs. Using a lower heat ensures that
your scramble doesn't dry out. You can even take the pan directly off the element or gas
burner and keep cooking your scramble using the residual heat left in the cookware if
needed. While these techniques can generally work for most humble cooks, some celebrity
chefs have gone above and beyond in their quest to churn out the very best scramble out there.
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt shared his technique for the ultimate light and airy egg scramble with The
New York Times. The chef's method relies on making a slurry of water and starch,
and beating the eggs into the mixture. The starch mixture prevents the eggs from setting as quickly,
and potato or tapioca starch produce a particularly good final product due
to the fact that they react at a lower temperature than cornstarch.
Anthony Bourdain made his signature scrambled eggs with sour cream as the secret ingredient. It might
seem counterintuitive to use dairy when you want to whip up an incredibly light take on scrambled
eggs, but Bourdain first allowed his eggs to cook completely through before mixing in full-fat
sour cream, chives, and seasoning into the final product. That way, the chef would have been able
to get some extra rich flavor from this ingredient without it affecting the actual cooking process.
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