The Dignified Egg

A food magazine headline caught my eye a couple of months ago: “How to Make the Lightest, Fluffiest Scrambled Eggs Ever,” or something like that.

Now, let’s get one thing straight. Scrambled eggs are not supposed to be light and fluffy. They never were. If you want light and fluffy, watch Regis and Kathy Lee. Scrambled eggs are serious. They have weight and--dare I say it?--even a certain gravitas.

The best scrambled eggs are almost like badly curdled hollandaise. They’re buttery and smooth with fine silky curds. They are rich and they are even decadent, but they have an elegance to which the light-and-fluffies can never aspire.

Granted, great scrambled eggs take a bit longer to make than the other kind. But when the difference between 5 and 15 minutes of cooking can mean the difference between polyester and silk, how important is time?

The secret to making great scrambled eggs is the temperature at which they’re cooked. And the secret to the right temperature lies in a bit of egg chemistry.

You might not know it to look at them, but eggs are mostly water; the yolks are about 50% water and the whites are almost 90%. They are also high in protein; or, more accurately, proteins, because there are several, again varying according to the part of the egg.

When eggs are raw, those proteins are coiled in tight little balls. That’s why they appear so liquid. As the egg cooks, those coils relax and link up, creating a firm network to hold the water (the proteins are said to be “denatured” at this point). In the egg white, this happens between 140 and 150 degrees; in the yolk, between 150 and 160 degrees.

At higher temperatures, the proteins begin to squeeze the water out. This process, called syneresis, is most visible in overcooked custards. It makes eggs tough.

The trick in cooking scrambled eggs, then, is to keep the heat moderate. This is the opposite of cooking omelets, even though both dishes are made of essentially the same ingredients. Although scrambled eggs are stirred over moderate heat into delicate curds, a properly made omelet is quickly lifted and stirred over high heat into overlapping sheets of cooked egg.

Most recipes tell you to keep the heat for scrambled eggs very low, even to cook them in a double boiler. You can do that, but it will take you almost forever (or at least it will seem that way while you’re stirring).

I manage the heat a little differently--from within, rather than without. What I do is include chunks of cold butter in the egg mixture. I then start the mixture cooking over medium heat (of course stirring almost constantly). The cold butter moderates the temperature of the egg, keeping it cool during the initial heating.

After about 5 minutes, when the butter melts and the egg begins to thicken, I turn the temperature down to medium-low or even low and begin to scramble in earnest. It will take only 5 more minutes at the most to finish.

Unfortunately, there is no similar trick for managing the end of the process. Scrambled eggs go from unpleasantly wet to too dry in about a minute. As you’re stirring, you’ll notice that the bottom of the pan is getting dryer and dryer. When your spatula leaves clear tracks across the bottom, remove the pan from the heat and keep stirring. Within half a minute, you’ll have creamy, rich eggs that hold together in dense, shiny curds.

Serve scrambled eggs immediately. They cool quickly, and cold eggs are nobody’s idea of fun, no matter how rich they are.

SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH MORELS AND ASPARAGUS

The combination of morels and asparagus is quintessentially spring-like to me--the first embodying the moist earth and the second the vigorous new growth. It’s especially nice that they taste so good together. This is absolutely one of my favorite ways of combining them. It’s important to squeeze all of the excess moisture out of the morels after soaking or the eggs may turn a very unappetizing shade of brown.

3/4 ounce dried morels

12 eggs

1 pound asparagus

1/4 cup butter, in 3 or 4 parts

1 tablespoon minced chives

Salt and pepper

Cover morels with 1/2 cup hot water and set aside until softened, about 10 minutes. Trim tips and woody bases from asparagus. Reserve tips and discard ends. Slice remainder of asparagus very thin. When morels are softened, drain thoroughly, slice caps lengthwise and squeeze out any excess moisture.

Stir together eggs, morels, sliced asparagus and tips and butter in large mixing bowl.

Add eggs to large skillet and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring continuously, until butter melts. When butter has melted, reduce heat to medium-low. (If eggs start to set up on bottom before butter melts, reduce heat immediately.)

Continue cooking, stirring constantly and scraping set egg from bottom of pan. Cook until eggs have formed wet, shiny, fairly loose curds and you can see pan bottom. Remove from heat, add chives and season to taste with salt and pepper. Continue stirring off heat until eggs are set. Caution: Eggs will go from too wet to too dry extremely quickly. It is important that they remain creamy but still firmly set. Serve immediately.

4 to 6 servings. Each of 6 servings:

401 calories; 262 mg sodium; 446 mg cholesterol; 18 grams fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 21 grams protein; 7.17 grams fiber.