Give your scrambled eggs an upgrade

Scrambled eggs are a breakfast staple and, let’s face it, lunch and dinner too. So how can you elevate this everyday egg dish?

Begin at the beginning

Good eggs, of course. Free range if you can – the colour and taste is far superior to anything else.

We used to have a friend who regularly dropped farm eggs off to us in the ’80s. I well remember a city guest looking quizzically at that morning’s scrambled eggs and asking what was wrong with them. They were a gorgeous deep yellow, and she had simply never seen free-range eggs before. 

Beat it

You will not have to beat them as much for an omelette, but you will have to whisk them a bit.

At this stage, you should add some dairy or water to the batter depending on your preferences. 

Dairy products will make it richer while water will make it fluffier.

Milk is the usual dairy choice, but you can also add cream, sour cream or crème fraiche. 

Generally, try to keep the ratio to a quarter cup of dairy to every four eggs and slightly less if you are using water. 

You can add chopped chives or parsley at this stage.

Get cooking

I’m sure there is someone out there who will disagree with me, but try to cook scrambled eggs in a non-stick pan. Cleaning the pan after scrambled eggs is one of the least rewarding tasks on earth. Woks are also good for scrambled eggs, but once again, nonstick. 

Over medium low heat, cook a big knob of butter until it’s bubbling (not browned, as that will colour the eggs) and then slosh your egg mixture in.

Let it sit until you can see the egg near the edges of the pan begin to solidify, that means it’s cooking. Now, using a spatula, start gently turning from the base, folding over until you have your desired texture. Try to collect all the egg from the base of the pan as you go. 

As a guide, eggs will keep cooking after you have taken them off the heat, so stop cooking slightly before you hit your desired texture. 

Add salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. 

Timing tip: unless you are cooking a big batch, your eggs will almost always cook before your toast. Put your toast on as soon as you see the first firmness and you should have yummy piping hot toast to go with your eggs.

I know people are very attached to sourdough toast, but if you want fluffy white supermarket bread, or anything in between, go for it. There are no egg police. 

Added extras

Scrambled eggs are, of course, delicious on their own, but it doesn’t seem right not have at least hot buttered toast underneath with that crunchiness complementing the creamy eggs. You can never have too much butter in my opinion, which is not shared by 10 out of 10 doctors. 

Chutney on the side is also a great addition to scrambled eggs. That tangy flavour is a great contrast to the rich eggy taste. 

Other additions include smoked salmon, which can be gently folded in at the last minute, and cooked ham.

If you don’t want quite such a strong herby taste, sprinkle them on top instead of cooking them with the eggs. 

And bacon, of course. However, it’s worth noting that bacon takes a lot longer to cook than eggs, so practice getting your timing right.  

I’ve also had them with cheese sprinkled on top. While the purists will be clutching their pearls in horror, it was pretty damned tasty. 

Those who like all their foods spicy can shake over some chilli flakes.

Do you have any tips to add? Why not share them in the comments section below?

Also read: So many eggs – which ones should you choose?