Keeping Chickens

This section looks at how to cook perfect scrambled eggs, so that you can have a meal in minutes with eggs that are cooked to a perfect creamy scrambled consistency. We then look at adding a few basic ingredients to turn your eggy meal into a feast.

The starting point for scrambled eggs is getting the number of eggs required right. There is a minimum number of eggs for scrambling success and the magic number is 3. Any less than this and it is highly likely you will get either overcooked rubbery eggs or a mashed omelette. Ideally you need 1.5 eggs per serving so if you are only cooking for yourself, and not very hungry, have a poached egg or omelette instead. Avoid trying to cook less than 3 eggs in the microwave.
 
Unlike poached, boiled, fried and baked eggs the yolk is mixed in with the white so you will not need to worry about perfect yolks with scrambled eggs. Perfect scrambled eggs will have a thick porridgey consistency and are NOT the dried stiff or solid texture you get at most hotel breakfast buffets. So they will have a little creamy eggy liquid amongst the little lumps of cooked scramble. Please note that scrambled eggs continue to cook in their own heat so you need a runnier texture in than pan than you might want on the plate. This is because by the time you have served them the runny liquid will have cooked some more and started to stiffen. get the timing right and they will then be just right when you serve and start to eat them.

Scrambled eggs are one of the few basic eggs that can be cooked successfully in a microwave. I will cover off both cooking methods below. The advantage with cooking on the hob is you have better control over the heat source and better able to judge when the eggs are just right for you. The advantage of the microwave method is there is less fat, you have less washing up and there is no risk of a horribly sticky eggy pan to tackle.

Do NOT start cooking eggs and go off to do something else. Scrambled eggs go from underdone to over done very quickly and need constant attention.

You will need

• As many eggs as you need for the number of people you are cooking for, 1.5 – 2 eggs per person
• 20ml double cream per egg, slightly less if cooking more than 6 eggs. you can substitute for milk but they aren't as nice!
• Salt and pepper
• A jug and fork, the jug should be heatproof and microwaveable if cooking in the microwave
• A knob of butter, a splash of oil and a small saucepan if cooking on the hob.
• A wooden spoon or fork
• Something to eat with your egg. Toast works well.

Hob method

1. If you are good at multi-tasking then cook your toast whilst the eggs are cooking. If you don’t cope with doing 2 things at once do the toast first and keep it warm in the oven whilst you cook your eggs.
2. Break your eggs into a bowl or jug and add a little seasoning then beat with a fork until thoroughly mixed. Add the cream and beat again
3. Heat the pan on a high heat then add the butter and a splash of oil, the oil will stop the butter burning. The butter should sizzle and melt quickly. NB get this right and your eggs will not stick to the pan, easier for washing up. A hot pan is good at this stage.
4. once the butter has melted and before is starts to go brown add the eggs then turn the heat down to medium.
5. Stir the eggs with a wooden spoon or fork, constantly scraping in any egg that has cooked on the sides and bottom of the pan.
6. Keep stiring until the eggs resemble a thick porridgey consistency
7. Serve eat and enjoy!

Microwave method

NB it is very easy to overcook eggs in the microwave. If overcooked you will end up with a solid lump of omelettey egg. Short bursts of cooking and plenty of beating are essential here.

1. If you are good at multi-tasking then cook your toast whilst the eggs are cooking. If you don’t cope with doing 2 things at once do the toast first and keep it warm in the oven whilst you cook your eggs.
2. Break your eggs into a heatproof, microwaveable bowl or jug, add a little seasoning then beat with a fork until thoroughly mixed. Add the cream and beat again.
3. Zap the eggs in 1 minute bursts beating in between each burst of heat until the liquid egg starts to cook around the edge of the bowl .
4. Reduce the cooking time to 30 second bursts until the eggy mix starts to resemble runny porridge, beating well between each burst of heat.
5. Stop heating the eggs and allow them to stand for a minute, beat again and assess whether they are cooked enough for you. If you want them slightly more cooked give them another 10 seconds then allow to stand again. Have a care at this stage as 10 seconds too long and they will go stiff.

For a 5 egg mix, which is enough for 2 adults and 1 teenager for breakfast, I usually give our eggs 2 x 1min, 2 - 3 x 30secs and an extra 15 second blast if they need it.

Problem solving

• You can substitute milk or yogurt for cream however you need to take extra care as overcooked eggs will be very dry and release a watery liquid that is not nice to look at and makes your toast soggy.
• Scrambled eggs should be cooked and served straight away. If you have to keep them warm before serving try to time it so that you are holding them for less than 5 minutes. Cook them slightly runny and store in a warm, not hot, oven, then give them a stir before you serve.
• If you leave the cream out altogether and just cook eggs they will have a drier texture and have a tendency to go solid.
• If your eggs have a drier texture once served you have cooked them a little bit too long. Eat up and learn to cook them a bit less
• Overcooked eggs can’t be made runny again but undercooked eggs can be heated a bit longer. It is better to stop cooking too early than too late.
• It is a challenge to cater for people that like their scrambled eggs at different states of runniness. If you find yourself in this situation cook your eggs on the hob, you can dish up to the runny lovers, continue to cook the rest a little longer for the solid lovers.
• People that think they like their scrambled eggs well done convert fairly rapidly to the creamier, porridgy eggs once they have been persuaded to tried them so don’t be surprised if your loved ones change their tastes once they have had properly cooked scrambled eggs.
• Remember, you are learning it is OK to get it wrong.

Once you have mastered basic egg scrambling you will want to get more adventurous. Check out our "Scrambled Egg Recipes" page for more serving suggestions and ideas for taking your perfect scrambled eggs from a simple meal to a feast fit to impress.

Happy eating!

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