Scrambled Eggs with Bacon, Onion, and Pepper Jack Cheese
By America's Test KitchenPublished on January 30, 2012
Time
25 minutes
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
12 large eggs ¾ teaspoon table salt ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 6 tablespoons half-and-half 4 slices bacon (about 4 ounces), halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces1 medium onion, chopped medium (about 1 cup)1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 ½ ounces pepper Jack cheese or Monterey Jack, shredded (about ½ cup)1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Crack eggs into medium bowl; add salt, pepper, and half-and-half. Beat with dinner fork until thoroughly combined.
- Cook bacon in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate; discard all but 2 teaspoons bacon fat. Add onion to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes; transfer onion to second plate.
- Thoroughly wipe out skillet with paper towels, add butter, and set over medium heat. When butter foams, swirl to coat bottom and sides of skillet, then pour in eggs. With heatproof rubber spatula, stir eggs constantly, slowly pushing them from side to side, scraping along bottom of skillet and then around sides, and lifting and folding eggs as they form curds. Do not over-scramble, as curds formed will be too small. Cook eggs until large curds form but eggs are still very moist, 2 to 3 minutes. Off heat, gently fold in onion, cheese, and half of bacon until evenly distributed; if eggs are still underdone, return skillet to medium heat for no longer than 30 seconds. Divide eggs among individual plates, sprinkle with remaining bacon and parsley, and serve immediately.
Time
25 minutesYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
12 large eggs
¾ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
6 tablespoons half-and-half
4 slices bacon (about 4 ounces), halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped medium (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 ½ ounces pepper Jack cheese or Monterey Jack, shredded (about ½ cup)
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley leaves (optional)
Ingredients
12 large eggs
¾ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
6 tablespoons half-and-half
4 slices bacon (about 4 ounces), halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped medium (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 ½ ounces pepper Jack cheese or Monterey Jack, shredded (about ½ cup)
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley leaves (optional)
Ingredients
12 large eggs
¾ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
6 tablespoons half-and-half
4 slices bacon (about 4 ounces), halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped medium (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 ½ ounces pepper Jack cheese or Monterey Jack, shredded (about ½ cup)
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley leaves (optional)
Why This Recipe Works
To keep our scrambled egg recipe light and fluffy while adding hearty ingredients such as sausage, cheese, and vegetables, we had to eliminate as much of the added moisture as we could. Some ingredients were more appropriate for our scrambled egg recipe than others: Drier leafy greens, crunchy vegetables, and breakfast meats worked better than mushrooms and ham steaks, which are full of water and brine, respectively. To further reduce the moisture content, we decided to sauté the vegetables before adding them to the eggs and then remove them from the pan and wipe it dry before adding the eggs. We replaced the milk called for in our original recipe with half-and-half, which has more fat and less moisture.
Instructions
- Crack eggs into medium bowl; add salt, pepper, and half-and-half. Beat with dinner fork until thoroughly combined.
- Cook bacon in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate; discard all but 2 teaspoons bacon fat. Add onion to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes; transfer onion to second plate.
- Thoroughly wipe out skillet with paper towels, add butter, and set over medium heat. When butter foams, swirl to coat bottom and sides of skillet, then pour in eggs. With heatproof rubber spatula, stir eggs constantly, slowly pushing them from side to side, scraping along bottom of skillet and then around sides, and lifting and folding eggs as they form curds. Do not over-scramble, as curds formed will be too small. Cook eggs until large curds form but eggs are still very moist, 2 to 3 minutes. Off heat, gently fold in onion, cheese, and half of bacon until evenly distributed; if eggs are still underdone, return skillet to medium heat for no longer than 30 seconds. Divide eggs among individual plates, sprinkle with remaining bacon and parsley, and serve immediately.
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