America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Perfect Scrambled Eggs for Two

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on October 23, 2011

Time

10 minutes

Yield

Serves 2

Perfect Scrambled Eggs for Two

Ingredients

4 large eggs plus 1 large yolk2 tablespoons half-and-half ⅛ teaspoon salt ⅛ teaspoon pepper ½ tablespoon unsalted butter, chilled

Before You Begin

It's important to follow visual cues, as pan thickness will affect cooking times. If using an electric stove, heat one burner on low heat and a second on medium-high heat; move the skillet between burners for temperature adjustment. If you don't have half-and-half, substitute 4 teaspoons of whole milk and 2 teaspoons of heavy cream. To dress up the dish, add 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley, chives, basil, or cilantro or 1 1/2 teaspoons of dill or tarragon to the eggs after reducing the heat to low.

Instructions

  1. Beat eggs, yolks, half-and-half, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper with fork until eggs are thoroughly combined and color is pure yellow; do not overbeat.
  2. Heat butter in 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foaming just subsides (but should not brown), swirling to coat pan. Add egg mixture and, using rubber spatula, constantly and firmly scrape along bottom and sides of skillet until eggs begin to clump and spatula just leaves trail on bottom of pan, 45 to 75 seconds. Reduce heat to low and gently but constantly fold eggs until clumped and just slightly wet, 30 to 60 seconds. Immediately transfer eggs to warmed plates and season with salt to taste. Serve immediately.

Perfect Scrambled Eggs for Two

Headshot of America's Test Kitchen
By America's Test Kitchen
Save

Time

10 minutes

Yield

Serves 2

Ingredients

4 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
2 tablespoons half-and-half
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
½ tablespoon unsalted butter, chilled

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

4 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
2 tablespoons half-and-half
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
½ tablespoon unsalted butter, chilled

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

4 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
2 tablespoons half-and-half
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon pepper
½ tablespoon unsalted butter, chilled

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

Half-and-half proved to be the best type of dairy for our Scrambled Eggs recipe. It produced scrambled eggs that were decently puffed and stable. Adding extra yolks to the mix yielded rich results. A combination of high and low heat gave us perfect scrambled eggs. We also used a smaller skillet, which kept the eggs in a thicker layer, thereby producing larger curds.

Before You Begin

It's important to follow visual cues, as pan thickness will affect cooking times. If using an electric stove, heat one burner on low heat and a second on medium-high heat; move the skillet between burners for temperature adjustment. If you don't have half-and-half, substitute 4 teaspoons of whole milk and 2 teaspoons of heavy cream. To dress up the dish, add 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley, chives, basil, or cilantro or 1 1/2 teaspoons of dill or tarragon to the eggs after reducing the heat to low.

Instructions

  1. Beat eggs, yolks, half-and-half, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper with fork until eggs are thoroughly combined and color is pure yellow; do not overbeat.
  2. Heat butter in 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until foaming just subsides (but should not brown), swirling to coat pan. Add egg mixture and, using rubber spatula, constantly and firmly scrape along bottom and sides of skillet until eggs begin to clump and spatula just leaves trail on bottom of pan, 45 to 75 seconds. Reduce heat to low and gently but constantly fold eggs until clumped and just slightly wet, 30 to 60 seconds. Immediately transfer eggs to warmed plates and season with salt to taste. Serve immediately.

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

This is a members' feature.