Sous vide scrambled eggs

[Major Nikon]

So the problem with scrambled eggs is if they are overcooked they get dry and rubbery. The best scrambled eggs are cooked over lower temperatures for longer times while stirring constantly, but this ties you up cooking the eggs when you could be doing other things. Sous vide solves this problem and creates a perfect texture with very little effort required.

This recipe serves 2, but you could easily ramp it up or down as necessary.

5 eggs
1 Tbs butter diced
1-2 tsp cream
pinch salt

Heat the water bath to 165F.

Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until the color changes, then add the rest of the ingredients.

Coat the inside of the bag with a small amount of vegetable oil. I've never tried skipping this step, but at the end the eggs just slide right out.

Place the mixture inside the bag and then put it into the water bath. I don't seal the bag and instead just clamp it to the side. A rack will keep it from floating.

At 30 minutes remove the bag and give it a few squeezes with some tongs to stir, then put it back in and repeat at 10 and then 5 minute intervals until the eggs get to the texture you want. I like my scrambled eggs a bit on the soft side, so I go for 45 minutes total.

Serve over toasted bread or English muffin with a side of sliced tomatoes from the garden. I like to season with a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.

[Cracklin Charlie]

1. Made my mouth water.

Sounds delicious!

[mitch96]

2. "Sous vide scrambled eggs"

What kind of sous vide machine do you use? I've tried salmon in a slow cooker and a bag. Kept it at 125º for 1/2 hr. Came out good but took too long. Not really worth it for me.. Instant gratification and all that. I don't eat red meat so that's not in my wheel house.
I like the technology of sous vide and wish I could employ it more. Good stuff.
m

[Major Nikon]

5. I have a couple of devices

One is a digital temperature controller that works in conjunction with another device, like a crock pot. I've had this device since well before cheap consumer circulators were widely available. I don't think they are sold anymore and are obsolete compared to cheap sous vide circulators you can buy today. I still like to use it for things I do in my crock pot where I want precise temperature control.

I also have a sous vide circulator. The one I have is only controllable via a cell phone or tablet. There's advantages to that, but if I had it to do over again, I'd probably get a cheaper lower wattage model that has the controller on the unit itself.

You really want to be careful about cooking fish at low temperatures. C. perfringens and other pathogenic bacteria can grow rapidly at temperatures below 130F. Most slow cookers are something of a dangerous way to cook at low temperatures because you can get into pathogen culturing temperature ranges. When I do fish with sous vide, I generally am between 130-145F depending on what type of fish it is.

I actually do more vegetables sous vide than meats. Things like corn on the cob, squash, asparagus, green beans, carrots and even potatoes do very well with sous vide. Yes, it does take longer, but the time saved is the time you don't spend during the actual cooking process and it makes it a lot more foolproof since you are cooking to temperature rather than time. This means you don't have to worry about taking something off the heat at the exact moment required and then worrying about it going cold before everything else is ready.

[mitch96]

7. "I have a couple of devices"

Sounds neat. I was gonna build on with a PID temp controller and a aquarium pump. That was when the "cheap" ones were $600 restaurant models.. Now I think they are below $100.
Good idea to keep the fish temp up. I was thinking I eat sushi so no big deal. Did not think the lower temp would be a haven for pathogens.. yuck
Tnx for the info..
m

[Thyla]

3. What a faff for scrambled eggs n/t

[mitch96]

8. How do you make Faff eggs? .................;) nt

[Phentex]

9. Learn the quickest way and then triple the time you'd spend on them that way...

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. What size eggs?

There would be an enormous difference between 5 small and 5 jumbo eggs.

Also, given that it takes approximately one minute to scramble a couple of eggs, why go through all this? Especially when you can have your eggs exactly as you want them in a minute?

[Major Nikon]

6. The egg size really doesn't matter

Larger volumes of eggs might take longer depending on the size of your bag and amount of water in the bath. Personally I almost always use large eggs because they are the most widely available high quality eggs I can find locally.

The reason you may not want to cook your eggs at higher temperatures has to do with texture. If you think of a hard boiled egg the whites are rubbery while the yolk is dry and chalky. At about 180F the egg proteins start to denature considerably in ways which creates this relationship. Most direct heating methods at high temperatures are going to exceed 180F for at least some of the egg mixture for short intervals regardless of how well you stir. So some people alternate the pan on and off the fire to regulate temperature while stirring. Another way is to stir over a double boiler. Both of these methods are fairly labor intensive and still require a fair amount of cooking time. Sous vide requires almost no effort during the cooking phase and produces results that are easily varied and consistent.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

10. Somehow I have never had trouble scrambling eggs

over direct, not very high heat in a minute or two. Your sous vide method is incredibly labor intensive. And takes 45 minutes?!? Really? That's hilariously inefficient. Honest, just do a basic scramble over perhaps a medium heat if you're totally paranoid about over cooking, but again, it take all of a minute or two to scramble a couple of eggs. 45 minutes? (Walks away, shaking her head.)

And if a hard boiled egg's yolk is dry and chalky it's been boiled far too long. Here's how I boil an egg, which leaves a very slightly moist yolk: Put the egg in water. Turn the heat up to medium high. When it boils, cover the pot, take it off the heat, time ten minutes. Perfect every time. This actually is somewhat time intensive, as I have to stay next to the stove and watch the pot until the water boils.

One of my favorite breakfasts is a boiled egg cut up on a slice of toast. I sort of fold the bread to eat the egg and toast. High protein, low calorie, and gets me off to a good start.

[Major Nikon]

13. If you're fully satisfied with your own method, by all means don't change a thing

The method you are describing is the American way to cook scrambled eggs and there's certainly nothing wrong with it if that's what you like. It's not a matter of having trouble with that method as it's ridiculously simple. It's a matter of doing something differently that produces different results.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

14. But really, 45 minutes to scramble eggs?

And poking them several times during that 45 minutes? That's hardly a quick breakfast friendly recipe.

One of the things I love about a basic American breakfast (eggs, generally scrambled, toast, hash browns, bacon) is that it can be made in twenty minutes or less. And that time includes making coffee. Well, I do instant, which probably will brand me as a total pariah here, but you who prefer a different kind of coffee can probably load the coffee maker the night before, right?

Okay, so the hash browned potatoes are predicated on previously boiled potatoes, but those can be done at any point in the preceding four or five days. Cut up some potatoes. Boil them. Drain and cool. You don't even need to bother to peel them. Put in the fridge. When you want breakfast potatoes (or fried potatoes with any other meal) just cut them up, season well with pepper and salt and fry over high heat in your preferred fat/oil. Excellent. And they take not much more time than normal scrambled eggs. A whole lot less than 45 minutes.

I love breakfast. Alas, at my age (70) I REALLY need to keep a sharp lid on how much I eat as I gain weight just by looking at food, it seems. The up side is that I can eat VERY cheaply, especially if I'm doing my own cooking. Honestly, for me a home cooked meal can come it at no more than two or three dollars.

More to the point, I love to cook. I generally like my own cooking. Unfortunately, it shows.

[yellowdogintexas]

11. I agree on too labor intensive

I can have eggs on the plate in 2 minutes tops. Or a cheese omelet. I also prefer softer scrambled eggs. I heat the pan to medium, melt a bit of butter if I am going to use it, pour in the beaten eggs and stir them around a bit. My new incredibly slick skillets make this so easy.

Hard boiled eggs make me think of deviled eggs and egg salad. I make my eggs exactly the same - cold water start, bring to a boil and remove from heat cover and plunge into ice after 10 minutes.

No dry yolk no rubbery whites and NO GREEN LINE around the yolk.

So now I am going to post my mom's cheddar cheese eggs diablo which was a traditional side dish when we had country ham

[yellowdogintexas]

12. Cheddar Cheese Eggs Diablo

Boil a dozen eggs. Grate the cheese. We usually used a big hunk of cheddar because she made a really big dish It works best in a deeper baking dish

Make a nice medium thickness white sauce
(per each cup of milk, use 2 Tbsp butter and 2 tbsp flour)
Warm the milk. I use my micro wave oven
Melt the butter, cook the flour in the melted butter but don't let it brown the add the warmed milk while stirring it with a whisk. When it is nice and smooth add the grated cheese and melt it in.

Add salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. A dash or two of Worcestershire sauce is great.

Now you add the cut up boiled eggs and stir it around

Crumble up some saltines on the top and decorate it with some pimento strips.

Bake until it bubbles.

this good stuff and makes a great brunch dish or side for a big Christmas dinner (especially with ham)