Eggs; when scrambling, making a fritatta, etc., do you

[babylonsister]

add water or milk, and why or why not?
I remember many years ago my uncle (who died years ago) said he liked them pure w/o additions, but I never asked him why.
Any clues?

[housewolf]

1. Water/milk with eggs

I add about 1 tbls of water for each whole egg and whisk them pretty well, water seems to make scrambled eggs, omelets, etc fluffy. Milk seems to make them creamy and richer, but not fluffy. I get eggs "straight" at the grill at work - they come out as a small mass of whites and yellows not well combined - okay for a scrambled egg but would never work for an omelet.

[Warpy]

2. Don't add WATER! It toughens the eggs and prolongs the

cooking time. Milk can make the eggs creamier and richer, and heavy cream will send a fritatta from merely lovely all the way to heavenly.

Check out this and other kitchen myths at: http://www.pgacon.com/KitchenMyths.htm

[babylonsister]

5. Thanks for that link! And no water will ever touch my eggs again! nt

[housewolf]

12. I'm a baker, not much of a cook anymore...

I can work marvels turning eggs into buttercream, baked cheesecake, custard or pots de creme au chocolate, or quiche, but I've never been known for my scrambled eggs. :hide:

Here's what Shirley Corriher has to say about them. She's a renouned food scientist who not only _is_ a renouned food scientist, she also plays one on tv when she helps Alton Brown with little food science lessons on Good Eats. It seems that the perfect scrambled egg is as much a matter of preference as so many other food items but here is what she has to say

"Adding water to beaten eggs (up to about 2 tbls per egg) will make them puff when scrambeled as the water turns to steam. There is some disagreement about adding milk. Some cooks believe that adding milk to the beaten eggs (1 - 1 1/2 tbls per egg) makes scrambled eggs creamier. Others arague that the milk toughens the eggs because the milk proteins coagulate with heat just like the eggs. Heavy cream, on the other hand, has more fat and less protein than milk. French chefs often stir in a little cream at the end, when the eggs are almost done, for a very rich, creamy dish."

She goes on to describe how she learned to make scrambled eggs from her German mother-in-law: "First she warmed the pan. When the pan was warm, she added a little oil (to raise the temp at which butter burns) and butter. She tilted the hot pan to coat the bottom and up the sides a little. She quickly poured in well-beaten eggs. If they were cooking too fast, she lifted the pan from the heat, but she did not stir. When the eggs began to set, she took a big spatula and pushed the curds from the bottom to one side. The remaining uncooked eggs spread over the bottom. Again she let the eggs stand and puff before gently piling the curds to one side. When the eggs were almost set - still slightly wet - she removed the pan from the heat and turned the eggs out onto a platter. By the time she got them on the platter they were perfectly cooked."

Here are her recommendations:
Use a heavy pan and/or one made of a good heat conductor. Heavy pans with a nonstick coating are excellent for scrambling.

Warm the empty pan, remove from heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Then add oil, butter or clarified butter.

If usting butter, keep the temperature low. Or use a mixture of oil and butter or clarified butter.

Do not scramble too many eggs for your pan and burner size.

For light, large curds, let eggs stand and puff, then gently push curds to one side.

For creamy curds, stir eggs constantly in the top of a double boiler or on very low heat.

Remove the pan from the heat before eggs are completely done.

Good eatin'!

[NMDemDist2]

3. have you tried sour cream? it's delightful! n/t

[babylonsister]

4. Heh. Remember Mr. PITA? He maintains

that anything labeled 'sour' shouldn't be eaten!

[NMDemDist2]

6. ooops!

:hug:

[Cassandra]

9. So call it "cultured" cream.

So elevating. ;-)

[mtnester]

7. Nice pictorial on Spanish tortillas

http://www.geocities.com/spanishtortilla/

I make them all the time...we LOVE them as a hearty, unexpected meal. You can dump all KINDS of things into a tortilla and love the way it comes out and tastes.

Also, I believe I watched Tyler Florence prepare traditional scrambled eggs in an Italy in a family's home....the mama said for the lightest, best scrambled eggs, you must vigorously hand beat the eggs, and for at least 8 minutes (or so). That is exactly what they did. I have tried this myself, and although your HANDS fall off...the eggs were noticeably the best scrambled egg ever. She also chided him for his abrupt handling of the eggs...she said you should just draw your utensil of choice across the bottom and sides of the pan gently, over even, medium heat. She did not use any cream or water. Oh, and I myself do not cook them in anything other than real butter.

You do not want to beat the hell out of eggs for a tortillas though. You want those eggs barely stirred up. Just lightly beaten.

OK, now I am starving for scrambled eggs...it's what's for dinner now!

[babylonsister]

10. Thanks for that site; I kept looking for the tortillas!

The finished product looks really yummy! :9

[The empressof all]

8. I had the best scrambled eggs this past weekend

We scrambled them with asparagus, ham and swiss cheese. Absolutely fantastic. I generally tend to scramble them without adding milk but if if the carton is handy, I may add a splash. It does make them a tad lighter.

[yellowdogintexas]

11. too much milk will cause them to scorch because the milk

will cook faster than the eggs.

I seldom put anything in my eggs, I DO beat them well before I pour them into the skillet. I like mine sort of soft

Now I want eggs for supper too

[supernova]

13. I add a dollop of fresh cream

to my scrambled eggs and it makes them really light. I also add tarragon.