Seems like a lot of food threads recently. I felt compelled to eat out (rare event, less than once a month) since I was alone. I went for a late breakfast at an above par venue. They have various benny's and omelettes, crepes and such.

I opted for simple: scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, potatoes and a cup of black. Everything was well cooked and tasted great.

That being said, the scrambled eggs were cooked what I would call american style (not having been to europe in my life, i don't know how ubuitous it is). They were cooked well done, dry, well formed chunks, like one may expect here.

However, in my opinion, the proper way for scrambled eggs is to be soft, creamy and a bit runny (not well formed chunks) - common in Japan (which I believe follows the English tradition, at least that's my impression) and Korea / Taiwan (hit or miss there; actually prefer more well cooked there for safety reasons).

I don't think I've ever had scrambled eggs cooked the 'proper' way in the US. It's always well cooked, dry and well formed. Just wondering why this is when people otherwise prefer things like steak medium or medium rare (juicy).

Anybody like the proper way?

I prefer just about a second past runny.


Rick

Typically, for most of our life, we’ve cooked scrambled eggs fully as described. Even when cooking slowly, and even when adding some form of dairy, we’d still cook more fully than not. Our son and his wife like their eggs cooked softer, slowly with milk or cream(usually half and half) added. I rather like that cooking style, but my wife doesn’t so if it’s just the two of us, her preference is given deference.

Now I need to ask grok to discuss the various cooking options for getting my eggs scrambled when we do eat breakfast out. We typically order fried eggs from over easy to over medium, etc. but never think to specify anything but scrambled eggs. I do take note that one of the local taco restaurants do seem to cook their scrambled eggs to the softer side.

I cook mine the Alton Brown way and with whole cream.

I grew up having and still like today to have my scrambled eggs well cooked with no runny part to it. That is just MY personal preference. When on the very rare occasions I order at a restaurant, I ask for scrambled well done so I would as you would have to ask for something like scrambled medium. I will never forget once as a kid and I spent the night at a friends house and his mom made scrambled eggs, but they were what would be considered in the meat world as “rare” and I could not eat the slimy mess. All what a person prefers.

Now when it comes to poached eggs, I like the yolk runny, and for other eggs I like them over medium with a soft or runny yolk. Scrambled eggs, I want cooked well but not burnt.

Try it some time.

I much prefer a very small curd egg. (Put the pan on very low, and keep stirring it. The eggs should look more like they are thickening as a whole that pieces forming.)

But I do like the edges browned a bit.

I "whisk" them, heat the pan/skillet on low, just below boiling and point, and pout the eggs in.

Let them set for about 30 seconds, and using silicone spatula, I start "dragging/scraping" to bring the "set" on the bottom of the pan inward, and allow the uncooked mixture flow, and continuing this very slowly around the pan as the mixture sets, until it is it that point where all the egg is set, but before it begins to dry.

I may use "Kraft Deluxe sliced" cheese in about 3/4 way through to make "creamy cheesy eggs".

Low heat is key. One can use a bit of whole milk or cream, but normally I do not.

I do not like scramble to have any "brown", cooked too fast, or "gasp" runny or unset when it hits the plate.

The other end is "crispy egg" Thai style fried in a wok on high heat with lots of oil (for pad kra pao gai).

Put a plate of that on my head and my tongue will beat my brains out trying to get at it...

Interesting.

I’ll have to try ordering scrambled medium. I’ve never heard of that aa an option.

Seems like there is a following for less than well done scrambled. I wonder why i never see it in restaurants here.

Is crispy egg like a sunny side up but (deep) fried-ish? I do sunny side up in an hot iron pan with a crispy underside and runny yolk. I’ll try the wok method. I like the crispy whites.

Oil in wok deep enough that the egg will have just enough depth the cover the white. Heat until just smoking (I prefer peanut oil, but folks with allergies use what high smoke point is best for them).

I also crack eggs into a small glass bowl then "slip" the egg into the wok.

Let is set and cook for about 30 seconds and then gently work around the egg's edge to release it from the wok, so it slides and let the oil crisp the edges until golden brown and use the metal spatula to "splash" oil onto the top of the yolk to set all the white, and lift it out and set on paper towel to drain.

Yes, it is like a crispy sunny side up egg don in a frying pan with good bit of grease/oil.

The wok version does not have the "strong" taste from browning in a pan, but is crispy and more delicate a flavor.

Hard to describe, but if you try it, you will see.

A little hen (aka female chicken) anatomy and egg anatomy is in order:

Hens only have 1 multipurpose "vent" called a cloaca and they poop out it, pee out it, lay eggs out it, and gets rooster semen deposited in it. Therefore, the Salmonella in hen's intestines exit through the same cloaca as the eggs resulting in the egg shell being a pathway to humans coming in contact with salmonella bacteria.

The egg shell has pores and the pores are permeable to salmonella.

The egg shell has a protective cuticle (aka bloom) that protects against bacteria permeating the shell's pores. Washing removes the bloom which is why farm fresh eggs aren't washed before selling. Farm fresh eggs should be washed immediately before using.

Commercial eggs are washed before selling which is why they have to be refrigerated and have a shorter shelf life than farm fresh eggs. You can actually push bacteria through the shell's pore if you wash them again.

Hens can put salmonella in the raw egg before the shell is in even formed in their ovaries. This is the culprit for greater than 80% of egg-related human salmonella poisoning cases, and no amount of egg washing can remove it since it's already inside the egg.

Fortunately, salmonella is pretty easy to kill:

External contamination via a combination of handwashing, egg washing, and actually cooking the egg.

The formed in ovary contamination is only killed via cooking.

That is why I found the eggs in Japan to be disgusting when I was there:

Omelettes weren't flipped (i.e. only one side was cooked), and the uncooked side unnecessarily risks salmonella. It should be at least flipped and cooked until set.`Set doesn't mean dry and brown either.

Scrambled eggs were left runny unnecessarily risking salmonella. They should at least be cooked low n slow leaving no runny spots. This doesn't mean dry and brown either.

Fried eggs were cooked sunny side up (i.e. only one side was cooked), and the uncooked side unnecessarily risks salmonella. Fried eggs should be flipped. The longer you cook after flipping the lower the salmonella risk, but you have to balance taste vs risk. For me, that is over medium.

Low heat and stirring constantly like aglifter or scraping off the bottom like sigmonkey; my scrambled eggs are fully set, but not dry. I put a splash of skim milk in while whisking.

To each their own, I prefer my eggs and hamburger bacteria WELL done .

I don't get it. Is the "proper" way to make scrambled eggs like the way the Japanese apparently make them? Runny and uncooked? Where did that come from? If you google it the proper way to make scrambled eggs is almost exactly the way Sigmonkey describes. Which is exactly the way I like them. But I do add diced up onions to add to the cheese to make it perfect.

The salmonella threat is real in not properly cooking your eggs.

Don't forget the ketchup.

I like my eggs just like any meat well done. I never could understand why some people will eat beef raw or rare as they like to call it. But the same people will not eat a pig or chicken raw.

I prefer my scrambled eggs somewhere above Japanese style but well under American style, where the eggs are tossed vigorously while cooking for smaller chunks, don't run but aren't completely set. I almost always mix my eggs into something else on the plate, so prefer the chunks to be smaller. That way a forkful has bits of egg along with meat and/or potatoes.

I've changed my technique recently, and it has improved my scrambled eggs significantly. I used to do what's common; mix in bowl with a little milk, pour into hot pan just after the bacon grease melts, then use a spatula to move/mix/flip the eggs as they're cooking.

Now, I put the eggs directly onto the greased pan without milk, and as soon as the eggs start to cook, I start tossing them with silicone tongs, breaking and mixing the yolks as I toss. I continue doing this until they get where I want them, but they never dry out.

I got this idea while cooking spinach, then deciding to add eggs. I've also added guac salsa while tossing for a pop of flavor...so good!

Konata, yes, Koreans cook scrambled eggs until they died twice. Imagine a thin 1/4” thick omelette that has been cooked until it browns on both sides.

I have never been a fan of scrambled eggs until I tried Gordon Ramsay’s method of cooking. He makes exactly what you describe. Light, fluffy, not well done. This recipe, the eggs are still getting to 160°, but American Style eggs are cooked way beyond that.