Alex Guarnaschelli's Hot Take On Scrambled Eggs
While breakfast may not be the most important meal of the day for all Americans, nothing is better than "breakfast foods" for dinner. According to The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, about 25% of Americans skip the morning meal. Women lead the charge, citing a busy schedule, not being hungry, or running late as explanations, per HuffPost. Still, that doesn't mean people are skipping out on classic egg recipes like omelets and breakfast burritos — they're just enjoying them at different times of the day.
Eggs, once vilified by doctors, were vindicated by the American Heart Association, officially green-lighting one incredible, edible egg per day for a healthy diet. A single egg contains fewer than 80 calories, boasts 6 grams of protein, and, according to Healthline, keeps the body satiated longer than carb-heavy alternatives, while its essential vitamins and minerals aid in brain and eye health.
Scrambled eggs, the first recipe many of us learned as children, save plenty of people from starvation as adults — though the proper way to prepare them has divided the world for decades. Whether you prefer the soft and loose English-style scrambled eggs or the drier, firmer scrambled eggs eaten throughout the U.S. may come down to what you ate as a child. For Iron Chef and "Alex vs. America" host Alex Guarnaschelli, the best scrambled eggs are light and fluffy. Here's how she makes her perfect plate.
Guarnaschelli is team water instead of milk
Alex Guarnaschelli is on the team of egg lovers who say you shouldn't add milk to your scrambled eggs if you want them to be airy. While the Food Network star grew up on mom Maria Guarnaschelli's "delicious" scrambled eggs, whisked with a touch of milk or cream, she prefers a different secret ingredient. "I scramble them with a splash of water because I think it's lighter, fluffier," she tweeted. Apparently not wanting to start a fiery debate, Guarnaschelli added, "It's also about who cooks eggs for you & how much love they put into it."
Though Twitter was divided about the technique — "Grandma used milk, Mom used water...Grandma, for the win!" one user replied — Guarnaschelli does have science on her side. According to food scientist Natalie Alibrandi, whisking water into your scrambled eggs keeps "the proteins from binding too quickly" (via Well+Good). Plus, "the water creates steam when heated, and the result is a fluffier texture." Alibrandi suggests half a teaspoon to 2 teaspoons of water per egg, less for a firmer consistency and more for a creamier texture.
While Southern Living suggests that you "save the milk for your coffee mug," Serious Eats determined that both added water and dairy can result in delicious scrambled eggs — but how you cook them is more important than what you add. For the fluffiest eggs, butter a nonstick pan over low-medium heat, and use a rubber spatula to gently loosen the setting eggs from the bottom of the pan, creating large curds. Finally, plate the eggs as soon as they're cooked, or they'll overcook in the hot pan.