What Makes Waffle House Scrambled Eggs Taste So Good?

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Waffles might be the titular main character of Waffle House, but when you ask people about their favorite thing to order, those cheesy scrambled eggs often come up in conversation. There's something about them that's stolen the hearts and minds — and stomachs — of the American people. So, what makes Waffle House scrambled eggs taste so good?

We scoured the internet for tips from Waffle House workers and even managed to find footage of people making these eggs from start to finish, uncovering some secrets that the average home cook might not expect. Some of it is about the particulars of the ingredients, but much of the rest is about equipment and technique.

There's more to this chain restaurant than you might realize, from the mysterious method Waffle House workers use to remember orders to the wonders of the cheesy scrambled eggs. But once you know the factors that make Waffle House scrambled eggs taste the way they do, it's simple to make a copycat version at home. Then, you can have your favorite breakfast food any time.

How you whip the eggs is the first step to making the perfect Waffle House scrambled eggs. Getting this right lays the foundation for everything else. Waffle House chefs make sure that the eggs are whipped until they're fully combined. The mixture should be homogeneous rather than having obvious areas of yolk or white.

Mixing the eggs well makes sure you get an even scramble with the yolks mixed into the whites to make everything rich and creamy. If you don't whip them properly, you can end up with some drier and more tasteless egg white-heavy areas that aren't as good to eat. That said, you don't want to overdo it with the mixing. One of the mistakes everyone makes with scrambled eggs is overbeating them. Some recipes call for mixing them in a blender or using an electric mixer, but this will incorporate extra air. It might sound like that would give you fluffier eggs, but it can actually lead to them tasting dry, tough, and rubbery, which are not adjectives we associate with Waffle House eggs.

So, with that in mind, be sure to beat the eggs well — but not too well. Crack a couple into a bowl, being careful not to get any shell in there, then mix them with a fork or spoon until fully combined and no streaks of white remain. Then leave it right there. You might be tempted to mix them further to make them fluffier, but resist the impulse. It's worth it.

When you're beating the egg mixture for your scramble, you might wonder what to add. Many people pose the question, "Should you add water or milk to scrambled eggs?" Water should result in fluffier eggs, while milk makes them richer. You can even add heavy cream for extra-rich, creamy results. However, we're not looking to find out how to make the most technically perfect scrambled eggs; we want to learn the secrets of how Waffle House makes its version.

So, the fact is, Waffle House doesn't add any liquid to its eggs. Chefs at the chain beat them and then add them to the pan. They don't add milk, water, cream — nothing. This might sound like you'd end up with a subpar scramble, but it's the way Waffle House does it, so it can't be totally wrong. If you love its eggs, then you should try making them this way and see how you like them. Of course, there's nothing wrong with trying to improve on Waffle House eggs, but it's best to nail them the conventional way first. Don't try to run before you can walk and all that.

There's no definitive reason that we know of why Waffle House forgoes adding any liquid to the scrambled egg mixture. It could just be down to speed and replicability. Waffle House eggs should be the same whether you eat them in Alabama or Colorado. However, it could be that adding cheese makes them creamy enough, so milk just isn't necessary.

You might think you can just use whatever type of fat you have on hand to cook your eggs Waffle House style. And well, sure, you can, but they're not going to turn out identical to the ones that you get in the restaurant. One of the things that makes Waffle House scramble taste the way it does is the kind of oil used. We've seen some copycat recipes that use butter, and while that might taste great, it's not the Waffle House way.

Multiple sources state that the chain uses oil made by the brand Kaola — specifically the Kaola Gold version — across the board. This was the name of the brand for a long time, but it's now technically known as Phase, which means Phase Gold is the specific oil to look out for. Phase Gold is often referred to as an oil, but it's actually a liquid shortening. While oils are generally 100% fat — and usually sold as a single type of oil — liquid shortening is a blend of oils and other ingredients, such as soy lecithin and flavorings. Liquid shortening has a creamier consistency than oil, which makes it better for certain recipes.

You might think that the type of cooking oil used wouldn't make much difference, but it can actually make or break the recipe. Sometimes it's small nuances that make all the difference, especially when you're trying to recreate a restaurant favorite, so it's worth considering what you cook your eggs in.

What makes Phase Gold — the shortening that Waffle House uses to cook its scrambled eggs — stand out from other products is that it's butter-flavored. Phase Gold contains a range of natural and artificial flavorings that give it a buttery taste. This sets it apart from conventional shortening, solid or liquid, which can be fairly tasteless. That neutral flavor is useful sometimes, but Phase Gold adds a pleasant butteriness to Waffle House eggs that's part of their charm.

The thing about Phase products is that they're made for professional kitchens, so they're sold in large volumes. Great news if you're trying to make eggs for 100 every morning, but not ideal if you just want to make Waffle House-style eggs for yourself a few times a year. Unless you can find a bunch of people who want to start a food co-op largely based around Phase Gold, your next best option is to use another butter-flavored shortening. Luckily, you can find these in most supermarkets. Crisco makes one, for instance. It might not be identical in flavor to Phase's version, but it should be close enough.

Your instinct might be to dial your stove up to the highest heat and try to make your eggs as quickly as possible. Or perhaps you'd think to cook them low and slow. Well, if you want to do things the Waffle House way, you should cook them over medium heat. This is part of what makes the chain's eggs turn out the way they do. It might seem small, but no nuance should be ignored.

There's a lot of debate about whether high heat or low heat is the best way to cook scrambled eggs. Cooking scrambled eggs quickly over high heat gives airy, fluffy curds with crisped edges, but you must move quickly and use a high-smoke-point fat so the pan doesn't burn. Cooking over a lower heat produces large, soft, custardy curds and is far more forgiving. Gentle heat prevents proteins from tightening, so the texture stays creamy and tender. However, it does take longer, so you need to have plenty of time on your hands.

Waffle House's choice of medium heat may blend business needs with optimal results. Cooking on a low heat might not be quite as practical, since restaurants need to get food out quickly and chefs can't spend 10 minutes babying every order of scrambled eggs. They don't want the crispiness of cooking eggs at a high temperature, so medium heat is a good compromise between time and results.

You can use the fanciest cheese you like in scrambled eggs. The final product might be delicious, but it won't be Waffle House scrambled eggs. The breakfast chain uses slices of processed American cheese in its cheesy scrambled eggs. You can use other types of cheese, but the eggs will taste significantly different. It just goes to show that sometimes you should use the finest ingredients possible, and other times, cheap, processed versions are where it's at. We don't make the rules.

It's often criticized for being bland and plasticky, but perhaps you're wondering what's really in American cheese? Well, it's crafted with real cheeses — often cheddar or Colby — that are melted down and blended together. During the process, producers add extra dairy ingredients, such as whey or milk proteins, along with emulsifying agents. These ingredients keep the fat and water bound together, so the cheese melts into a smooth, creamy consistency instead of becoming greasy. Once blended and heated into a uniform mixture, it's cooled and formed into slices or blocks.

Say what you want about American cheese, but the way that it's processed is exactly what makes it so gooey and melty. And this texture is part of why it's brilliant in Waffle House eggs. The flavor is important, too. There are so many cheeses that are objectively tastier, but it's all about how these particular eggs taste. Something made with cheddar or Stilton would be undeniably delicious, but wouldn't taste like it came from Waffle House.

If somebody asked you to make cheesy scrambled eggs without a recipe, you might add the cheese when you beat the eggs. Or perhaps you'd fold shredded cheese through when the eggs were almost cooked to keep it from browning. Either way, it would probably only involve a single skillet. But at Waffle House, there's a particular order and procedure for cooking the eggs and the cheese. Deviate from it, and you won't have the type of eggs you know and love.

Chefs at Waffle House start by adding beaten eggs to a pan that contains heated Phase Gold liquid shortening. In a separate pan, they heat up the slices of American cheese. When the eggs are lightly scrambled, but still slightly underdone, chefs tip them into the pan containing the melted cheese. They stir the eggs and cheese together, keeping them on the heat until the eggs are the correct consistency. Then, they're plated and ready for serving.

It's not clear exactly why the order matters, but we're sure that Waffle House has tried different methods and settled on the one that works best to nail the right consistency. If it were possible to get the exact same consistency in a single pan, it would make sense for the chain to do it that way, as it would mean fewer dishes. It seems like this way probably keeps the cheese nice and gooey rather than ending up overcooked or crispy.

The order isn't the only thing that matters when cooking scrambled eggs at Waffle House. The chain also pays attention to the pans it uses, which is probably part of what makes them taste so good. Choosing the pans carefully gives the eggs the correct consistency and makes sure they turn out as they should.

Waffle House chefs scramble eggs in a stainless steel pan. This seems like a daunting prospect on its own, because eggs are notoriously difficult to cook without them sticking to a pan, and stainless steel is more prone to sticking than other materials. However, staff at Waffle House scrub the pans with salt and oil after each use, which helps give them a nonstick coating, meaning scrambled eggs are no problem.

Then, the cheese is melted in a small cast iron egg pan, which is placed directly on the grill. You might be intimidated by the prospect of using cast iron, especially if you're accustomed to cooking with nonstick pans. But there are some myths about cast iron skillets you need to stop believing. They don't need as much care and attention as some people would have you believe. It's fine to use soap to clean your cast iron cookware, and using metal utensils can actually be beneficial.

If you go to Waffle House and don't ask for any modifications to the way your scrambled eggs are cooked, you can expect them to be lightly scrambled. They're usually cooked until they're still slightly wet. This keeps them from drying out and becoming rubbery, making them superior to a lot of scrambled eggs. It's part of why Waffle House scrambled eggs taste so good.

Everyone has their own preference for scrambled eggs, but if you like yours slightly runny, you're in good hands with Waffle House. Some people like their eggs soft scrambled, where they're served slightly wet or moist. Others like them hard scrambled, so the curds of egg are firm and dry. There's no right or wrong, it's just preference. But, if you like the Waffle House version, you probably like your eggs to err on the side of soft scrambled.

To achieve this, you should stop cooking your eggs when they're still slightly wetter than you want them to be. This might make you think that they're underdone, but actually, they'll keep cooking once you take them off the heat. You need to mix them with the cheese in the cast iron skillet, and that process will also firm them up a little. Cooking them until they seem like they're underdone will help keep your eggs from being overcooked, which can turn them unpleasantly rubbery.

Another big part of what makes the eggs at Waffle House so delicious is the other components on your plate. You can make eggs identical to your favorites at the chain, but if you eat them on their own, they probably won't seem as delicious as you're used to. The whole order is what makes Waffle House eggs special, not just the scramble itself. That's not to underplay its deliciousness, but would you rather have scrambled eggs or scrambled eggs and all the trimmings?

Waffle House has some iconic menu items. The standard egg breakfast serves up its scrambled eggs with a choice of crispy hash browns, grits, or tomatoes. You can also add other items, such as grilled mushrooms, smoked ham, jalapeño peppers, or sausage gravy. You can also have eggs as part of a hash brown bowl or alongside a plate of the chain's iconic waffles. So, if your eggs aren't standing up on their own, they might be missing some of the delicious dishes that really help them sing.

Whatever your usual Waffle House go-tos, they play a key role in what makes the scrambled eggs taste so good. If you're not sure what to order, a ranking of popular Waffle House menu items places the All-Star Special on top. This pairs the eggs with waffles, plus your choice of sausage, bacon, chicken sausage, or city ham, toast made with your preferred bread, and your choice of side from hash browns, grits, and tomatoes. So, getting practically everything on the menu, including eggs, is better than getting eggs alone. It just makes sense.