Alex Guarnaschelli's Unexpected Trick For Fluffier Eggs
If every celebrity scrambled egg hack has thus far failed you, if you have a sneaking suspicion that celebrity chef guidance re: scrambled eggs is one big conspiracy theory to make you feel inferior, and if fluffy eggs make you happier than Bobby McFerrin ever could ... give Alex Guarnaschelli a shot. (Bobby McFerrin sings "Don't Worry, Be Happy," okay? Glad we cleared that reference up.)
Guarnaschelli, like Anthony Bourdain, Martha Stewart, Gordon Ramsay, and anyone else who aspires to a delicious scramble, is a supporter of butter. She's also into a non-stick pan, which, when combined with butter, is "the best combo to make the eggs cook evenly," she told Reader's Digest in 2019.
Guarnaschelli has another unbreakable rule, too: "Cream [and] milk ... drag the eggs down," she told Reader's Digest. This puts Guarnaschelli's recipe at odds with Andrew Zimmern and Adam Richman, who both believe in dairy-infused scrambles, per Insider. And to achieve the perfect amount of fluff, she adds one simple ingredient to her scrambled eggs.
The free ingredient behind her fluffy scramble
The secret to Alex Guarnaschelli's fluffy scramble is water ... and only water. The steam adds body and levity to the eggs. As the celebrity chef explained to Reader's Digest, you'll want to "whisk in" a "splash" of water — and "nothing else."
The "Supermarket Stakeout" host also advised, "I stir consistently, sweeping the sides and edges to make sure the egg doesn't stick and cook too quickly in only one area." Throw out your recipe books and Youtube tutorial. You heard it from a master. All you really need for an impeccable fluffy scramble are eggs, salt, pepper, butter, water, a non-stick pan, and a little bit of consistency when stirring.
You might ask yourself why adding some milk or cream doesn't automatically equate to airy scrambled eggs, but a bit of water can work wonders. According to Jessica Gavin, a small amount of liquid should add some lightness to your eggs, but the fat content really makes the difference. Liquid, in general, prevents the proteins in cooked eggs from clumping too tightly together — the more liquid you add, the looser of a final product you get. Theoretically, milk or cream could also create steam to make an egg rise, but the fat content results in a less-than-desirable product. Fat sets the texture of eggs and makes it more firm, and milk or cream additionally strips the color and taste out of eggs, making dairy a no-go for this dish, per Southern Living.
Other tried-and-true egg techniques
In addition to adding a few drops of water into your scrambled eggs to improve the texture, knowing a few key egg hacks ensures you end up with a great scramble. Southern Living reports that home cooks should opt to crack and whisk their eggs in a separate bowl instead of cracking eggs straight into a hot pan. This method prevents streaks in the cooking process and results in a much more uniform and fluffy breakfast.
Heat also plays an important role in churning out airy eggs. Using a lower heat ensures that your scramble doesn't dry out. You can even take the pan directly off the element or gas burner and keep cooking your scramble using the residual heat left in the cookware if needed.
While these techniques can generally work for most home cooks, some celebrity chefs have gone above and beyond in their quest to churn out the very best scramble out there.
How other celebrity chefs perfect their eggs
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt shared his technique for the ultimate light and airy egg scramble with The New York Times. The chef's method relies on making a slurry of water and starch and beating his eggs into this mixture. The starch mixture prevents the eggs from setting as quickly, and potato or tapioca starch produce a particularly good final product due to the fact that they react at a lower temperature than cornstarch.
According to My Everyday Table, Anthony Bourdain made his signature scrambled eggs with sour cream as the secret ingredient. It might seem counterintuitive to use dairy when you want to whip up an incredibly light take on scrambled eggs, but Bourdain first allowed his eggs to cook completely through before mixing in full-fat sour cream, chives, and seasoning into the final product. That way, the chef would have been able to get some extra rich flavor from this ingredient without it affecting the actual cooking process.
Have you finally graduated to bigger and better things? Permission granted to stop stressing about egg fluff and start worrying about what you'll eat your perfectly fluffed scrambled eggs with. For example, there are always Martha Stewart's decadent cheddar biscuits.