Nyesha Arrington's Hack For The Fluffiest Scrambled Eggs Ever - Exclusive
Food memories are the stuff that love is made of. Nyesha Arrington knows that. The "Top Chef" alum — who, not so long back, gave Selena Gomez a master class in how to prepare pan-seared branzino with spiced tomato-coconut sauce — carries what she calls "so much amazing, positive, beautiful food data" close to her heart, thanks to memories of her Aunt Linda's cooking.
During an exclusive interview with Mashed, Arrington shared that when it comes to the memories she hopes her own nephew will have of her cooking, it will likely involve scrambled eggs. "There's a true art to making beautiful scrambled eggs, and that's something that we'd always do together," Arrington said. She's not joking. As anyone who has sweated away hours trying to perfect the scramble knows, achieving beautiful scrambled eggs can be as elusive as proving that mermaids exist. Who better than a Michelin-trained chef to finally end your quest for perfect fluff and texture?
Nyesha Arrington's hack will change the way you make scrambled eggs forever
Ready to have your mind blown? If you're not straining eggs before you cook them, then you're not doing it right. "Scramble the eggs, and then strain them because the albumin has a higher water content to it. So it doesn't dissolve," Arrington explained to Mashed. "You really want to strain out any bits like that so you get a really smooth, beautiful texture." There's more to just straining your soon-to-be-scrambled eggs before they hit the pan, of course. Arrington suggested "using great salt, like very good, nice light flaky salt." Also — here's a chef who, refreshingly, doesn't shy away from dairy. "I put in just like a tiny splash of cream and whisk it. That's really beautiful," Arrington said.
Other musts? Good butter, a non-stick pan, and technique. "I heat my pan and add the egg, but then turn the heat down very, very, very low and put in a little knob of extra butter and just move them around and let them set," Arrington described her process. Then, she moves them around a little bit more. "But not too much because I like a little bit of a ribbon, you don't want it to be too scrambled," Arrington stipulates. You can stop cooking the eggs right before they're completely done to you're liking — residual heat will finish the job for you.
Last but not least — don't forget your garnish. Arrington eats her scrambled eggs with chives, crème fraîche, and flaky salt. "Which is like really French style," the chef told Mashed, "But I just think that they're so beautiful."
For daily doses of wisdom from Nyesha Arrington, check out "Happy Mouth," a new podcast she co-hosts with Philip Camino.