Scrambled Egg Hacks You Need To Know

Making scrambled eggs should be easy. After all, you just need to crack a few eggs, whip 'em into a frothy mixture, and cook them in a nonstick pan until they're light and fluffy. Sounds easy, right? It turns out that, although eggs are easy to cook, they're hard to master. It's all too common to overcook the eggs, resulting in a dry, crumbly mess. And if you swing too far in the other direction and accidentally undercook them, they'll turn out runny and kind of gross. Luckily, you have a few choices when it comes to making perfect scrambled eggs at home. You can master the basic technique and avoid common egg cookery mistakes, or you can select secret ingredients and cooking methods to hack your way to light and fluffy scrambled eggs, every time.

We not only rounded up our best scrambled egg hacks, but we also found a few different ways to cook creamy and light eggs without adding any additional ingredients. Some of these tips even make it easier to create a grab-and-go breakfast sandwich for busy weekday mornings. Scroll through the list and find your new favorite scrambled egg technique; your taste buds will definitely thank you.

Adding milk to your eggs makes them rich and creamy, and plain old water will lighten them up. But if you really want to say goodbye to dense eggs forever, add a splash of seltzer water. According to The Kitchn, adding one tablespoon for every two eggs is all you need to create a light and airy scramble. The bubbles in the water will expand when the eggs hit the hot skillet, creating pockets of air that give the eggs the perfect amount of lift.

It doesn't even have to be fancy seltzer, either. In fact, you should probably skip all the popular flavored versions (apple cranberry eggs? No, thank you). If you have a Soda Stream or another machine that makes carbonated water, feel free to use that. Otherwise, pick up any brand of seltzer water. You could also use club soda, but because this type of carbonated water has added minerals, so it may affect the flavor of the eggs.

Okay, this method is weird, and it seems all kinds of wrong. We've all heard of cooking eggs in boiling water for dishes like egg drop soup or cracking an egg into ramen to fancy it up. But who would think to cook them in water for a breakfast scramble? Michelin-starred chef Daniel Patterson, that's who. Patterson broke all the rules when he threw out his nonstick skillet for a saucepan. According to Bloomberg, the "eureka" moment came when he realized that eggs are poached in water all the time. So, why not scramble them in water, too?

Here's how it works: Start by bringing four inches of water to a boil over medium heat. In a large bowl, beat two to four eggs until they're well blended, whisking for at least 30 seconds to incorporate as much air into the mixture as possible. Then, get ready for the magic to happen as you stir the water to create a whirlpool. Pour in the eggs, cover the pan with a lid, and count to 20. When you uncover the pot, the eggs will be floating on the surface of the water. From here, you can pour them out into a strainer, shaking off any excess water, and season them with salt and pepper. They don't taste watered down or weird at all; just light, fluffy, and delicious.

When Food Network tweeted a video of Martha Stewart's unique egg scrambling technique, we were enthralled. It starts out like most scrambled egg recipes: She cracked a couple of eggs into a mug and broke them up using a fork. After adding a pinch of salt, black pepper, and a teaspoon and a half of butter, things got weird. Instead of pouring the eggs into a skillet, she used the steam wand of a cappuccino machine to cook them — you know, the piece that's usually used to steam milk for your coffee drinks. She placed it directly into the raw eggs, turned it on, and it steamed the eggs in a matter of seconds.

It sounds weird, but it makes sense. Steam is just hot water vapor, and it cooks the eggs more gently than boiling water, resulting in tender, creamy eggs. Martha's addition of butter didn't hurt, either, because it added a super rich flavor. As a bonus, the steaming wand makes clean-up easy, too; all you have to do is clean the wand with a wet cloth. Sounds like we've been using our coffee maker wrong this whole time!

We're all about this piece of advice because, well, we can be lazy at times. We don't like to dirty more dishes than we need to, and this tip helps us achieve that goal. Instead of cracking the eggs into a bowl and whisking them with a whisk, electric blender, or immersion blender, this scrambled egg hack suggests cracking the eggs directly into a hot pan. Yes, without scrambling them first!

Then, you continue to cook the eggs as if they were over-easy or over-medium eggs and let the whites set. When they do, use a silicone spatula to furiously scramble the eggs, mixing the uncooked yolk into the cooked white. The scrambled eggs will taste buttery and rich from the yolk but will eat just like regular scrambled eggs. In some ways, the texture is actually better because the whites get extra fluffy from the heat of the pan. As a bonus, the only things that get dirty are the pan and the spatula.

Light, fluffy scrambled eggs are #egggoals. We can all agree, right? Try adding sparkling wine the next time you make scrambled eggs to achieve this coveted texture. A little bit of prosecco or cava can do wonders. Whisk in about ¼ cup for every two eggs and you'll have yourself some impossibly delicate, pillowy eggs in no time. The bonus? In addition to altering the texture of your eggs in the best way, sparkling wine lends a unique brightness that contrasts beautifully against the dish's inherent creamy richness.

Often used as an egg substitute, cornstarch is actually a great addition to scrambled eggs. As a thickener, it helps to make your eggs creamy in a shorter amount of time. Talk about a life hack. Since eggs are pretty delicate, cooking them too quickly on too much heat usually results in proteins seizing up and subsequent dry, tough, unsavory curds. By adding just a small amount of cornstarch to the eggs, you essentially slow down the process of contracting proteins, which grants you a magical shield against overcooked, rubbery eggs.

Maybe you made meringue and now you have leftover yolks. Perhaps you froze yolks a few weeks back and you're looking for ways to use them up. Whatever the reason for your yolk surplus, rest assured, there are ways to take care of your wealth of riches. By the tenor of this article, you might have guessed that one such way is by incorporating a few extra yolks into your scrambled eggs. Surprise! First off, additional yolks lend the scramble a beautiful, saturated golden color. Moreover, they give the eggs fabulous depth of flavor and loads of richness. While this dish might be too decadent for every day, it does make for a great indulgent treat on some mornings.