BREAKFAST
Scrambled Eggs
Scrambled eggs that stay soft instead of becoming yellow gravel. Upgrade adds toast, chives and a little extra richness.
BASIC
Eggs, butter, moderate heat and the willingness to take the pan off before they look completely done.
Method
Mix the eggs
Crack the eggs into a bowl, add a small splash of water and season with salt and black pepper. Beat with a fork until the yolks and whites are completely combined.
The splash of water creates a little extra steam as the eggs cook, which helps keep them soft. Seasoning before they hit the pan spreads the salt through the eggs instead of leaving it sitting on top at the end.Start gently
Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat.
Cook the eggs
Pour in the eggs. As they begin to set on the bottom, gently scrape the pan with a flexible spatula and fold the cooked egg back through the softer egg. Keep doing this slowly rather than constantly thrashing them around.
Stop early
Take the pan off the heat while the eggs are still glossy and slightly wetter than you want. The heat left in the pan and eggs will keep cooking them for a little longer.
If you can't stand runny or wet eggs then it can be tempting to cook it until theres no shiny-ness left. You do you, but try tasting some a bit earlier. If theres no obvious liquid, just glossy eggs, they are cooked. This isnt a medium rare thing, once the liquid stops running its cooked, after that point you are just taking water out of the eggsEat
Taste, add a little more salt or pepper if needed and serve immediately.
UPGRADE
The same soft eggs finished with crème fraîche and chives on properly buttered toast.
Method
Toast first
Get the toast ready before the eggs. This cooks quickly and the creme wont mix in properly if you dry out the eggs waiting for toast.
Mix the eggs
Crack the eggs into a bowl, add a small splash of water and season with salt and black pepper. Beat with a fork until the yolks and whites are completely combined.
The splash of water creates a little extra steam as the eggs cook, which helps keep them soft. Seasoning before they hit the pan spreads the salt through the eggs instead of leaving it sitting on top at the end.Cook slowly
Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Pour in the eggs. As they begin to set on the bottom, gently scrape the pan with a flexible spatula and fold the cooked egg back through the softer egg. Keep the heat gentle and let them come together slowly.
Finish off the heat
Take the pan off the heat while the eggs are still glossy and slightly wetter than you want. Stir through the crème fraîche and chives. The remaining heat will finish cooking the eggs without drying them out.
If you can't stand runny or wet eggs then it can be tempting to cook it until theres no shiny-ness left. You do you, but try tasting some a bit earlier. If theres no obvious liquid, just glossy eggs, they are cooked. This isnt a medium rare thing, once the liquid stops running its cooked, after that point you are just taking water out of the eggsServe
Pile the eggs onto the buttered toast and add smoked salmon if using. Eat immediately.