How much does it really matter when you salt your eggs?
I am a big fan of almost any egg-based recipe, but if I had to choose a favorite, it’d be simple, delicious scrambled eggs. That’s partly due to the fact that it’s my go-to “I had no clue I was THIS hungry until two minutes ago” meal, as well as the meal I make when I realize we’re at (or past) nine o’clock in the evening and I still haven’t fed myself. I love a super luxurious and creamy soft scramble just as much as a big fluffy pile of hard scrambled eggs.
As simple as it is to make scrambled eggs, there are seemingly hundreds of tips out there on how to do it best. One technique that seems particularly divisive is when to season your eggs, before cooking or after. I have the answer.
Our Egg Experts
- Lisa Steele, Author of The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook and In Season: 125+ Sweet and Savory Recipes Celebrating Simple, Fresh Ingredients
- Nelson Serrano-Bahri, Chef and Director of Innovation at The American Egg Board
When Experts Recommend Seasoning Your Eggs
The best time to season your eggs is before cooking.
There are a couple of good reasons to consider seasoning your eggs before you cook them. The first reason is to enhance the texture of the eggs. “In general, adding salt to eggs will break down the protein bonds, making the eggs softer and easier to whisk,” says Steele. “If you salt your scrambled eggs, they should turn out fluffier and looser,” she adds.
Another proponent of early egg seasoning is Serrano-Bahri who explains that doing so before cooking creates a more tender and cohesive texture that’s important for scrambled eggs.
Scrambled eggs aren’t the only thing that can benefit from salting ahead of time. Steele noted that you should add a pinch of salt to egg washes and omelets for the same reason as above. “I salt when I whisk the eggs because the salt helps the white and yolk to combine much more completely. No one wants streaks of egg white in their omelet.”
The second reason why you may want to season your eggs before cooking is to ensure the eggs are seasoned evenly. Serrano-Bahri said, “[When] salt is added before cooking, the eggs tend to taste more evenly seasoned and more balanced throughout, rather than having little pockets of saltiness.” This helps avoid eggs that “taste flat on the inside and overly seasoned on the outside.”
The one downside is that seasoning ahead of time can make eggs more watery, since pre-seasoned eggs release more moisture, explains Steele. That can prompt people to overcook eggs in an effort to try to get rid of that moisture. If you’re having trouble with the cook on scrambled eggs, we discovered that adding a small slurry of whole milk and cornstarch makes them almost impossible to overcook.
Read the original article on Simply Recipes
