Look up ‘how to make perfect scrambled egg’ and you’ll find what seems like as many methods and recipes as there are chefs! We’ve tried many ways to make them but this is by far the best – the eggs will be creamy and light but not wet, and you only need very few ingredients. Today we’re serving them on toast with fresh tomato, but they are very versatile too.
Scrambled eggs on toast make a great lunch or supper, especially when you are in a hurry, don’t have much time to shop, or are getting home late from uni or work. We nearly always have eggs on hand at home – left over from baking or other recipes – and the same with bread and butter. It’s also a good tip to keep a sliced loaf of bread in the freezer. That way you can always break off a slice and toast from frozen – great when you want a quick snack too.
We think tomatoes go well with scrambled eggs, and add a fresh element and juicy texture. But the eggs are also great with lightly fried mushrooms, some grilled or fried bacon or a slice of ham – or whatever you fancy and have to hand. For a treat or special occasion you can also stir through some smoked salmon. Smoked salmon can be expensive, but the ‘value’ versions you get in some supermarkets and discount stores are perfectly good, especially to cook with. A little goes a long way too – just chop up a slice into small pieces and stir through as you cook the eggs.
Many recipes advocate adding milk, cream or crème fraiche to your eggs, but we just use water. Milk we find makes the eggs too wet and a bit insipid. Cream seems unnecessary as the eggs themselves are quite rich, and we’ll be cooking in butter. Adding water however – one teaspoon per egg we find works best – makes the eggs lighter and fluffier, as the water creates steam as you cook.
Start by slicing your tomatoes, quick thickly. You could fry them lightly in a little butter or oil, but we think they are a nicer contrast with the warm eggs if left raw. Set aside until you are ready to serve
Now prepare you eggs. Crack the eggs into a bowl (see our egg Tip) – we find two eggs per person is a good portion – add one teaspoon per egg of water, and season with a little pepper. Don’t add salt at this stage.
Whip the eggs vigorously with a fork until smooth and well combined. You want to get as much air into the eggs as possible, they will be ready when they look paler and a little frothy, as below.
It’s important when making scrambled eggs that your pan is not too big. We use a small frying pan. Today we were making eggs for two people, i.e. four eggs, so used a slightly bigger pan; if we’d been doing eggs for one, i.e. two eggs, we’d use an even smaller one like the blue one below. It would be better to do your eggs in a small saucepan than in too large a frying pan.
Place a large knob of butter in your pan – this will give richness and, if using salted butter, seasoning, so be generous. Next place your pan over a medium heat, and make your toast. Butter it thinly if liked. When you start cooking the eggs, they will be done in minutes so you need your toast ready first. Make sure your butter is fully melted and sizzling slightly before you add the eggs.
You are now ready to scramble your eggs. Give the eggs another good whisk with a fork, then add all together to the pan. Do not stir them yet! Wait about 20 to 30 seconds (we count to 30 slowly to time this) or until the edges of the egg are starting to firm up, as in the second picture below. Now start to pull and fold the edges of the egg into the centre of the pan – you want the raw egg to run towards the edges to hit the hot metal of the pan, and the cooked egg to break up slightly.
Keep folding and moving the eggs. We find this gives a nicer texture than vigorous frantic stirring, but do experiment to find the technique and texture you like. If you like your eggs slightly runny, you can remove them from the heat when there is still a little liquid; if you like them firm, cook slightly longer. You should however always remove them from the heat just slightly before they are done however, as they will continue to cook as you serve. This will all take less then two minutes!
Serve immediately onto your toast, season with a little salt to taste (you won’t need much if you used salted butter) and top with the tomato.
Enjoy!
