Everyone knows how to fry an egg; it usually is the standard breakfast everyone prepares for their overnight guests. Next time you are making eggs don’t reach for the frying pan (use it only for your bacon).
Cooking is a form of art, whether you are making a simple sandwich or cooking up an elaborate 7 course meal it is imperative that you elect to use the proper equipment and utensils for creating your masterpiece. Knowing what equipment to use for each dish will not only help you to get the job done but could be the deciding factor between having a basic meal or a work of art worthy of more than a few likes on Instagram.
Whenever I hear about someone who makes scrambled eggs in a frying pan, I cannot stop myself from giving them a lecture on how this is ‘technically not wrong, but it is definitely not right’. The only time you should be using a frying pan to cook eggs should be when frying an egg or making an omelette (however using an omelette-pan would make your life easier, they can be used interchangeably).
How To Cook Eggs In A Saucepan
Saucepans are an essential part of any kitchen toolkit and when it comes to making eggs, they are a versatile tool. When looking to make scrambled, boiled, poached, and even steamed eggs you will reach for the ever-trusting saucepan. Here are my two favourite examples of how to cook eggs in a saucepan. If you are unsure about what saucepan to buy, have a look at our top 7 saucepan sets
How To Make Scrambled Eggs In A Saucepan
Equipment
- Fork
- Silicone spatula
Ingredients
- 3 each eggs
- 10 grams butter
- 15 milliliter Crème Fraiche
- 1 gram chives chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Gather all ingredients, equipment & utensils
- Break eggs into mixing bowl
- With a fork, gently mix eggs until lightly beaten
- In saucepan, melt butter until slightly bubbly on medium-low heat
- Add beaten eggs and immediately start stirring with spatula – ensure to scrape the Bottom of the pan to prevent egg sticking and burning
- As egg starts to set on bottom of pan, remove from heat and keep scraping off until the setting slows, place back on to heat and repeat until eggs are almost cooked through
- Once almost cooked through, remove from heat and stir in crème fraiche and chopped chives. This will slow down the cooking process preventing it from overcooking
- Season and enjoy on a slice of your favourite bread or try our GLUTEN FREE BREAD RECIPE
The Creamiest Scrambled Eggs Ever
If you went to boarding school or have ever been served scrambled eggs in a hostel, you will be familiar with dry scrambled eggs and in some cases even blue eggs. This is usually because of over cooking or cooking the eggs at very high temperatures. If you are unfamiliar with what I am saying, you can count your lucky stars, ask anyone who has had the misfortune of eating blue eggs – they suck.
Scrambled eggs should be cooked over a medium to low heat, this will let less water evaporate and ensure they cook more evenly resulting in softer, creamier curds. Making scrambled eggs is all about timing and patience. Before you even think of starting the cooking procedure, gather all your ingredients so you don’t have to leave the stove to fetch anything. After gathering everything you need, break the eggs into a mixing bowl and gently mix with a fork to break the yolks. I prefer mixing until the yolks and whites are starting to mix completely and not until a foamy consistency is reached – this will result in a better and stronger curd.
Melt the butter in your favourite saucepan until it starts to lightly bubble then add your pre-beaten eggs, immediately start mixing the eggs using a silicone spatula ensuring to scrape off the bottom of the pan to avoid any egg sticking to the pan. Constantly scrape the bottom of the pan until you notice the egg starting to form a curd then remove from the heat and keep scraping until it stops forming more curd then put it back on the heat. Repeat this process until the eggs are almost completely cooked then add crème fraiche, remove from heat, and mix through. Adding the crème fraiche will not only add amazing flavour but will slow down the cooking process (carry over cooking) so the eggs don’t overcook. Season with salt, pepper, and some chopped chives.
Only after cooking and adding the crème fraiche you may season the eggs, salting the eggs before cooking will inhibit the coagulation of the proteins resulting in mushy/watery eggs.
How To Make Poached Eggs
Most people believe making poached eggs should be left to the professionals, I disagree, I’ve been making poached eggs long before attending culinary school. Once you get the hang of it, it truly is an amazingly easy way to impress your breakfast guests. The most important thing to remember is to use the freshest eggs you can lay your hands on.
Here is a simple set of instructions which will result in perfectly poached eggs every time.
Fill a medium saucepan with cold water and bring to a gentle simmer, ensure that the water is barely bubbling. As soon as the water has reached a gentle simmer add about 10ml white vinegar to the water and gently stir through. The vinegar will increase the acidity of the water which will assist with the coagulation of the egg whites.
Break one egg into a ramekin or small cup ensuring the yolk remains intact. Bring the cup as close as possible to the surface of the water and gently drop in the egg, immediately remove the pan from the heat and repeat until all you have made enough eggs.
Watch out to not crowd the pan with too many eggs (depending on the size of the saucepan 4 to 6 eggs) after each batch reheat the water and repeat. A very soft poached egg will take about 2 minutes, a medium egg should go for 3 and a half minutes and a hard egg for 4 to 5 minutes. *Please note that cooking times may differ.
How To Cook Eggs In A Saucepan: Summing Up
Don’t Be Afraid!
Experimenting with different cooking techniques might seem like a difficult endeavour, however, the techniques are usually simpler than you might expect and as a bonus, once you get the hang of a new technique you open so many new doors in the culinary world!
