Dad wants to cook
Dad is taking care of Mom in Seoul. With COVID, eating out is not a good option with Mom’s compromised immune system. So I want to help Dad cook delicious food at home. He may be a novice cook but he is a Michelin star eater!
I’m starting with the egg.
Buying delicious eggs
The choices can be overwhelming. So here is my criteria for buying delicious eggs.
NO NO NO factory eggs!
The cheaper eggs come from factories where the chickens are caged not to move and fed industrial grains and animal byproduct such as egg shells. This makes them sick, so they are given antibiotics. What the chicken eats and is medicated with ends up in the egg and then passed to the consumer. Do NOT get the factory eggs.
The Michelin star Chef Thomas Keller gets his eggs from a chicken farmer that feeds his flock healthy foods that make the egg yolk vibrant and tasty. He goes as far as to ask the farmer to feed the chicken a particular diet to make the eggs taste good and renders them a certain color. You are literally eating what the chicken is eating when you eat the egg.
Dad, think of the difference between farm raised fish that is mass produced in terrible conditions and wild fish. I know you can taste the difference between good fresh fish and farm raised fish. The same logic applies to eggs.
Look for these signs to avoid factory eggs.
Organic
Cage free
Free range
Pastured
Mid to high price range
At the supermarket scan through the two dozen types of eggs, and choose based on the above criteria. Here in NYC a dozen eggs cost between $3 and $9. I buy eggs in the $6 range. I have two or three brands that I feel comfortable with. It is good to have a few go-to brands because not all are available everywhere.
Also, there are different sizes and colors of eggs. The brown and white eggs taste the same. The egg color is determined by the type of chicken. The brown eggs are from chickens that eat more, so they are more expensive. Having uniform color makes it seem better and visually pleasing at the supermarket, but you should know that the eggs at the farmers market have varying colors and are better quality. So color does NOT matter.
I like to get the Jumbo size eggs. But that is just a personal preference. Most people get Large eggs, and most recipes are based on large eggs.
Keeping eggs fresh
Just like your favorite seafoods, the fresher the egg the better the taste.
Mom told me as a little girl she had an egg from the chicken coop cracked on some steamed rice with some soy sauce. She said the egg was still warm when she cracked it on top of the rice (계란밥).
That is probably the best tasting egg! You can’t get fresher than that. (Well, there is a Jewish dish with called Eyerlekh of unhatched eggs found inside just-slaughtered chickens. But you get my point.)
How long is an egg fresh?
An egg will last a month in a refrigerator.
It will last a year in a freezer.
So you don’t have to worry too much about the eggs going bad.
I experimented with 1-week, 2-week, 3-week, 4 week-old eggs. I found the eggs are edible but not as fresh in week three. The biggest difference I found was when making poached eggs, where the egg whites started to loosen up and did not hold together. I always use freshly bought eggs for poaching.
Personally, I try to keep my eggs less than ten days.
Buy one dozen at a time so that you don’t keep the eggs too long in your refrigerator.
Cracking eggs
You need to prepare the following before you crack the egg. They are simple things I’ve learned to be super useful
Medium size whisking bowl
Do NOT use a rice bowl. It is too small. Whisking eggs in a larger bowl is easier. I use a soup bowl for up to 3 eggs, and a ramen bowl or large mixing bowl for more eggs.
Kitchen towel
There is a 99% chance you will get some of the egg white on the kitchen surface. It happens to me all the time. In fact, it happened to me today. Have a paper towel or a kitchen cloth ready.
Compost bin (음식물 쓰레기통, mandatory by law in Korea)
Have the compost bin in the sink next to you as you crack the egg and discard the shell. I keep a mesh strainer in my sink to discard the shells.
Once you have the whisking bowl and kitchen towel next to the sink with the compost bin you can crack the egg. I usually have the cutting board next to the sink so I put the whisking bowl on the cutting board.
Do NOT crack on the rim of the bowl. You will be more likely to get egg shells in the egg because you are pushing a sharp edge into the egg, and some of the egg shell can be pushed in with the edge.
Instead gently tap your egg on the flat counter or cutting board surface to create a surface crack. Then use your fingers to pull the eggshell into two. Once you get a hang of it you will be able to crack an egg with one hand like some chefs!
If you end up with some egg shells in the whisking bowl, wet your finger in running water before you try to grab the shells. The water on your fingers will allow you to grab the eggshell in the egg batter.
Seasoning eggs
Seasoning brings out the natural flavor of the food without changing it. There are only two seasoning ingredients. Salt and vinegar.
You are NOT adding salt to make the food salty. You are adding salt to make the natural flavor come out. Too little salt, and the flavor will be dull. Too much salt and the flavor will be overpowered by saltiness.
Think of how much salt you use to eat a hard boiled egg. About a half pinch of salt per egg. That is the amount you need to put into the whisking bowl. There is no exact amount. The only way to know if you have the right amount is to taste it as you cook it.
Vinegar is the other flavor enhancer. But since most vinegars are also flavorings (balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, rice vinegar, etc), I like to add them after the food is cooked in a condiment like ketchup.
Whisking eggs
The egg yolk and whites have different properties. It is important to whisk the eggs thoroughly enough so the liquid become homogenous.
I use a fork to whisk the eggs. It takes a full minute to get the eggs to be homogenous. You can also use wooden chopsticks. It takes a bit more effort to whisk the eggs with chopsticks, but it’s the best way to go for non-stick pans.
A ballon whisk is great for whisking. But I tend not to use it for simple meals because it’s just another thing to wash.
I recommend you use chopsticks and a large ramen size bowl, Dad.
Heating eggs
The Japanese tamago masters use the lowest heat possible to achieve the perfect tamago. Some spend hours on a super low heat.
It is this time and effort on the lowest heat that makes tamago at the best sushi restaurants so deliciously expensive.
How much heat do we need to make scrambled eggs?
Coagulation of proteins (liquid to thicker liquid of solid, 단백질 응고) of the egg starts at 60C (140 F) and is complete at around 80 C (176 F).
So we only need simmering water temperature 85 C (185 F) to make scramble eggs. A simple way to think of coagulation of proteins is how the raw egg cooks in a hot ramen broth.
4 C (40 F) ….. Refrigerator
37 C (98 F) …..Human body
48 C (118 F) ….. 1st degree burn of Human skin
52 C (125 F) ….. Medium rare steak (Chef’s version)
63 C (145 F) ….. Medium rare steak (USDA recommended)
73 C (163 F) ….. Gelatinization of rice (minimum temperature to cook rice)
80 C (176 F) ….. Coagulation of proteins (liquid proteins like egg yolk turns solid)
85 C (185 F) ….. Water simmers
100 C (212 F) ….. Water boils
141 C (285 F) ….. Maillard reaction (like delicious BROWN crust of bread)
160 C (320 F) ….. Caramelization of sugars (like BBQ grill marks)
177 C (350 F) ….. Butter burns (reason to use low heat for cooking with butter)
190 C (375 F) …..Tempura oil temperature
204 C (400 F) ….. Canola oil burns
Temperature for pans will vary depending on the stove and pan material and size. But here is a very general temperature guide for frypan temperature.
high ….. 190 C (375 F)
medium ….. 150 C (300 F)
low ….. 120 C (250 F)
If the temperature is over 141 C (285 F) the eggs will go through the Maillard reaction where the eggs turn brown. If you like the taste of crispy browned eggs, this is a good thing. But if you want soft golden yellow creamy scrambled eggs, you should try to keep the temperature below 141 C (285 F).
Korean sauna eggs have a browned egg white due to the Maillard reaction above 141 C (285 F). Sauna eggs are made in a pressure cooker or rice cooker that boils the eggs at a higher temperature than pain boiled water.
Selecting the pan
For scrambled eggs here is the criteria for pan selection.
Large enough to have a shallow liquid of eggs
Temperature controllable
Non-stick
There are about 3-10 pans in a typical home kitchen. I have 9 pans in my kitchen. Here is my list. These don’t include any of the pots including the orange LeCreuset dutch oven Mom got for my birthday.
Stainless steel pan 8, 10, 12 inch
Stainless steel sauté pan 11 inch
Non-stick pan 8, 10, 12 inch
Cast iron skillet 10 inch
Carbon steel skillet 12 inch
You can scramble your eggs in any one of these pans. But each one requires a different technique. I know that mom also has a Japanese style tamago making square frying pan. This require yet another technique.
Assuming you will be using 2-4 eggs for your scrambled eggs, I suggest using the larger pans. The larger surface area allows for more liquid egg to contact the surface directly. This will give you more control over the heat of the pan and thus the coagulation of the egg itself. You can use a small pan like my 8 inch, but it will be harder to heat the egg evenly with a deeper liquid egg in the pan. The tamago pan is small because it uses a technique of cooking small layers of egg liquid into a roll of tamago. You can try this with a later recipe. I recommend the following for you Dad.
Use 10 inch for 2-4 eggs.
Use 12 inch for 4-8 eggs.
Next is the temperature control. The stainless steel or carbon steel skillet are thick and heavy. They will keep the heat constant when you drop a cold ingredient like egg in the pan. But if you are not familiar with the stove and specifics of the pan, you could end up using too high of a heat.
Dad, I think the thin non-stick pan would be best because if the surface is too hot, you can simply lift the pan away from the stove to cool the surface and the egg. Also, it is lightweight and easier on your wrists.
You don’t want the egg liquid to get stuck to the pan. The non-stick pan makes it easier, but is not perfect.
Even a non-stick pan will require some fat/oil to prevent the egg from sticking to the pan.
Let me explain.
The stainless steel surface has microscopic grooves. If you cook eggs on a stainless steel surface, the eggs will get trapped in these micro groves and stick to the pan. To prevent this, we put oil or fat on the pan before we cook the egg. The oil or fat molecules create a thin layer between the steel surface and the eggs. So you don’t get eggs stuck to the pan. But you can still get the oil or fat stuck in the pan. To avoid the oil or fat from getting stuck in the pan you must heat the pan first. Heating the pan will expand the steel molecules and tighten the microscopic groves.
By adding the oil or fat after the pan is heated, the oil or fat cannot get trapped in the grooves of the steel. This is why chef always always always follow these steps.
Heat pan (until a drop of water will evaporate on contact)
Add oil
Heat oil
Add protein
If you follow the above steps, you can use stainless steel pans without getting the ingredients stuck to the pan. Chefs like to use a stainless steel pan because it retains heat well, can be put in the oven, and can use steel utensils on it.
A non-stick pan is a steel pan with a synthetic coating like teflon that has the microscopic properties similar to fat/oil on a pan. But because non-stick surfaces are a coating, they tend to wear off after use.
The coating is damaged easily with the use of utensils on the surface. For non-stick pan you should definitely use wooded or plastic utensils. If you cook pretty often like I do, you will notice the nonstick properties waring off. I recommend using oil or fat on non-stick pans to assist the synthetic coating.
Some pans like the carbon steel chinese woks are “seasoned” to prevent sticking. What seasoning means is that you maintain a thin layer of oil or fat on the surface by NOT scrubbing the surface but gently cleaning with soap water.
Dad, I recommend the thin nonstick 10 inch and 12 inch pans when you are cooking at the stove.
Oiling the pan
For neutral-taste oils I use canola oil. Mom should have some kind of neutral-taste cooking oil in the kitchen. Once the pan is heated, drizzle the oil on the pan.
You can use a paper towel with chopsticks to get the oil to cover the whole pan like one of those Japanese tamago sushi makers. What they are doing is to coat the entire pan with as little oil as possible.
I just pick the pan up and whirl the oil around the entire pan.
For French style eggs use butter. For Italian style eggs use olive oil.
Scrambling eggs
Once you have a heated and oiled pan you can pour the whisked eggs into the pan.
Try to get a thin surface with a big pan. You can see the liquid slowly coagulate from the edges.
There are several techniques you can use depending on what kind of texture you want your scrambled eggs to be.
If you want super creamy and soft scrambled eggs stir vigorously from the start. You should also shake the pan as well. These actions will keep the eggs from coagulating into bigger lumps and keep the eggs nice and creamy.
If you want a little bit of texture to your scrambled eggs, wait for the thin layer of egg to coagulate just a little bit, then start folding and scrambling the egg. The initial coagulation will yield a larger lumpier texture that some like.
Do not overcook the eggs. The eggs will cook after it leaves the pan and on the plate with the residual heat. Make sure to stop cooking while the eggs is still a bit runny.
Scramble for 3 minutes
The omelet station chef makes a full omelet in less than a minute. The scrambled eggs at the diner are served within 5 minutes of ordering. We are accustomed to quickly prepared eggs. And there is nothing wrong with that. I often make quick scrambled eggs on medium high heat.
But this recipe is for my Dad. He taught me to judge the best sushi restaurant by the tamago (classic Japanese folded eggs). The egg takes hours to prepare. Other ethnic fine-dining eggs also take time and effort to prepare with low heat control.
It takes about 7 minutes to boil an egg. It takes about 3 minutes to poach an egg. Try to use low heat that will take about three minutes to scramble the egg.
3 minutes will seem like forever because we are so used to quickly made eggs. But I urge you to try slow cook scrambling. See the wonder and beauty in the soft heat transforming the perfect food “egg” into a silky soft fluffy golden “scrambled egg.”
One you master the 3-minute version, you will be able to do quick version easily and taste the difference time makes. The 3-minute version is no doubt superior!
Garnishing eggs
Once plated, crack some black peppers or paprika. A good fresh paprika will give a smoky taste to your eggs as well as brilliant red colors.
For French style, add some butter on top.
For Italian style, add some olive oil on top. Well, add olive oil on any scrambled egg to elevate the taste.
For American style, add some ketchup on the side.
For Korean style, add some sesame oil and scallion on top.
For Truffle season, add some truffles.
My personal favorite is to add Japanese caviar (명란) with sesame oil.
For vegetable lovers add greens like dill, cilantro, basil, or sprouts.
For cheese lovers, shaves some Parmesan.
What you can do with scrambled eggs is endless.
Special pan selection (Electric)
For the absolute best breakfast scrambled egg experience for you and Mom I recommend heating the eggs at the table in the tabletop electric non-stick pan.
Instructions
Whisk the eggs and bring to the table
Heat pan
Add oil
Heat oil
Add eggs
Scramble with chopsticks or wooden spoon for 3 minutes
Plate
Garnish
Advantages of table top electric pan
You can cook while sitting with Mom
Just like meat and vegetable cooking on the table top pan, you can scramble eggs for breakfast at the table.
You can easily control the heat level
You can experiment with the temperature of the electric grill. A temperature above the coagulation of proteins 80 C (176 F) and below the Maillard reaction 141 C (285 F) is the sweet spot. This temperature ensures the eggs with coagulate without browning. But, low temperature takes a longer time. You could increase the temperature above 141 C while stirring the eggs with your chopsticks to prevent browning.
You can have hot scrambled eggs right away
You can place the hot scrambled eggs on your plates or on toast at the table. Whatever you feel comfortable with.
Flavoring eggs (optional)
There are five flavorings that transform the eggs. Unlike salt, these are optional. But once you master these flavorings, you can create French, Italian and Japanese eggs.
Butter
Olive oil
Shoyu
Dashi
Sake
Butter: Everything taste delicious with a lot of butter in it. Think of buttered toast vs plain toast. Adding a tablespoon of butter per egg will increase the fat and flavor. Remember, fat is flavor.
You will get a “French” tasting egg like the ones you ate in Paris with Mom.
Olive oil: I know you love Italy and Italian food. Italian food is elevated because of Italian’s understanding of olive oil. Use it like butter, and you will get an Italian egg! But you need to use really good extra virgin olive oil. AND you need to use a lot of it. Opposite to wine, olive oils lose taste as they age. Chefs buy small bottles for the home so they always use fresh olive oil.
When I see a giant bottle of Costco olive oil at someone’s home I get sad that they are missing out on the amazingness of fresh olive oil.
Shoyu: Most chefs (not just Japanese Chefs) know that a tiny drop of shoyu can transform the egg. It is a well known secret! But too much will darken the egg. Just 1/8 teaspoon (few drops) per egg will release umami.
I always add just a drop or two when I make scrambled eggs.
Dashi: Free glutamate in kombu broth creates a mouth feel that is delicious. The dashi liquid is also used to control the viscosity of the egg.
You can add some dashi to make a runny scrambled egg.
Sake: The sweetness of the Japanese tamago comes from adding sake (or mirin) in addition to shoyu to the egg. There can be no precise amount since all sakes have a different sweetness. The best sushi chefs use a specific sake, shoyu, and dashi that they have learned to control over the years to achieve the perfect balance. But for starters, you can add a couple of tablespoons of sake per egg.
Again, this “flavoring section” is optional.
Acquiring tastes
Understanding how to scramble an egg is a good building block to cooking. It took me three years to get to the understanding of scrambling eggs that I write here. It took five decades to acquire taste.
I think my Dad should have an advantage in “taste” over me or pretty much anybody. Now all he needs to do is scramble some eggs for Mom.
how to scramble eggs
Great instructions. Lots of empathy.