Steam-set scrambled eggs
Egg sets at 62–70°C while a hot frying pan can reach 180°C — which is why ordinary scrambled eggs go from liquid to dry in well under a minute. Over steam the temperature never exceeds 100°C, so you have minutes instead of seconds to catch the perfect moment. This is a technique, not a recipe.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Preparation 3 min
- Setting over steam 10 min
- Serving 2 min
Step by step
0 / 6 doneBeat the eggs without aerating
Beat the eggs with a fork only until the yolks and whites combine. Do not whip to a foam — an aerated mixture sets unevenly and turns spongy rather than creamy. Do not salt yet — season at the end, with the butter and cream, when it is easiest to judge.
Ingredients: 6 pcs eggs · 40 g butter · 2 tbsp whipping cream (30%) · ½ tsp salt · ½ tsp pepper
Set a bowl over steam
Bring water to the boil in a pan and lower to a barely trembling simmer. Set a metal bowl over it that does not touch the water. Add half the cold butter and the eggs.
Ingredients: 6 pcs eggs · 40 g butter · 2 tbsp whipping cream (30%) · ½ tsp salt · ½ tsp pepper
Stir slowly and without stopping
Stir with a spatula slowly, scraping the sides and base. For the first 4 minutes nothing will happen — that is normal, and a good moment to put the bread in the toaster. Then the mixture thickens quickly, and from that point do not walk away. The whole setting usually takes 8–10 minutes.
Ingredients: 6 pcs eggs · 40 g butter · 2 tbsp whipping cream (30%) · ½ tsp salt · ½ tsp pepper
TipA spatula, not a whisk. A whisk breaks the curds into tiny grains and you lose all the creaminess.
Four minutes of nothing, then everything at once.Take it off while still too wet
When the mixture forms large, soft curds but still looks glossy and wet, lift the bowl off the steam. It looks unfinished — and that is exactly right. Residual heat completes the setting within 30 seconds.
Ingredients: 6 pcs eggs · 40 g butter · 2 tbsp whipping cream (30%) · ½ tsp salt · ½ tsp pepper
TipIf it looks perfect in the bowl, it will be dry on the plate. Always take it off half a minute early.
Large glossy curds — now, not in thirty seconds.Stop the cooking with cold butter
Stir in the remaining cold butter and the cream. Cold fat drops the temperature and halts the setting — the same trick used for sauces. Only now season with salt and white pepper.
Ingredients: 6 pcs eggs · 40 g butter · 2 tbsp whipping cream (30%) · ½ tsp salt · ½ tsp pepper
Serve immediately
Spoon onto warm plates and scatter chives. Serve with toast. The eggs keep setting on the plate for another minute, so any delay dries them out.
Ingredients: ½ bunch chives · 4 pcs bread
Before you start
Pan version
If you would rather skip the water bath, use the lowest heat and lift the pan off the burner every 20 seconds while stirring. Same principle: controlled temperature.
Additions
Smoked salmon, truffle or grated parmesan stirred in at the end. Anything watery — tomatoes, mushrooms — cook separately and add on top.
How many eggs per person
Three eggs per person makes a hearty breakfast portion. With fewer eggs the layer in the bowl is thinner and sets faster — watch it from the very first minute.
