Egg

Why My Husband's Scrambled Eggs Are the Worst (but Also the Best)

All you have to do is glance at any given scrambled egg recipe, then skip the first step.

by:
September 12, 2019
11 Comments

I used to think there were two ways to scramble eggs: slow and fast. Both start the same—by beating eggs with a fork, whisk, pair of chopsticks, or the like until smooth. Then you either stir-fry over high-ish heat (my go-to, especially if there’s brown butter involved), or cook over ultra-low heat to form “small, delicate curds bound in a velvety sauce.”

But my husband ignores all of this because he skips the first step.

Instead of cracking the eggs into a bowl or cup and beating until smooth, he cracks them directly into the hot, greased skillet. He then scrambles them with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon (“The Corner-Geter” is our favorite for eggs) while they cook. See what I mean:

Scrambled? Yes. Eggs? Yes. Scrambled eggs? Maybe. The result is less like the dish as we know it, and more like fried eggs that are too busy to worry about appearances. The whites and yolks are melded in some places, separate in others, and different every time.

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“These are very common in China, no whisk, just chopsticks, or sometimes a wooden spatula, no frypan, just a Wok, we call them Frambled eggs.”
— ShanghaiTom
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If you ask Justin how he came up with this, he’ll tell you, with a big smile, to save a dirty dish.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t start an argument about this at first (no one said living with a recipe developer is fun). Me: “But we have a dishwasher!” (True.) Him: “But why use the bowl if I don’t have to?” (Also true.)

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I became a believer as soon as I tried them. Justin’s eggs are the middle point between scrambled and over-medium, which is especially wonderful for buttered toast, veggie-laden rice bowls, and chile-mayo sandwiches.

But more than anything else, whenever I see sorta-scrambled eggs, I know it was because he made them, often for me. And there are few things that taste better than that.

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Justin and I fell asleep as we usually do (talking about breakfast) and decided as we usually do (on scrambled eggs and buttered toast). • Fast-forward to morning, when sheer curtains let in all the sunlight and our cat is losing her shit, and I wake up to this. Justin bringing me eggs and toast in bed. (Black tea and hot sauce not pictured, but important.) • If I posted every time Justin did something like this—small but hugely thoughtful—I’d post every day. And my whole account would be too many eggs, too much toast, too many moments where I’m shouting from an iPhone rooftop: Wow, wow, how much I love you. • I’d like to be more like that this year, though. Loudly grateful. But first, breakfast.

A post shared by Emma Laperruque (@emmalaperruque) on

What’s your favorite way to scramble eggs? Discuss in the comments!
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Emma Laperruque
Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.

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11 Comments

Lori R.
Lori R. January 30, 2021
This is how my husband cooks them also. I am not convinced, but he can make his own eggs however he wants. LOL

 
Lori R.
Lori R. January 30, 2021
This is how my husband cooks them also. I am not convinced, but he can make his own eggs however he wants. LOL
 
Kai C.
Kai C. April 10, 2020
My family has been doing it this way for a hundred years (seriously). I thought this was how you made it scrambled eggs, we never beat them first. I didn't Iearn any different until I was 35 or so!
 
beejay45
beejay45 December 18, 2019
I learned to make them by beating in a bowl first. Then, one day, I was in a hurry and broke the eggs into already melting butter in a pan. As I was "scrambling" them with my trusty silicone spatula, I thought, "Ah, no extra dish to wash." That's the way I've been doing it ever since. Depending on your heat and cooking time, they can be as creamy-French as you like, or more firm and diner-ish. Props to Justin for going straight to the heart of the matter. ;)
 
rolwin1
rolwin1 September 16, 2019
This article describes how I scramble my eggs when a yolk on my morning fried eggs happens to break. ;) The rest of the time, I whip out my trusty stick blender and zap the eggs in a bowl for just under 5 seconds and they're beautifully ready for a gently heated and lightly buttered fry pan.
 
weshook
weshook September 14, 2019
My dad would make scrambled eggs like this; he also made them scrambled in a bowl first. We called them pan-scrambled eggs.
 
ShanghaiTom
ShanghaiTom September 14, 2019
These are very common in China, no whisk, just chopsticks, or sometimes a wooden spatula, no frypan, just a Wok,
we call them Frambled eggs.
 
weshook
weshook September 14, 2019
I never knew this; thanks for this ... like learning a little more about my dad.
 
Jacob C.
Jacob C. September 13, 2019
Thats the same my grandmother cooks them . me i like to turn it on low melt the butter and scramble them in the skillet and cook them on low untill delicious

 
jlavoie
jlavoie September 12, 2019
Lol. Must be a man thing. I do the exact same thing for the EXACT same reason.
 
Tim
Tim September 12, 2019
Your husband's method was also the method I learned from my mother. She did it that way for the same reason--to not have another dish to wash.

It's probably why I disliked scrambled eggs until I learned to pre-scramble them.