The World's Best Scrambled Eggs

Okay, I fully realize that you're probably reading this and saying, "using a recipe for scrambled eggs is kinda lame. I mean, who doesn't know how to make scrambled eggs, anyway?"

Well, even though I knew how to make decent scrambled eggs back in the day, I wanted to see what the "experts," a.k.a. the folks from America's Test Kitchen, had to say about them. Plus, I'm a recipe nazi. What can I say?

These are, hands down, the best scrambled eggs I have ever made (or tasted, frankly). From this recipe, I learned that using milk (or half-and-half, as the recipe calls for) instead of water makes a big difference. And the way you fold the eggs while they're cooking makes a huge difference. HUGE.

We eat these eggs frequently (like, once a week), and even Patrick agrees that they are the bomb. And, of course, they're easy.

(Sorry I don't have a photo ... maybe one day I'll take one, but then my eggs would get cold. Hot eggs are so much better than lukewarm eggs. Plus, y'all all know what scrambled eggs look like.)

Scrambled Eggs
Recipe courtesy America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
8 large eggs
1/4 cup half-and-half*
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, salt, and pepper. Melt the butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, swirling to coat the pan. Add the eggs and cook while gently pushing, lifting, and folding them from one side of the pan to the other until they are nicely clumped, shiny, and wet, about 2 minutes. Remove the cooked eggs from the pan quickly.

We sometimes like to add shredded cheese to our eggs (while they're cooking) and then sprinkle some Tabasco sauce on them when they're on our plate. Yummy. They're also perfectly delicious a natural.

*Whole, lowfat or skim milk can be substituted for the half-and-half, but the eggs will not be as creamy. I usually use skim milk unless I happen to have half-and-half on hand, and they are still creamy. DO NOT USE WATER!!

The key to fluffy scrambled eggs:
Do not stir the eggs!! If you push the eggs with a spatula instead of stirring them, you will end up with large, airy, fluffy eggs. Gently push, lift and fold them from one side of the pan to the other, until large, airy curds have formed. This is critical, folks.