One Small Tweak To Your Eggs Will Make Your Muffins Rise Higher With A Fluffier Texture

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

You can muscle your way through everyday experiences, like baking, or you can slow down, let the ingredients speak for themselves, and savor the moments and the ritual that baking gifts us. Jerelle Guy, author of "Black Girl Baking," a James Beard Award-nominated cookbook, firmly advocates for the latter route. As the creator of "The Dinner Ritual," a newsletter devoted to exploring the intersection of cooking and spirituality, Guy aims to "slow down, ground myself, embrace gratitude, and find moments of bliss and ease already around me" — and that's especially important in the kitchen, too.

Baking itself is an invitation to slow down, as rushing through a recipe can lead to less-than-satisfying results. Chowhound recently spoke exclusively with Guy about how a simple change to your egg prep will yield lighter and bouncier muffins. Rather than immediately starting mixing and baking, allowing your eggs to come to room temperature first will make a world of difference in the texture of your baked goods. According to Guy, "Cold eggs could stiffen the fat and keep muffins stumpy, but room-temperature eggs blend better and allow you to whip in more air, giving the final muffins a fluffier texture and better rise." She added, "Shoot for eggs around 68–70°F."

Through her book and newsletter, Jerelle Guy emphasizes the freedom and peace that can come from mindfulness in daily life, including in cooking. By taking the extra time to let your eggs come to room temperature, you are inherently being more intentional about the process, and will ultimately enjoy the fluffier fruits of your labor. Now, if the intention is there, but on this particular day the clock isn't, there's no need to stress about being short on time. Rather than leaving the egg carton out on the counter, Guy shares that you can achieve similar results by warming the eggs for about five minutes in a bowl of water.

The baking process can be so meditative that time starts to drip like honey, but do keep in mind that eggs should only sit on the counter at room temperature for about two hours before they need to be refrigerated. This gives you plenty of time to follow Guy's reflective suggestion to slow down in the kitchen and still bake the fluffiest muffins around to boot.