French Scrambled Eggs Are A Decadent Bite You'll Keep Coming Back To

Just like a French omelet is a totally different preparation than its American counterpart, so, too, do French scrambled eggs diverge from those we're more used to stateside. Although techniques and even ingredients can vary wildly, here, some of the best scrambled eggs are characterized by their light, fluffy quality, and their larger curds. Picture a perfect plate of scrambled eggs from anywhere in the nation, and odds are you'll see a heaping pile resembling sunny yellow cumulus clouds.

French-style scrambled eggs, instead, are creamier with a smaller curd and a creamier consistency. Their texture is also less substantive than American scrambled eggs — almost eschewing the fork for a spoon and approaching more of spread atop something like toast than the heartier Yankee topping. French scrambled eggs will appear smoother and more uniform and with obvious moisture. Although both French and American scrambled eggs require low heat to reach their ideal form, the journey there is a little bit different in either case.

Butter and cream are famously foundational to French cooking, so, naturally, they're the dairy supplements to your protein. Using unsalted butter allows you to better control the final flavors. This is your cooking fat, which you'll melt slowly in a saucepan while you beat the eggs until smooth, incorporating less air than you would with a vigorous whisking.

The eggs meet the pan at a medium-low heat and require consistent movement while they gently cook. This is when you can start whisking, but not to the point of the agitation you'd use when making a meringue or another recipe where air is an ingredient. This should be slower, methodical action that keeps the eggs from clumping together. The cream is stirred in at the end. When you season, and how, is up to as much adaptation as it is debate, but the low heat and motion are compulsory. The French method is also very similar to the way Bobby Flay makes his scrambled eggs, although he adds crème fraîche at the end.