Think You Know The Best Time To Salt Your Scrambled Eggs? Think Again, This Trick Makes Them Creamier

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Salt, the ancient mineral whose primary present day application is simply making things more delicious, can be quite controversial. A lot of said saline arguments hinge on the ticking of the clock. Some folks swear they've divined the precise moment a steak must be salted for optimal moisture, for example, or even that they've cracked the code on just how many crystals to boil up with pasta water. Be they ever so humble, scrambled eggs still aren't immune to similarly salty debate.

With a great, big caveat that casts individual egg preferences aside, the best time to salt scrambled eggs for maximum creaminess is before you cook them. You want to salt your eggs before cooking them whether or not you start them on a cold pan, regardless of any proprietary protein stirring techniques, and no matter what toppings you intend to add. Famed food writer J. Kenji López-Alt posits in his book "The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science" that salt essentially inhibits the eggs from losing too much moisture and turning tough. Said evidence has since been widely repeated on corners of the internet near and far. You can easily replicate the velveteen results in your own kitchen.

J. Kenji López-Alt engaged in a ton of trial and error so you don't have to, and ultimately landed on a period of about 15 minutes between salting and firing your scrambled eggs to effect a notable textural difference. Now, manageable and uncontrollable variables alike can always lead to altered outcomes — your oven's altitude, the dew point, cookware, and ancillary ingredients all playing a part — but a quarter of an hour of salt steeping is a good faith place to start.

You can still likely follow your preferred standard scrambled egg recipe, just be sure to whisk them together with your chosen liquid and a few shakes of salt before you take that critical break to toast some bread, scroll on your phone, or just hang around for 15 minutes. Once the buzzer rings, set the heat to medium or a bit below, keep it all moving with a spatula until those silken curds form, remove from the pan before the eggs have a chance to dehydrate, and enjoy.