Why You Should Be Using Cold Butter In Your Scrambled Eggs

When it comes to scrambled eggs, there are no shortage of tactics and tricks to help home cooks avoid turning out a subpar dish. From tips to achieving restaurant-quality scrambles to a folding technique that makes the eggs aesthetically beautiful, there's a lot to think about when preparing this breakfast staple.

Food Republic approached Mimi Nguyen, founder of Cafely, for her expert take on making excellent scrambled eggs. Nguyen shared that one dairy product is the key — but it has to be used at the right temperature. "Cold butter is such a revelation in that it melts slowly, creating small pockets of richness that gently soften the eggs and make them silkier and creamier," she said. "It also controls the rate of cooking so the eggs don't cook too quickly."

The temperature of your cookware also plays an important role. Even with the aid of a cold ingredient like the butter, eggs can overcook very quickly. For this reason, a gradual approach, using a pan placed over a medium-low temperature, is best. You want it adequately warm so the butter will melt, but not so hot that it makes your eggs blister as soon as they hit the pan. In fact, using too high a heat is one of several common mistakes people make when cooking scrambled eggs.

There are various ways to incorporate cold butter into your eggs for a creamy, well-cooked result. In a restaurant setting, Mimi Nguyen encountered a particular method that made scrambled eggs irresistible. "When I was in a professional kitchen, we'd cube the butter and fold it in at the end — off the heat — so it gently emulsified into the eggs without breaking," she told us.

In her own kitchen, Nguyen adds butter a little differently. "The trick is to chop the butter very fine and mix it in with the eggs right before or as they go into the pan," she explained. "This spreads the butter all over and prevents the eggs from cooking too fast in one spot. If you're in the mood for being fancy, you can also put the butter in the fridge for a few minutes first — it slows the melting even further, giving even richer results."

To give your eggs some extra lift before adding the butter, make sure you whisk them. A brisk whisking not only ensures that the eggs are combined, but that air is introduced to the mixture. This is crucial for a scramble that's light and fluffy. As you whisk, you can see air bubbles forming and frothing in the mixture, indicating they're ready to cook up nice and airily for a light, decadent breakfast. Do this just before cooking — setting your eggs aside after whisking them defeats the purpose as the trapped air will escape. Once your eggs are beaten and airy, you can promptly add in your cold butter and get them into the pan.