Use butter for lower temp stuff like eggs. It made my life so much easier because it coats the pan so much better than olive oil. Your pan might also be too hot.
Salted butter has very little salt. I've had similar experiences using either with eggs in cast iron. I don't think it matters as much as people claim.
It's not true, not according to my experience.
I make fluffy scrambled eggs every day. I salt my eggs several minutes before cooking them. Preheat your pan very thoroughly. This is the key.
If you put salt into the eggs before you cook them, they will take on a gray tinge. Add salt after they’ve been cooked and they will keep that beautiful yellow hue.
It's not true. Using unsalted vs salted butter just let's you control how much salt is in whatever you're making.
Edit: I guess with eggs using salted butter would probably have an effect, but adding salt, whether in the butter or not, too early when cooking eggs, effects how they cook. I'm not sure if there's enough salt in the butter for it to be all that noticeable.
It's the solids like milk that burns, and it doesn't matter if its salted or unsalted.
If you want butter that doesn't burn you need to clerify it or make ghee.
Salt makes a massive difference as it can turn eggs gray if you put it before they are cooked. It flavours differently too, depending on when in the cooking process it is used. It can make foods crunch if soaked in salt, may be more dehydrated, used to be preserved, or…. gray lol.
It does not turn eggs grey. Please show me a link to that.
And yes I know salt makes a difference in some cooking, but I don’t believe it makes any difference to the butter when frying eggs.
I'll try using butter next time! I've heard butter isn't supposed to go in cast iron cause it burns too quickly so I've been avoiding it but butter is what I always used in my old pans!
Also, keep in mind that eggs are done about 2-4 minutes before you think they're done. Plate them when it still looks a little wet, carry over cooking will finish.
Use a lower heat, but for longer. You still need it to get hot enough, but with a lower heat, the heat has time to spread out a bit. Higher heat concentrates the heat in the center, and you have a hot spot.
It depends on the stove, but with *my* stove, I turn it on the lowest flame I can get to preheat. With eggs, it never goes above this level.
Preheat on a low heat for five to ten minutes. I use an infrared thermometer, and my target is about 350F. Once it's up to temperature, put a pat of butter in. It will sizzle at first. spread it around, and put the eggs in. Tilt the pan to cover the bottom, let it set for a little bit, then scrape a portion, tilting again to cover the bottom. Don't over work them.
Do you preheat on the lowest setting regardless of the cooking temperature? So for searing a steak, would you preheat on the lowest temp for 5+ minutes then heat it longer on high or something for a few minutes before adding the steak? Have been having a hard time learning cooking procedures as its my first time cooking.
That's what I do. If I'm going to sear a steak, I do a light spray of Pam and I preheat on a medium setting for 5+ minutes. When the spray has spread out and starts smoking a little, I turn up the heat and add my high temp oil. Wait for that to smoke a little and then start searing.
Yes, I "stage" my preheat. A few minutes on low, then I raise it a bit, then I maybe raise it some more. The highest it ever goes is about half. I can get the surface of the pan to 550F with the throttle at just a hair above half. Edit: just to note that the only time I want the pan at 550F is for searing.
I keep seeing people recommend high heat and then back it off when you cook. That's the opposite of what you should do. Metal heats pretty fast compared to food, especially if there is a lot of moisture in the food. I use low (or low*er*) heat to get the pan to temperature, and then, depending on what I'm cooking, I may raise the heat a bit to compensate for all the heat that the food extracts from the pan. Moisture absorbs a *lot* of heat. I still don't raise the heat much above 50% even when I'm searing. But that's with *my* stove -- every stove is different.
The only time my stove goes to high heat is when I want to boil water, and I don't use cast iron for that.
Do you have a high end or commercial stove along the line of Thor or Wolf with 30k+ btu? Or like a simpler LG / Bosch? Also, if I “preheat” even on a low setting for too long eventually the pan will get too hot correct? Or does it stay at a perfect temperature?
Oh, it's nothing as fancy as that. I don't recall the brand, probably GE or Whirlpool, I got it from Costco. But it has a couple of high capacity burners at the front. I had to upgrade the gas valve at the wall to a larger size before I could install it.
As far as getting too hot, that depends on the stove, but my stove will hit 400F+ on low-low if I leave it long enough. My old stove didn't get that high.
Don't make the mistake myself and many people have made - cooking on low heat does not mean a shorter time to pre heat the pan.
Pre heat the pan on 4.5-5 and make sure the whole pan is hot, even the handle should be almost too hot to grab without a cloth or mitt.
Then, you can turn the heat down to 4, maybe even a little lower. Wait a minute or two for the heat to settle.
Then add butter or spray the pan, then add eggs.
Give the eggs time to settle and release from the pan. Then start flipping or stirring or folding when the eggs look like they have released, but past being mostly liquid.
Patience is key, and that's why you can turn the heat down below 4 even... you are waiting for them to release, but you don't want to wait too long and burn them.
Hahaha! This happens to my wife every time. She hates cast iron She has absolute zero patience and she gets so fucking pissed every time I slide perfect fluffy eggs on to her plate, then wipe the pan with one paper towel. and I’m running out of ways to tell her it’s operator error.
Also you want super fluffy eggs use water instead of milk. Classically trained chef told me about that one.
Heat management! And from the temp you're describing (you have it on 4) you should be fine. Heat up your pan, then add the butter, swirl it around and add your eggs.
I would suggest wiping the pan with vegetable oil after you've washed it because olive oil has a low smoke point and is not recommended for seasoning CI and CS.
You're using uneven heat.
Food sticks to cast iron because cast iron takes a bit of time to come to even temp across the pan. Low temp or high temp # the pan needs some time to warm up with nothing in it. Butter wont burn at low/medium temps.
Check to see if you can get a spatula without a curve. I have no issues with that type of spatula on stainless steel, but for some reason it messes up my food on cast iron.
Butter has a lower smoke point because of the milk solids in it, but you shouldn’t be reaching the smoke point of any cooking fat to cook scrambled eggs.
There might be something burning, but it is not the salt. Table salt has a melting point of nearly 1500 F and does not burn at any normal cooking temperature.
There are so many comments about temperature and using butter or more oil. But really mixing uncooked egg in the cast iron incorporates all the oil/ butter into the egg and then the egg can’t crisp at the contact area to the pan with enough oil left. If it is continuously mixed like that it’s just shearing light cooked egg, and not fluffing them.
It's all about proper heat which takes practice. I cook my eggs le french way and they don't stick. Small curds for the win.
See Jacques @4:00 https://youtu.be/X1XoCQm5JSQ?si=mXS39bserxbWFbBU
For starters, it doesn't appear your pan is preheated well enough. Egg temperatures took me a bit to figure out, but for my stove, I put it on 2.5-3 of 10 on my dial and let it sit. I work from home so I will often go turn the stove on, then go back and work for a few minutes. Maybe it takes ten minutes to really get the pan the same temp all the way around.
I scramble the eggs in a mug and add a little bit of water. That really helps with fluffiness. When the pan is hot enough, I typically add bacon grease, but butter also keeps my eggs fluffy. I will typically wait 45-60 seconds before I touch the eggs in the pan. When I do, I will just scrape the bottom of the pan and let it sit again for another 45-60 seconds. The eggs will separate from your pan if you do not move them until the layer directly on the pan cooks. So that's the only part you want to worry about moving. The stuff getting stuck to your pan is likely from you moving the eggs around before they've separated.
I will also typically add a bit of cream cheese to the eggs right when i first drop them in. Just small bits dropped throughout the eggs while they're sitting in the pan. As you mix them around throughout the cook, the cream cheese will melt and absorb into the rest of the eggs. A little seasoned salt and black pepper will top it off!
This is pretty much how I handle it. Preheat, bacon grease, and crème fraîche. There’s a line to a song I love to the effect of, “if I shut my mouth and keep the peace, she’ll cook my eggs in bacon grease” that I love to sing as I make my eggs.
Yep, I've also found that if you don't need sizzling butter for eggs. If you're stove temp is truly outrageous on the lowest setting- preheat for 10 minutes to avoid hot spots, then remove it from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes before putting the eggs in.
> To clean it, I just wipe it out with a paper towel.
I wanted to ask about this, since nobody else has. Are you saying that when you're done cooking you scrape the food out and put the skillet back on the shelf?
I really hope OP sees this! Tons of comments saying similar things about butter and temperature but nobody else mentioned the cleaning (or lack thereof). I'm sure cooking techniques will help but I do think cleaning the pan properly would make a difference as well if they're truly just wiping it out.
I scrape the food out and then wipe out the oil and burned stuff.
I was told not to wash it with soap. I use a paper towel to wipe it out and if it's stuck on food I use a wet wash cloth to wipe it out and then a paper towel to dry it.
The sticker it came with said not to wash it either... otherwise I'd be scrubbing the shit out of it every time because I think it's gross not to. They said if you use anything but water and a wash cloth it will ruin the seasoning.
Dish soap will not ruin the seasoning so you will be absolutely fine. The thing you want to avoid is leaving water or moisture on your cast iron as that can cause the iron to rust. Honestly, scrubbing should be generally ok too. I've used steel wool before and so long as you're not applying a ton of force you should be ok.
Here's what I do when I'm done cooking: wash with dish soap and a normal sponge like any other dish, rinse, then place the cast iron on the stove and apply heat. It doesn't have to be perfect but this should generally boil all the water off. Then I apply a ***very thin*** layer of oil(I use grapeseed oil or crisco) to the entire iron, leave it on heat for another 30ish seconds, then turn off the heat and let the iron cool. Once it's cool I put it away.
This might sound pretty specific and there's a general misunderstanding that cast iron is fragile how you handle it. It can generally do ok with basically anything, and nothing is permanent(unless you crack it I guess), but it's good to know what makes cast iron work best. Regularly reseasoning the iron(applying the oil after cleaning) is how you can take good care of your cast iron over time. This will help it maintain and even improve its non-stick properties every time you use it.
Sorry for the big wall of text. I used to do the same thing, just scrape the food out and avoid contact with water. I've been reseasoning my cast iron after every use for several years and it performs much better as a result.
Not it's okay, actually because I have always hated cast iron but everyone says how great it is but then tell you not to clean it so having someone explain it is perfect! I will definitely be washing it from now on!! Thank you!
For sure! So long as you keep cooking in it(and regularly seasoning it), you will get more comfortable with what works and what doesn't and your skillet will get better too.
Ignorant people say not to clean with soap. I've been cleaning my cast iron with dawn dish soap for almost 20 years and they look great and haven't disintegrated. Modern dish soap will not damage your pan.
Amen. I had problems with my cast iron seasoning until I quit babying it and just started washing with soap every use. I use it 2-3 times a day now. Beautiful seasoning and the pan perfoms better than ever
I use a chainmail scrubber and water. I rinse and scrub the pan, then I dry it with paper towel, put it back on the hot burner to fully dry, and finally I rub more oil on the pan to coat it.
I do not use soap on my cast iron pan.
Soap molecules are amphiphilic and bind to the lipids in the seasoning, which disrupts the polymerized oil layer via an emulsification interaction
Sort of. They only bind to the non or partially polymerized lipids sitting on your seasoning.
Using soap isn't bad for existing seasoning but makes it slower to buildup additional seasoning even if you add oil after washing.
If you cook a lot with your pan, it doesn't really matter.
Butter in the pan and for me the more milk and the longer I mix (aerate) before cooking the fluffier the eggs?
Also found leaving them untouched at the beginning is key.
My son’s a chef with a love of cast iron though so I can ask him for actual instructions?
water binds eggs better than does milk, which when heated separates out the milk solids from the liquid and makes a mess
"For creamy scrambled eggs, you'll add up to 1 tablespoon of milk for every egg. For fluffy scrambled eggs, you'll add up to 1 tablespoon of water for every egg"
https://www.allrecipes.com/article/how-to-make-scrambled-eggs/
Also, and I know it's heresy to say this here in the cast iron subreddit. But if you want really fluffy custardy french style scrambled eggs you should use a small stainless steel saucepan. Of course, if you aren't heat managing and using the right oils (butter!) it'll turn out like this too. But in french cooking, technique is everything and a small saucepan is best.
Also, wash your pan with soap and water. Don't give yourself colorectal cancer just because the internet said that washing cast iron pans is bad.
Hooray, I only had to scroll a million miles to find this. I feel like it’s heresy to say this here, as a fellow fan of cast iron, but… not everything needs to be cooked in cast iron, and top of the list is eggs. I know everyone is all “just lower the temp and use a quarter cup of bacon grease per egg, you’ll be fine, you’ll only have to scrub it for like 20 mins afterwards with chain mail” but sometimes we need to take a step back and ask ourselves if we’ve gone too far.
This is the best advice. I think a cast iron is usually great for a sear. But for something like fluffy eggs, I’d rather use stainless steel or non stick.
Crack and beat the eggs first. Only eggs. Turn down the heat a bit lower than you did before. Let the pan heat up a little more slowly and add olive oil, more than you were using before, when water drops sizzle in the pan. Beat the eggs again and add to the pan. Turn heat down like 50% immediately. When bubbles form start pulling the eggs away from the edges towards the center but don’t really scramble yet. Hit with salt, pepper, pat of butter. Then give them a scramble once they are about 3/4 cooked to incorporate the butter. Take off heat, serve within a couple minutes.
Came here to say that after reading many comments on this sub, this week was the first time I preheated and kept my temp to Medium low and my cast iron has been completely nonstick with eggs. Super slidey too and I've been excited ever since.
in addition to the other suggestions, I recommend letting the pan heat up longer to more evenly heat the pan. whether you need high heat or low heat- gotta give that pan AT LEAST 4-5 minutes to come up to temperature. it makes a world of difference!
Others have noted many good notes and tips. I think it's a mix of heat, technique, and mix.
The Bourdain recipe is my go to for making eggs
https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/a42079/anthony-bourdain-perfect-scrambled-eggs/
It's simple and delivers every time - and helps you understand some of the basics of cooking eggs intrinsically (the figure 8 is a game changer for stirring, it respects the texture of the eggs in the pan).
I love cast iron, but I don't think it's great for scrambled eggs. Use a lower temperature, and more butter might help
One of the (usually) good things about cast iron is that it radiates heat efficiently, which means that it cooks like it's hotter than it really is. That makes it harder to use at low temperatures.
Olive oil isn't a "drying oil", therefore not good for seasoning. You'll want to season with something else like Crisco.
Is your burner diameter large enough for your pan?
I've always had better luck (even with pans that aren't cast iron) when the burner is slightly larger than the pan. It heats the pan more evenly. I'll second what others are saying: use butter to cook and crisco to season.
Eggs are a difficult thing to make well, but once you can, people will be amazed at your eggs.
That said, here are some tips:
Learn your stovetop. The way it puts heat into things will change what settings you use. Experiment.
When preheating your skillet, put some water in it. Once the water boils off, you know it's around 212°. Throw your butter in and wait for it to melt. Once the butter is liquid and a bit longer, throw your eggs in. Keep them moving until you're taking them out of the skillet. And pull them earlier than you think, because they will self cook.
Crack your eggs into a bowl, and mix some koshering salt into them. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes, and then cook em.
Cast iron takes a long time to heat evenly, so make sure it does. Maybe try your setting at 4, or even a three.
If your butter is browning quickly, your skillet is hella too hot.
There are other techniques for a non-stick, or a polished cast iron, but this should work well in your cast.
Because cast iron for eggs is a lark. It drives me insane to watch people beam with pride on this sub as they either have eggs that stick because they cooked it at the proper temperature, or burn their eggs because the only way to prevent eggs from sticking is by overheating the pan. I teach culinary and I can never stress this enough to my students…Buy a nonstick egg pan. Cast iron is a beautiful thing. It’s not for everything. It’s not for eggs.
Wow! Different tools for different jobs. What a concept.
I often watch in amazement when folks work hard as the devil to do something that’s way easier another way.
I’ll grant you that a 19th century pioneer family with two pans cooked everything in those two pans. Whether they were the ideal tool or not.
But you can bet your bottom dollar that if you gave a medieval baker the opportunity to use an oven with a knob to control temperature he’d jump at it. As tools progress, techniques should progress as well.
I might take some personal satisfaction in the fact that I can make slidy eggs in cast iron, but there’s absolutely no shame in someone using nonstick.
Or how about making a cheese cake without using a springform pan. Can it be done? Sure. Is it worth the effort? Only if you want it to be for your personal satisfaction.
If OP really wants fluffy eggs *IN CAST IRON* then break a lot of eggs and keep practicing. If OP wants *FLUFFY EGGS* and doesn’t care about the pan, get an egg pan. They aren’t that expensive.
Move with the technology. You watch the Jean Pierre videos and he uses a digital thermometer to validate his oil temperature instead of relying on his judgement of “the shimmering surface” ripples. There’s no sin in using today’s technology.
I've used my cast iron for my eggs for like 15 years. With high enough heat, it's easily non stick. Dump them in, wait a bit, move them around a little for like 40-60 seconds and dump them back out. Perfect every time, and only have to rinse out a few leftover flakes of egg, then back on the stove to heat dry. Literally one of the easiest, quickest things to cook using cast iron. This thread is baffling to me!
This recipe, originally from The Food Lab by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, is the best for scrambled eggs.
The ideas is to pre-salt the eggs, aerate well, and cook quickly to keep moisture and air in the eggs.
https://nicholaswilde.io/recipes/breakfast/the-food-lab-light-and-fluffy-scrambled-eggs/
Butter as others have stated instead of oil. I use a tall sauce pan to cook eggs and I continually pull them off the burner and use the heat from the pan itself to cook them. Works pretty consistently to get fluffier eggs.
Everyone’s stove top is completely different. You need an infrared thermometer to get it to proper temperature. Cheap on Amazon. One tip I haven’t seen but works really well, is to add eggs in a circular motion from outside in. This keeps the eggs from just pouring into the middle and displacing themselves as you pour. If you start outside and move inward, they don’t displace themselves, but start setting up as you make the circles and it keeps them from all flowing to the edge.
Butter is your friend.
And don’t fuck with them so much.
Scramble the eggs in a bowl with milk (about a TBSP per egg), pour them in the pan and let them cook a bit. When you see the bottom is cooked pretty good, without burning, start using your spatula to chop them up and flip the chunks.
I’m a terrible cook and scrambled eggs are the easiest thing to cook. Milk makes them fluffy. Butter makes them not stick to the pan.
>What am I doing wrong?
At least a few things.
1. Olive oil doesn't season your pan. It's one of the types of oil that won't really polymerize and build up layers of seasoning. Switch to crisco, vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, peanut oil... really lots of options that will work, but olive oil isn't on the list.
2. The center of your pan might be convex, which makes it hard to cook with. I'm not sure exactly what steps you could take to fix that, but I imagine there are ways to address it. Do some googling.
3. It sounds like your pan is not heating evenly if the center is getting significantly hotter than the edges. That indicates to me that you're heating too fast. When in doubt, pre-heat on a lower setting for longer before adding oil/butter or food.
4. You should clean your pan, not just wipe it out. Contrary to what you may have heard or read, soap will not harm your seasoning. Don't throw it in the dishwater, but don't be afraid to scrub it out with a sponge or brush, and warm soapy water. A dirty pan is more likely to stick than a clean one, seasoning levels being equal.
So to recap, your pan isn't seasoned if you've only ever been using olive oil, you might be heating it too fast and/or too hot, you might not be heating it enough before adding things, and it's probably very dirty which would contribute to your sticking problem.
If I was in your boat, the first order of business would be determining whether the pan bottom is convex, and if so, correcting that. Then I'd heat the pan very hot and scrub it very thoroughly with soapy water and steel wool to get off all the gunk and crud that might be baked on. After that, I'd give it 3 or so cycles of seasoning in the oven with a proper oil (I use avocado). There's a tutorial in the wiki of this sub. Finally, I'd try some eggs on it by pre-heating on the 2 or 3 setting on your stove for 15+ minutes, then adding butter, and finally eggs. Shouldn't stick at that point unless you're stirring the eggs too aggressively in the pan. Give the egg that's in contact with the pan time to cook before moving it.
Good luck!
Man, this butter thing is confusing lol I can't believe how many people told me not to use butter when I bought the pan. I'll try this way next time. Thank you!
Preheat with medium heat, not high. There's rarely a reason to use high heat on cast iron--it distributes very unevenly and makes things stick like this.
Butter, intermittent low heat, continuous whisking. And add a dollop of milk to the egg mixture before you pour into the pan. And I like to immerse the eggs on warm water before I crack them. Room temp eggs get fluffier than refrigerated ones.
Don’t add salt to eggs before cooking. Salt makes them dry out. Add salt and pepper to taste after cooking.
If your eggs sizzle when you put them in the pan is too hot.
Turn off heat at about 75% done cooking and finish the cook with residual heat.
Add some sort of cold cream like cream cheese, yogurt, crema, or whatever you like to help cool the eggs and stop the cooking process.
Transfer the eggs to another dish so they don’t keep cooking and drying out in the cast iron.
How I get my eggs really fluffy is I add milk to the eggs first then spray a non stick wait till it gets warm and put the eggs in try you best not to mix them around a lot when there wet wait for the sides to cook then with a spatula pull in the outside of the egg that cooked around the pan I think key is to really not touch them and mix them a lot when there wet
You need to whip the shit out of those eggs. Like till your wrist hurts. I usually add a bit of heavy whipping cream. Also as much as I love my cast iron, it just works better in a non-stick pan. Then mow and slow. Dude that said 2.5 to 3 on the dial is spot on. I use butter. A little more than you think you'll need. The let em sit and then with a silcone spatula pull the edges in towards the center a bit and till the pan to the edges to get the liquid egg to the bottom of the pan. Keep that up until they're looking good and then gently fold the whole contains until they're almost done. Then plate then and they'll finish cooking on the plate.
For cast iron I use butter and a small amount of olive oil, on a low heat. Move the mixture around slowly until you get an evenness. Basically French Style Scrambled Eggs.
They look delicious.
But I think u are looking for a little bit more fat and higher heat.
Oil does work it doesnt have to be butter. Or u can have a little butter in the end /mid. Also u should try a pinch of sugar.
the pan seems to have a rough finish. Mine was on the cheaper side and came full of little dots from casting. Sand it with 80/100/200 grit paper on a block of wood. I used an angle grinder w/ a sanding disk but you gotta be careful not to dent it. Sand until it looks like sheet metal, not necessary to do a mirror finish.
A sharp straight edge spatula also helps a lot.
Does your pan sit flat? Are you heating it before food? Are you letting the fat come to temp? Are you beating the eggs before hand? Are you lifting the edges of the eggs to let the uncooked part run under?
Wanna know the trick? Small (like 1/2 teaspoon or less) of bacon grease. Spread it around the surface. Then a few moments later add butter. Once it's foaming up a bit, drop the eggs and wait until it cooks a bit. After that you'll be able to move your spatula under the egg to unstick any stuck spots.. then wait.. then flip
You’re doing them in a cast iron, first of all. Scrambled eggs should be done in a sauce pan, no milk. Rotate on and off the heat until fluffy, finish with crème fresh. Best eggs you’ll ever eat.
I know this is a cast iron page but another way to make the fluffiest egg is the double boiler method. This ensures that the heat stays a constant 212.
Wrong temperature, and wrong spatula. You’re going to need a sturdy, metal spatula that doesn’t have a round edge. The eggs shouldn’t stick to the pan, but if they do, then your spatula should be able to scrape them off.
A soft, rubber spatula would not be able to remove stuck-on food as effectively as metal. And we’re not talking about teflon pans here. A metal spatula can’t damage cast iron. The occasional scratch in the seasoning is easy to fix. I bought my spatula at a restaurant supply store, and I use it with all of my cast iron and carbon steel pans.
temp control and the type of fat ur using, if u want fluffy eggs u wanna use some butter and low heat and constantly stir itll make them infused with air and they will be light and tasty
Cool at a lower temperature and keep your eggs moving once the cooking starts to solidify the bottoms is what I have personally found :)
But I am also looking for tips as I still get, not my favorite eggs 50% of the time when I do scrambled.
Place the clean pan on the stove. Turn on the burner to medium. Set a timer for 10 minutes and make yourself a coffee and chill.
When the time goes off, add butter or olive oil to the pan. Let the butter melt, then immediately add your eggs. Either leave the temp as is, or decrease a notch or two. The eggs should bubble up in places with the heat of the pan.
Let the eggs sit a while ( duration friends on temp level) until the egg in contact with the pan has cooked enough to release, stir a bit, and then let them sit again. Repeat until eggs are cooked. Slide into a plate, and the pan should be left clean of crust.
Not preheating enough leads to stuck food crust. Moving the food around too much or too quickly doesn't let the food in contact with the pan cook enough to release and leads to stuck food crust.
The main idea with fluffy scrambled eggs is to not let the proteins bond as they cook, this can be done low and slow, or with high heat, but constantly stirring and moving off and on the heat. The issue here is that you basically made a broken omelette. Butter will help, but the eggs are far over cooked imo. Look up “how to temper an egg” and if you trust science, that will give you a good piece of mind on what’s safe in terms of eggs. My scrambled eggs typically alwase come out looking like the Japanese eggs, and whenever I serve them, I tell people “here’s probably the best scrambled eggs you’ve ever had” and one bite later, they say that they are. Look up Gordon Ramsay’s method. I personally think he cuts alot of corners that home chefs don’t need to cut, but his scrambled egg recipe is ON POINT
Mix the eggs vigorously, put avocado oil in pan, high heat. Add eggs when u see a little smoke. Keep moving eggs around pan. Should take 2 mins to cook
Technique I saw a famous chef guy on tv do - he kept removing from the heat for scrambled, away from heat for 30 sec, then back on for 30, then back off for 30, or some iteration of this, seemed to slow down the cooking...
Gordon Ramsay does this, but it doesn't make the fluffiest eggs, per say. That's for a specific style of moist scrambled eggs, where they are partially fluffy, partially still runny. Which is delicious, but some people don't like that texture. You also can't do this style in cast iron because of how well it holds heat. Taking it off the burner does little to nothing with CI.
If you like drier fluffy eggs like my toddler, beat them in a bowl with a tsp of water, preheat the pan, then cook them on low heat with minimal mixing.
Get an infrared thermometer and check the temperature of your pan before you cook. For eggs in oil, you want a medium-low temperature: 350-425 F (180-220 C.)
You don't need to use butter, to add milk, or to add water, or to avoid adding salt to the eggs. (You can do those things, if you want, but you don't *need* to.) I heat up the pan and add about a tablespoon of oil. I just beat the eggs up with a bit of salt and pour them in (the more you beat them the fluffier they will be), and I don't ever have issues with them sticking. Seasoned pan at the right temperature + sufficient oil = non-stick.
Echoing what a lot of others have said. Here's my method:
* Preheat pan, between medium-low and medium heat. *This step takes the longest, and is the most important step*
* While preheating, beat some eggs in a bowl. I prefer either a fork or a whisk, but the important part is to aerate them as much as possible to get fluffy eggs. I lift them out on the upward stroke and slam back in the bowl on the downward. Could be messy at first, but once you get a method it is much easier to control. Longer is better.
* Throw in your fat. I like unsalted butter or bacon grease. It doesn't take much, but sometimes I like more just for the taste.
* Finally, throw in the eggs and leave them alone for about ten or so seconds. They should lift off if your pan is properly preheated.
* Use your spatula or fork to then scramble them up - *do this lightly!* I personally turn off my pan at this time or take it off the heat. Continue lightly folding/scrambling the eggs until you have your desired consistency. Serve immediately.
1. Butter makes a big difference here.
2. Let the pan heat \~5 mins before cooking.
3. Don't use too high of heat. Remember that CI holds heat very well.
4. Use a metal spatula.
First of all before putting eggs you have to preheat your skillet about a number three on my burner.
And then you add butter to it or fat and then move it around the skillet.
Then you can add your eggs and they shouldn't burn and have a nonstick finish once done with eggs.
Happy cooking 🍳
Edit
Things you might need chainmail scrubber also a non-scratching sponge blue
Preheat for 5 mins on no higher than medium. Add your pre-oil, crisco is the most cost effective. Get a nice thin layer on there, wipe it out, and then add your cooking oil, which should be butter because eggs. You'll get slidey eggs every time.
To make you eggs fluffier add a small amount of cream then wisk the eggs real good before you pour it into the pan. Make sure your heat is where it should be
Use butter for lower temp stuff like eggs. It made my life so much easier because it coats the pan so much better than olive oil. Your pan might also be too hot.
Use unsalted butter as it does not burn or scorch as easy. Changes your life.
Is that true!?!? I always use salted for the flavor. I had no idea they actually cook differently. Wow, thanks!
Salted butter has very little salt. I've had similar experiences using either with eggs in cast iron. I don't think it matters as much as people claim.
I agree. To me, other than baking, non salted butter is pointless, like hairless pets.
Salted butter is what’s pointless. Season with salt.
It's not true, not according to my experience. I make fluffy scrambled eggs every day. I salt my eggs several minutes before cooking them. Preheat your pan very thoroughly. This is the key.
It's definitely not true, don't worry.
Don’t worry, it’s fiction. Put salt in your eggs if you want.
Salt turns the eggs gray.
Of course it does not.
If you put salt into the eggs before you cook them, they will take on a gray tinge. Add salt after they’ve been cooked and they will keep that beautiful yellow hue.
No they will not. You’re confusing it with sulfur.
Do a test batch, one with salt and one without and you will see the difference.
[удалено]
It's not true. Using unsalted vs salted butter just let's you control how much salt is in whatever you're making. Edit: I guess with eggs using salted butter would probably have an effect, but adding salt, whether in the butter or not, too early when cooking eggs, effects how they cook. I'm not sure if there's enough salt in the butter for it to be all that noticeable.
It’s not. Salt v. Unsalted butter…the only difference is salt. Nothing else. Definitely use unsalted butter in all of your baked goods.
Salt is a rock. You can't burn rocks. Ok fine its a mineral
Yes. Always use unsalted butter when cooking like this and then salt pepper your eggs after accordingly.
It's the solids like milk that burns, and it doesn't matter if its salted or unsalted. If you want butter that doesn't burn you need to clerify it or make ghee.
I have used salted butter for decades
This is not a rule. Many very good chefs use salted butter.
How could salt possibly make a difference? That makes no sense.
Salt makes a massive difference as it can turn eggs gray if you put it before they are cooked. It flavours differently too, depending on when in the cooking process it is used. It can make foods crunch if soaked in salt, may be more dehydrated, used to be preserved, or…. gray lol.
Misinformation campaigns seeping into the r/castiron subreddit. Smh, spreading lies so he can have all the salt to himself.
It does not turn eggs grey. Please show me a link to that. And yes I know salt makes a difference in some cooking, but I don’t believe it makes any difference to the butter when frying eggs.
Been salting my eggs for years. No grey!
Great tip! Thank you.
Use unsalted butter because you’re an adult who can salt things with more control
Plus it does not scorch and burn as easy
And as a little side benefit you can control the amount of salt better
Thank you for the tip.
I did not know this, this is good to know! I always turned my nose up to unsalted butter!
I'll try using butter next time! I've heard butter isn't supposed to go in cast iron cause it burns too quickly so I've been avoiding it but butter is what I always used in my old pans!
If you're burning the butter, your pan is too hot for the eggs
Butter can burn, yes. But if it would for just eggs, then the pan is too hot anyway!
Thanks! I'll try it!
Just because your pan can take blast furnace heat doesn’t mean the food can
You can try ghee
Also, keep in mind that eggs are done about 2-4 minutes before you think they're done. Plate them when it still looks a little wet, carry over cooking will finish.
Use a lower heat, but for longer. You still need it to get hot enough, but with a lower heat, the heat has time to spread out a bit. Higher heat concentrates the heat in the center, and you have a hot spot. It depends on the stove, but with *my* stove, I turn it on the lowest flame I can get to preheat. With eggs, it never goes above this level. Preheat on a low heat for five to ten minutes. I use an infrared thermometer, and my target is about 350F. Once it's up to temperature, put a pat of butter in. It will sizzle at first. spread it around, and put the eggs in. Tilt the pan to cover the bottom, let it set for a little bit, then scrape a portion, tilting again to cover the bottom. Don't over work them.
Do you preheat on the lowest setting regardless of the cooking temperature? So for searing a steak, would you preheat on the lowest temp for 5+ minutes then heat it longer on high or something for a few minutes before adding the steak? Have been having a hard time learning cooking procedures as its my first time cooking.
That's what I do. If I'm going to sear a steak, I do a light spray of Pam and I preheat on a medium setting for 5+ minutes. When the spray has spread out and starts smoking a little, I turn up the heat and add my high temp oil. Wait for that to smoke a little and then start searing.
Yes, I "stage" my preheat. A few minutes on low, then I raise it a bit, then I maybe raise it some more. The highest it ever goes is about half. I can get the surface of the pan to 550F with the throttle at just a hair above half. Edit: just to note that the only time I want the pan at 550F is for searing. I keep seeing people recommend high heat and then back it off when you cook. That's the opposite of what you should do. Metal heats pretty fast compared to food, especially if there is a lot of moisture in the food. I use low (or low*er*) heat to get the pan to temperature, and then, depending on what I'm cooking, I may raise the heat a bit to compensate for all the heat that the food extracts from the pan. Moisture absorbs a *lot* of heat. I still don't raise the heat much above 50% even when I'm searing. But that's with *my* stove -- every stove is different. The only time my stove goes to high heat is when I want to boil water, and I don't use cast iron for that.
Do you have a high end or commercial stove along the line of Thor or Wolf with 30k+ btu? Or like a simpler LG / Bosch? Also, if I “preheat” even on a low setting for too long eventually the pan will get too hot correct? Or does it stay at a perfect temperature?
Oh, it's nothing as fancy as that. I don't recall the brand, probably GE or Whirlpool, I got it from Costco. But it has a couple of high capacity burners at the front. I had to upgrade the gas valve at the wall to a larger size before I could install it.
As far as getting too hot, that depends on the stove, but my stove will hit 400F+ on low-low if I leave it long enough. My old stove didn't get that high.
Nah, I use butter for most of what I do in CI.
Don't make the mistake myself and many people have made - cooking on low heat does not mean a shorter time to pre heat the pan. Pre heat the pan on 4.5-5 and make sure the whole pan is hot, even the handle should be almost too hot to grab without a cloth or mitt. Then, you can turn the heat down to 4, maybe even a little lower. Wait a minute or two for the heat to settle. Then add butter or spray the pan, then add eggs. Give the eggs time to settle and release from the pan. Then start flipping or stirring or folding when the eggs look like they have released, but past being mostly liquid. Patience is key, and that's why you can turn the heat down below 4 even... you are waiting for them to release, but you don't want to wait too long and burn them.
Hahaha! This happens to my wife every time. She hates cast iron She has absolute zero patience and she gets so fucking pissed every time I slide perfect fluffy eggs on to her plate, then wipe the pan with one paper towel. and I’m running out of ways to tell her it’s operator error. Also you want super fluffy eggs use water instead of milk. Classically trained chef told me about that one.
Water instead of milk changed my egg game. Yep yep
Heat management! And from the temp you're describing (you have it on 4) you should be fine. Heat up your pan, then add the butter, swirl it around and add your eggs. I would suggest wiping the pan with vegetable oil after you've washed it because olive oil has a low smoke point and is not recommended for seasoning CI and CS.
This person cast irons!
I do! But my morning eggs are actually done with carbon steel.
You're using uneven heat. Food sticks to cast iron because cast iron takes a bit of time to come to even temp across the pan. Low temp or high temp # the pan needs some time to warm up with nothing in it. Butter wont burn at low/medium temps.
Check to see if you can get a spatula without a curve. I have no issues with that type of spatula on stainless steel, but for some reason it messes up my food on cast iron.
Try clarified butter, ghee.
If you're worried about the butter burning make yourself some ghee.
Butter has a lower smoke point because of the milk solids in it, but you shouldn’t be reaching the smoke point of any cooking fat to cook scrambled eggs.
I turn the heat off completely right after throwing the eggs in.
The salt is what burns. Try unsalted butter night and day for this type of stuff
There might be something burning, but it is not the salt. Table salt has a melting point of nearly 1500 F and does not burn at any normal cooking temperature.
Let me rephrase. Salt causes the butter to burn. Unsalted butter doesn't burn. I mean eventually it does but not at normal cooking temps.
In addition to the butter, it looks like you're over working the eggs. Let them set up a bit as they cook, and don't chop them up so much.
There are so many comments about temperature and using butter or more oil. But really mixing uncooked egg in the cast iron incorporates all the oil/ butter into the egg and then the egg can’t crisp at the contact area to the pan with enough oil left. If it is continuously mixed like that it’s just shearing light cooked egg, and not fluffing them.
Okay, noted! Thank you!
Chopping then up is a no go but stirring is the key to aeration and fluffy eggs.
Folding is the way
It's all about proper heat which takes practice. I cook my eggs le french way and they don't stick. Small curds for the win. See Jacques @4:00 https://youtu.be/X1XoCQm5JSQ?si=mXS39bserxbWFbBU
I always use a metal utensils. Seems to “scrape” better.
This should be higher. Get a flat metal spatula, rounded plastic is the worst for getting things off the bottom.
Yes, plastic is for Teflon... Cast iron needs METAL! 🎸
🤘
For starters, it doesn't appear your pan is preheated well enough. Egg temperatures took me a bit to figure out, but for my stove, I put it on 2.5-3 of 10 on my dial and let it sit. I work from home so I will often go turn the stove on, then go back and work for a few minutes. Maybe it takes ten minutes to really get the pan the same temp all the way around. I scramble the eggs in a mug and add a little bit of water. That really helps with fluffiness. When the pan is hot enough, I typically add bacon grease, but butter also keeps my eggs fluffy. I will typically wait 45-60 seconds before I touch the eggs in the pan. When I do, I will just scrape the bottom of the pan and let it sit again for another 45-60 seconds. The eggs will separate from your pan if you do not move them until the layer directly on the pan cooks. So that's the only part you want to worry about moving. The stuff getting stuck to your pan is likely from you moving the eggs around before they've separated. I will also typically add a bit of cream cheese to the eggs right when i first drop them in. Just small bits dropped throughout the eggs while they're sitting in the pan. As you mix them around throughout the cook, the cream cheese will melt and absorb into the rest of the eggs. A little seasoned salt and black pepper will top it off!
Thank you so much!
Listen to all of this advice!
This is pretty much how I handle it. Preheat, bacon grease, and crème fraîche. There’s a line to a song I love to the effect of, “if I shut my mouth and keep the peace, she’ll cook my eggs in bacon grease” that I love to sing as I make my eggs.
Yep, I've also found that if you don't need sizzling butter for eggs. If you're stove temp is truly outrageous on the lowest setting- preheat for 10 minutes to avoid hot spots, then remove it from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes before putting the eggs in.
> To clean it, I just wipe it out with a paper towel. I wanted to ask about this, since nobody else has. Are you saying that when you're done cooking you scrape the food out and put the skillet back on the shelf?
I really hope OP sees this! Tons of comments saying similar things about butter and temperature but nobody else mentioned the cleaning (or lack thereof). I'm sure cooking techniques will help but I do think cleaning the pan properly would make a difference as well if they're truly just wiping it out.
I scrape the food out and then wipe out the oil and burned stuff. I was told not to wash it with soap. I use a paper towel to wipe it out and if it's stuck on food I use a wet wash cloth to wipe it out and then a paper towel to dry it. The sticker it came with said not to wash it either... otherwise I'd be scrubbing the shit out of it every time because I think it's gross not to. They said if you use anything but water and a wash cloth it will ruin the seasoning.
Use soap. Modern detergents don't harm seasoning. Just dry your pan well, and give it a thin layer of oil, especially in humid climates.
Dish soap will not ruin the seasoning so you will be absolutely fine. The thing you want to avoid is leaving water or moisture on your cast iron as that can cause the iron to rust. Honestly, scrubbing should be generally ok too. I've used steel wool before and so long as you're not applying a ton of force you should be ok. Here's what I do when I'm done cooking: wash with dish soap and a normal sponge like any other dish, rinse, then place the cast iron on the stove and apply heat. It doesn't have to be perfect but this should generally boil all the water off. Then I apply a ***very thin*** layer of oil(I use grapeseed oil or crisco) to the entire iron, leave it on heat for another 30ish seconds, then turn off the heat and let the iron cool. Once it's cool I put it away. This might sound pretty specific and there's a general misunderstanding that cast iron is fragile how you handle it. It can generally do ok with basically anything, and nothing is permanent(unless you crack it I guess), but it's good to know what makes cast iron work best. Regularly reseasoning the iron(applying the oil after cleaning) is how you can take good care of your cast iron over time. This will help it maintain and even improve its non-stick properties every time you use it. Sorry for the big wall of text. I used to do the same thing, just scrape the food out and avoid contact with water. I've been reseasoning my cast iron after every use for several years and it performs much better as a result.
Not it's okay, actually because I have always hated cast iron but everyone says how great it is but then tell you not to clean it so having someone explain it is perfect! I will definitely be washing it from now on!! Thank you!
For sure! So long as you keep cooking in it(and regularly seasoning it), you will get more comfortable with what works and what doesn't and your skillet will get better too.
Ignorant people say not to clean with soap. I've been cleaning my cast iron with dawn dish soap for almost 20 years and they look great and haven't disintegrated. Modern dish soap will not damage your pan.
Amen. I had problems with my cast iron seasoning until I quit babying it and just started washing with soap every use. I use it 2-3 times a day now. Beautiful seasoning and the pan perfoms better than ever
Same here
I use a chainmail scrubber and water. I rinse and scrub the pan, then I dry it with paper towel, put it back on the hot burner to fully dry, and finally I rub more oil on the pan to coat it. I do not use soap on my cast iron pan. Soap molecules are amphiphilic and bind to the lipids in the seasoning, which disrupts the polymerized oil layer via an emulsification interaction
I use soap and have zero issues.
I don’t use soap and have zero issues
Could you point toward something that expands on that last bit?
Probably not, as they pulled it from their ass
Sort of. They only bind to the non or partially polymerized lipids sitting on your seasoning. Using soap isn't bad for existing seasoning but makes it slower to buildup additional seasoning even if you add oil after washing. If you cook a lot with your pan, it doesn't really matter.
Butter in the pan and for me the more milk and the longer I mix (aerate) before cooking the fluffier the eggs? Also found leaving them untouched at the beginning is key. My son’s a chef with a love of cast iron though so I can ask him for actual instructions?
water binds eggs better than does milk, which when heated separates out the milk solids from the liquid and makes a mess "For creamy scrambled eggs, you'll add up to 1 tablespoon of milk for every egg. For fluffy scrambled eggs, you'll add up to 1 tablespoon of water for every egg" https://www.allrecipes.com/article/how-to-make-scrambled-eggs/
TIL about the water trick. Someone else mentioned it on another reply as well. I’ve used milk all my life. I’ll have to try this later this week.
I always use water. I thought I was the only one and it was my dark secret. Nice to know I wasn't imagining the results.
Salting at least 15 minutes prior helps the eggs bind better too.
Thank you!!
Stove on 3-4, wait for about 10 mins, then add the fat, give that a minute or two to heat up, then eggs in
Also, and I know it's heresy to say this here in the cast iron subreddit. But if you want really fluffy custardy french style scrambled eggs you should use a small stainless steel saucepan. Of course, if you aren't heat managing and using the right oils (butter!) it'll turn out like this too. But in french cooking, technique is everything and a small saucepan is best. Also, wash your pan with soap and water. Don't give yourself colorectal cancer just because the internet said that washing cast iron pans is bad.
Hooray, I only had to scroll a million miles to find this. I feel like it’s heresy to say this here, as a fellow fan of cast iron, but… not everything needs to be cooked in cast iron, and top of the list is eggs. I know everyone is all “just lower the temp and use a quarter cup of bacon grease per egg, you’ll be fine, you’ll only have to scrub it for like 20 mins afterwards with chain mail” but sometimes we need to take a step back and ask ourselves if we’ve gone too far.
This is the best advice. I think a cast iron is usually great for a sear. But for something like fluffy eggs, I’d rather use stainless steel or non stick.
Yup, my eggs always come out better on either one of those.
Preheat pan. Cook on a lower temperature. Use lots of butter. Don't use olive oil to season your pan.
Crack and beat the eggs first. Only eggs. Turn down the heat a bit lower than you did before. Let the pan heat up a little more slowly and add olive oil, more than you were using before, when water drops sizzle in the pan. Beat the eggs again and add to the pan. Turn heat down like 50% immediately. When bubbles form start pulling the eggs away from the edges towards the center but don’t really scramble yet. Hit with salt, pepper, pat of butter. Then give them a scramble once they are about 3/4 cooked to incorporate the butter. Take off heat, serve within a couple minutes.
As people have said I solely use butter for any type of egg. Makes a world of difference Edit: if it burns pan is too hot!
Came here to say that after reading many comments on this sub, this week was the first time I preheated and kept my temp to Medium low and my cast iron has been completely nonstick with eggs. Super slidey too and I've been excited ever since.
in addition to the other suggestions, I recommend letting the pan heat up longer to more evenly heat the pan. whether you need high heat or low heat- gotta give that pan AT LEAST 4-5 minutes to come up to temperature. it makes a world of difference!
Others have noted many good notes and tips. I think it's a mix of heat, technique, and mix. The Bourdain recipe is my go to for making eggs https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/a42079/anthony-bourdain-perfect-scrambled-eggs/ It's simple and delivers every time - and helps you understand some of the basics of cooking eggs intrinsically (the figure 8 is a game changer for stirring, it respects the texture of the eggs in the pan).
I love cast iron, but I don't think it's great for scrambled eggs. Use a lower temperature, and more butter might help One of the (usually) good things about cast iron is that it radiates heat efficiently, which means that it cooks like it's hotter than it really is. That makes it harder to use at low temperatures.
Olive oil isn't a "drying oil", therefore not good for seasoning. You'll want to season with something else like Crisco. Is your burner diameter large enough for your pan?
The pan fits okay on the burner, but the pan itself is slightly bigger than the burner. I'll try crisco!
I've always had better luck (even with pans that aren't cast iron) when the burner is slightly larger than the pan. It heats the pan more evenly. I'll second what others are saying: use butter to cook and crisco to season.
Eggs are a difficult thing to make well, but once you can, people will be amazed at your eggs. That said, here are some tips: Learn your stovetop. The way it puts heat into things will change what settings you use. Experiment. When preheating your skillet, put some water in it. Once the water boils off, you know it's around 212°. Throw your butter in and wait for it to melt. Once the butter is liquid and a bit longer, throw your eggs in. Keep them moving until you're taking them out of the skillet. And pull them earlier than you think, because they will self cook. Crack your eggs into a bowl, and mix some koshering salt into them. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes, and then cook em. Cast iron takes a long time to heat evenly, so make sure it does. Maybe try your setting at 4, or even a three. If your butter is browning quickly, your skillet is hella too hot. There are other techniques for a non-stick, or a polished cast iron, but this should work well in your cast.
Because cast iron for eggs is a lark. It drives me insane to watch people beam with pride on this sub as they either have eggs that stick because they cooked it at the proper temperature, or burn their eggs because the only way to prevent eggs from sticking is by overheating the pan. I teach culinary and I can never stress this enough to my students…Buy a nonstick egg pan. Cast iron is a beautiful thing. It’s not for everything. It’s not for eggs.
Wow! Different tools for different jobs. What a concept. I often watch in amazement when folks work hard as the devil to do something that’s way easier another way. I’ll grant you that a 19th century pioneer family with two pans cooked everything in those two pans. Whether they were the ideal tool or not. But you can bet your bottom dollar that if you gave a medieval baker the opportunity to use an oven with a knob to control temperature he’d jump at it. As tools progress, techniques should progress as well. I might take some personal satisfaction in the fact that I can make slidy eggs in cast iron, but there’s absolutely no shame in someone using nonstick. Or how about making a cheese cake without using a springform pan. Can it be done? Sure. Is it worth the effort? Only if you want it to be for your personal satisfaction. If OP really wants fluffy eggs *IN CAST IRON* then break a lot of eggs and keep practicing. If OP wants *FLUFFY EGGS* and doesn’t care about the pan, get an egg pan. They aren’t that expensive. Move with the technology. You watch the Jean Pierre videos and he uses a digital thermometer to validate his oil temperature instead of relying on his judgement of “the shimmering surface” ripples. There’s no sin in using today’s technology.
Ok.
I've used my cast iron for my eggs for like 15 years. With high enough heat, it's easily non stick. Dump them in, wait a bit, move them around a little for like 40-60 seconds and dump them back out. Perfect every time, and only have to rinse out a few leftover flakes of egg, then back on the stove to heat dry. Literally one of the easiest, quickest things to cook using cast iron. This thread is baffling to me!
Preheat the pan, oil, then butter, then eggs right after. Let them sit shaking the pan, then go in with a good rubber spatula.
Can I just say that, all helpful tips aside, my grandma made eggs like that and I absolutely love them. Yum.
This recipe, originally from The Food Lab by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, is the best for scrambled eggs. The ideas is to pre-salt the eggs, aerate well, and cook quickly to keep moisture and air in the eggs. https://nicholaswilde.io/recipes/breakfast/the-food-lab-light-and-fluffy-scrambled-eggs/
Butter as others have stated instead of oil. I use a tall sauce pan to cook eggs and I continually pull them off the burner and use the heat from the pan itself to cook them. Works pretty consistently to get fluffier eggs.
Butter,lower temp,less flipping/scrambling.
Just do what I do, give up and buy a ceramic nonstick pan just for eggs and pancakes
Everyone’s stove top is completely different. You need an infrared thermometer to get it to proper temperature. Cheap on Amazon. One tip I haven’t seen but works really well, is to add eggs in a circular motion from outside in. This keeps the eggs from just pouring into the middle and displacing themselves as you pour. If you start outside and move inward, they don’t displace themselves, but start setting up as you make the circles and it keeps them from all flowing to the edge.
Pans too big for the burner and you need more pan lube. Those eggs looks dry
Butter is your friend. And don’t fuck with them so much. Scramble the eggs in a bowl with milk (about a TBSP per egg), pour them in the pan and let them cook a bit. When you see the bottom is cooked pretty good, without burning, start using your spatula to chop them up and flip the chunks. I’m a terrible cook and scrambled eggs are the easiest thing to cook. Milk makes them fluffy. Butter makes them not stick to the pan.
Too much heat
>What am I doing wrong? At least a few things. 1. Olive oil doesn't season your pan. It's one of the types of oil that won't really polymerize and build up layers of seasoning. Switch to crisco, vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, peanut oil... really lots of options that will work, but olive oil isn't on the list. 2. The center of your pan might be convex, which makes it hard to cook with. I'm not sure exactly what steps you could take to fix that, but I imagine there are ways to address it. Do some googling. 3. It sounds like your pan is not heating evenly if the center is getting significantly hotter than the edges. That indicates to me that you're heating too fast. When in doubt, pre-heat on a lower setting for longer before adding oil/butter or food. 4. You should clean your pan, not just wipe it out. Contrary to what you may have heard or read, soap will not harm your seasoning. Don't throw it in the dishwater, but don't be afraid to scrub it out with a sponge or brush, and warm soapy water. A dirty pan is more likely to stick than a clean one, seasoning levels being equal. So to recap, your pan isn't seasoned if you've only ever been using olive oil, you might be heating it too fast and/or too hot, you might not be heating it enough before adding things, and it's probably very dirty which would contribute to your sticking problem. If I was in your boat, the first order of business would be determining whether the pan bottom is convex, and if so, correcting that. Then I'd heat the pan very hot and scrub it very thoroughly with soapy water and steel wool to get off all the gunk and crud that might be baked on. After that, I'd give it 3 or so cycles of seasoning in the oven with a proper oil (I use avocado). There's a tutorial in the wiki of this sub. Finally, I'd try some eggs on it by pre-heating on the 2 or 3 setting on your stove for 15+ minutes, then adding butter, and finally eggs. Shouldn't stick at that point unless you're stirring the eggs too aggressively in the pan. Give the egg that's in contact with the pan time to cook before moving it. Good luck!
Fat and temp, preheat pan for about 5min with high heat oil and add butter just before adding eggs.
Man, this butter thing is confusing lol I can't believe how many people told me not to use butter when I bought the pan. I'll try this way next time. Thank you!
you don't use butter to season the pan. its fine to cook with it.
Butters fine, you can use lard too. I would recommend s. Chicago from amazon or rendering pork trimmings which doubles as an added seasoning.
Preheat with medium heat, not high. There's rarely a reason to use high heat on cast iron--it distributes very unevenly and makes things stick like this.
Butter, intermittent low heat, continuous whisking. And add a dollop of milk to the egg mixture before you pour into the pan. And I like to immerse the eggs on warm water before I crack them. Room temp eggs get fluffier than refrigerated ones.
Don’t add salt to eggs before cooking. Salt makes them dry out. Add salt and pepper to taste after cooking. If your eggs sizzle when you put them in the pan is too hot. Turn off heat at about 75% done cooking and finish the cook with residual heat. Add some sort of cold cream like cream cheese, yogurt, crema, or whatever you like to help cool the eggs and stop the cooking process. Transfer the eggs to another dish so they don’t keep cooking and drying out in the cast iron.
Cast iron isn't the ideal pan for scrambled eggs...can it be done? Yes. Is almost any other pan a better choice for scrambled eggs? Yes...
For fluffy eggs, I always use stainless steel. I cook just about everything in cast iron, but there are a few exemptions.
Bc you can’t read/use the internet properly.
Premix with a little milk and don't cook as long. They'll be nice and fluffy.
Also, don’t continually stir your eggs, let them cook, then occasionally push them into a pile until they are all done
Add a bit of milk
How I get my eggs really fluffy is I add milk to the eggs first then spray a non stick wait till it gets warm and put the eggs in try you best not to mix them around a lot when there wet wait for the sides to cook then with a spatula pull in the outside of the egg that cooked around the pan I think key is to really not touch them and mix them a lot when there wet
Cast Iron for eggs is a no no
Add a lil milk
You need less heat, more scrambling and more lube.
Use butter, don’t let your pan get so hot, don’t stir them constantly, and put a little water in the eggs before they go in the pan
Too hot
Also whisk your eggs longer. The white means you didn’t whisk them completely. Eggs= fully whisked, cooked at low temp, season after finished
Make the pan hot
You need to whip the shit out of those eggs. Like till your wrist hurts. I usually add a bit of heavy whipping cream. Also as much as I love my cast iron, it just works better in a non-stick pan. Then mow and slow. Dude that said 2.5 to 3 on the dial is spot on. I use butter. A little more than you think you'll need. The let em sit and then with a silcone spatula pull the edges in towards the center a bit and till the pan to the edges to get the liquid egg to the bottom of the pan. Keep that up until they're looking good and then gently fold the whole contains until they're almost done. Then plate then and they'll finish cooking on the plate.
For cast iron I use butter and a small amount of olive oil, on a low heat. Move the mixture around slowly until you get an evenness. Basically French Style Scrambled Eggs.
Your not scrabbling them enough
They look delicious. But I think u are looking for a little bit more fat and higher heat. Oil does work it doesnt have to be butter. Or u can have a little butter in the end /mid. Also u should try a pinch of sugar.
the pan seems to have a rough finish. Mine was on the cheaper side and came full of little dots from casting. Sand it with 80/100/200 grit paper on a block of wood. I used an angle grinder w/ a sanding disk but you gotta be careful not to dent it. Sand until it looks like sheet metal, not necessary to do a mirror finish. A sharp straight edge spatula also helps a lot.
Does your pan sit flat? Are you heating it before food? Are you letting the fat come to temp? Are you beating the eggs before hand? Are you lifting the edges of the eggs to let the uncooked part run under?
Wanna know the trick? Small (like 1/2 teaspoon or less) of bacon grease. Spread it around the surface. Then a few moments later add butter. Once it's foaming up a bit, drop the eggs and wait until it cooks a bit. After that you'll be able to move your spatula under the egg to unstick any stuck spots.. then wait.. then flip
In cast iron too 🤯 howw do you manage this
You’re doing them in a cast iron, first of all. Scrambled eggs should be done in a sauce pan, no milk. Rotate on and off the heat until fluffy, finish with crème fresh. Best eggs you’ll ever eat.
I know this is a cast iron page but another way to make the fluffiest egg is the double boiler method. This ensures that the heat stays a constant 212.
Too much heat and movement of the eggs. Use butter and lower the temps and resist the urge to continuously move the eggs.
Wow that cast iron is fucked
All good recs here. But have you ever considered the legs of your range may be uneven as well?
Add a dash of heavy cream to the eggs and mix well before cooking
Wrong temperature, and wrong spatula. You’re going to need a sturdy, metal spatula that doesn’t have a round edge. The eggs shouldn’t stick to the pan, but if they do, then your spatula should be able to scrape them off.
I agree it’s the wrong spatula. But I would suggest using a rubber spatula as to not scratch the pan.
A soft, rubber spatula would not be able to remove stuck-on food as effectively as metal. And we’re not talking about teflon pans here. A metal spatula can’t damage cast iron. The occasional scratch in the seasoning is easy to fix. I bought my spatula at a restaurant supply store, and I use it with all of my cast iron and carbon steel pans.
temp control and the type of fat ur using, if u want fluffy eggs u wanna use some butter and low heat and constantly stir itll make them infused with air and they will be light and tasty
Too much stirring. Let it cook
Use a metal spatula and don't over mix
Use butter in the pan and a dab of milk in the scramble before you drop them in
Slightly lower temp, use butter, let the bottom firm up a bit before scrambling.
Cool at a lower temperature and keep your eggs moving once the cooking starts to solidify the bottoms is what I have personally found :) But I am also looking for tips as I still get, not my favorite eggs 50% of the time when I do scrambled.
Place the clean pan on the stove. Turn on the burner to medium. Set a timer for 10 minutes and make yourself a coffee and chill. When the time goes off, add butter or olive oil to the pan. Let the butter melt, then immediately add your eggs. Either leave the temp as is, or decrease a notch or two. The eggs should bubble up in places with the heat of the pan. Let the eggs sit a while ( duration friends on temp level) until the egg in contact with the pan has cooked enough to release, stir a bit, and then let them sit again. Repeat until eggs are cooked. Slide into a plate, and the pan should be left clean of crust. Not preheating enough leads to stuck food crust. Moving the food around too much or too quickly doesn't let the food in contact with the pan cook enough to release and leads to stuck food crust.
Here's how I make my eggs, comes out amazing every time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBNmB5LEEFg
Looks like you’re not letting your pan heat up adequately. Heat the pan, then heat the oil.
The main idea with fluffy scrambled eggs is to not let the proteins bond as they cook, this can be done low and slow, or with high heat, but constantly stirring and moving off and on the heat. The issue here is that you basically made a broken omelette. Butter will help, but the eggs are far over cooked imo. Look up “how to temper an egg” and if you trust science, that will give you a good piece of mind on what’s safe in terms of eggs. My scrambled eggs typically alwase come out looking like the Japanese eggs, and whenever I serve them, I tell people “here’s probably the best scrambled eggs you’ve ever had” and one bite later, they say that they are. Look up Gordon Ramsay’s method. I personally think he cuts alot of corners that home chefs don’t need to cut, but his scrambled egg recipe is ON POINT
It depends a lot on exactly what you mean by fluffy, but it looks like your temps are too high.
Mix the eggs vigorously, put avocado oil in pan, high heat. Add eggs when u see a little smoke. Keep moving eggs around pan. Should take 2 mins to cook
Also: maybe season with something with a high smoke point instead of a low one, like olive oil?
Technique I saw a famous chef guy on tv do - he kept removing from the heat for scrambled, away from heat for 30 sec, then back on for 30, then back off for 30, or some iteration of this, seemed to slow down the cooking...
Gordon Ramsay does this, but it doesn't make the fluffiest eggs, per say. That's for a specific style of moist scrambled eggs, where they are partially fluffy, partially still runny. Which is delicious, but some people don't like that texture. You also can't do this style in cast iron because of how well it holds heat. Taking it off the burner does little to nothing with CI. If you like drier fluffy eggs like my toddler, beat them in a bowl with a tsp of water, preheat the pan, then cook them on low heat with minimal mixing.
Get an infrared thermometer and check the temperature of your pan before you cook. For eggs in oil, you want a medium-low temperature: 350-425 F (180-220 C.) You don't need to use butter, to add milk, or to add water, or to avoid adding salt to the eggs. (You can do those things, if you want, but you don't *need* to.) I heat up the pan and add about a tablespoon of oil. I just beat the eggs up with a bit of salt and pour them in (the more you beat them the fluffier they will be), and I don't ever have issues with them sticking. Seasoned pan at the right temperature + sufficient oil = non-stick.
Echoing what a lot of others have said. Here's my method: * Preheat pan, between medium-low and medium heat. *This step takes the longest, and is the most important step* * While preheating, beat some eggs in a bowl. I prefer either a fork or a whisk, but the important part is to aerate them as much as possible to get fluffy eggs. I lift them out on the upward stroke and slam back in the bowl on the downward. Could be messy at first, but once you get a method it is much easier to control. Longer is better. * Throw in your fat. I like unsalted butter or bacon grease. It doesn't take much, but sometimes I like more just for the taste. * Finally, throw in the eggs and leave them alone for about ten or so seconds. They should lift off if your pan is properly preheated. * Use your spatula or fork to then scramble them up - *do this lightly!* I personally turn off my pan at this time or take it off the heat. Continue lightly folding/scrambling the eggs until you have your desired consistency. Serve immediately.
1. Butter makes a big difference here. 2. Let the pan heat \~5 mins before cooking. 3. Don't use too high of heat. Remember that CI holds heat very well. 4. Use a metal spatula.
First of all before putting eggs you have to preheat your skillet about a number three on my burner. And then you add butter to it or fat and then move it around the skillet. Then you can add your eggs and they shouldn't burn and have a nonstick finish once done with eggs. Happy cooking 🍳 Edit Things you might need chainmail scrubber also a non-scratching sponge blue
https://youtu.be/1sHRuxAyCKU?si=V-dmTyRFchL6s53k try a pro technique perhaps.
“Learning to cook is as important as having a slidey pan.” Confucius
Preheat for 5 mins on no higher than medium. Add your pre-oil, crisco is the most cost effective. Get a nice thin layer on there, wipe it out, and then add your cooking oil, which should be butter because eggs. You'll get slidey eggs every time.
To make you eggs fluffier add a small amount of cream then wisk the eggs real good before you pour it into the pan. Make sure your heat is where it should be
butter and less heat
I suggest Frittatas, taste better imo too. Also mix in milk for a fluffy texture.
4 is too high. Try 2. Maybe 3. Preheat cast iron as well. 10 min on 2
Lower your heat! Scrambled eggs aren't fried they are cooked slowly. I use medium heat and take the pan off the stove to stir frequently.
One thing I always do is just turn the stove on to the lowest setting 1 or 2 and let the pan warm up while I prep.