Sous Vide Scrambled Eggs
Dining date: 5/28/12
While most of the foods I prepare sous vide have been meats, I’ve been trying to broaden my repertoire a bit lately. I’ve poached whole eggs a number of times; they’re one of the easiest things to sous vide since they don’t need vacuum sealing, just place them in the water straight from the carton. However, Gourmands Review tuned me in to a recipe for sous vide scrambled eggs. Given that I had recently returned home from Europe with some Spanish jamon iberico, I thought it would be an opportune time to make the eggs to go with the ham. Even more fitting was the fact that it was a Heston Blumenthal recipe, whose restaurant (The Fat Duck) I had dined at a few days prior.
The ingredient list of eggs, whole milk, heavy cream and butter sounded like a heart attack on a plate, so it had to taste good right?
Ingredients
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons whole milk
1.5 tablespoons heavy cream
salt
1.5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1.5 tablespoons brown butter, melted, for serving
Directions:
Preheat the water bath to 167°F (75°C).
In a bowl, blend the eggs, milk, cream, and salt with a hand blender or whisk, then stir in the melted butter.
Divide the egg mixture in half and pour into two food bags. Seal under full pressure if using a chamber sealer, or use two zip lock bags and seal using the water displacement method.
Cook for 15 minutes, massaging the contents every 3 to 5 minutes.
Transfer the eggs to warm plates, drizzle with the brown butter, and serve.
Once the eggs were ready, I plated them with a little bit of chopped chives.
The last ingredient would be the jamon iberico, which I laid on top of the eggs to let the residual heat slightly melt the fatty slices.
In my first try at the eggs, I found them to not be as creamy as expected and they also seemed to be cooked a bit more than my liking too. Instead of fluffy, airy eggs these were somewhat firm. It did work well with the ham though, the salty pork flavor being an ideal pairing with eggs.
In my second attempt I stepped up the cream a bit and turned the temperature of the water down a couple of degrees…but I still liked the first batch better.
Given that my first two attempts have yielded OK-but-not-great results, it may be a while until I try this one again. For now, I’ll stick to poaching eggs.
What equipment are you using to do this? I think sealing scrambled eggs is impossible for most homecooks since typical foodsaver type sealers would suck the eggs out of the bag. Might need a true chamber vacuum sealer to perform this.
I don’t have a chamber sealer, just a regular home Foodsaver vacuum. Definitely not ideal for liquid but I got most of the air out. I’ve seen some other bloggers get great results with similar tools. Still, I know the air definitely had an effect on my end product.
I love reading about your sous vide adventures, even if they’re not always 100% successful. So, when are you going to attempt handmade pasta again? 😉
Haha oh goodness. ‘adventures’ seems the right word for it. Fresh pasta…soon!
Hey, where do you get your Iberico from in LA?
I actually got it in Europe. I’ve seen Bristol Farms/Whole Foods have iberico ham on occasion, but not sure who has it regularly..
Sometimes just because a technique is new and trendy, doesn’t mean it will produce the best results. Creamy, delicious soft scrambled eggs are best done in a natural nonstick skillet (ceramic coating) with a bit of good melted butter in the pan, and a little heavy cream mixed into the beaten eggs, with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook over relatively low heat, mixing with a heat proof spatula. Take off the heat just before you think the eggs are perfectly cooked, the residual heat will finish the setting of the eggs. Result: creamy delicious, perfectly cooked scrambled eggs. To gild the lily, add a bit of your favorite cheese at the end and the residual heat will melt it while you mix it in, then top with a sprinkling of minced fresh chives.
I love scrambled eggs and discovered that a well-warmed pan with butter just to the point of browning makes the best medium… SV doesn’t cut it. Whip eggs 88 times with chop sticks, drop in ten quarter-inch cubes of deeply-chilled butter and pour into the pan. Shake, shake, shake and shake some more. As they form curds drag them across the pan thus exposing the liquid to the pan. Don’t allow the pan to get too hot, the secret to cooking eggs of any style.
Can’t say I’ve perfected it but I’ve heard, with the right technique, SV scrambled eggs make a marked difference. Gentle heat on the stovetop obviously still makes great scrambled eggs.