Ree Drummond And Other Celebrity Chefs On The Perfect Scrambled Eggs

Out of all the ways to prepare eggs, scrambled might just be the most popular. Scrambled eggs are easy to make, there are plenty of great recipes and, honestly, there's no single right way to make them. You can cook them slowly or quickly, with as much or as little butter as you like, with or without milk or cream and with or without any of the countless unexpected ingredients that go great with eggs. But if you're looking for a little inspiration, here's how some of America's biggest celebrity chefs cook theirs.

"Good Eats" mastermind Alton Brown begins with three large eggs, which are whisked together in a bowl with a pinch of kosher salt, one grind of black pepper and three tablespoons of whole milk until light and foamy. The mixture is then added to a pan over high heat (after letting a tablespoon of butter melt) and stirred slowly with a rubber or silicone spatula. Once the eggs begin to set, he turns the heat down to low while continuing to fold the eggs around the pan, and transfers them to a warm plate as soon as they're no longer runny.

Food Network star and restaurateur Bobby Flay told Refinery29 that he starts his perfect scrambled eggs by melting cold butter and creme fraiche in a nonstick pan over medium heat. He then adds beaten eggs and pepper and stirs constantly until the eggs are soft-scrambled. He adds salt and chives right before serving.

Model and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen whisks 8 eggs with cream, salt and pepper before adding them to a pan (in which butter has been melted) over low heat. She stirs constantly with a spatula until the eggs set, which can take up to a half-hour.

Emeril told Southern Living that he beats his eggs together with cream into a frothy mixture before adding them to a pan and letting them sit undisturbed until they begin to set around the edges. Then he stirs them until they're no longer runny and serves them on a warmed plate.

On an episode of MasterChef, Gordon Ramsay demonstrated his interesting way of cooking scrambled eggs: he cracks cold eggs into a pot with plenty of butter, turns the heat up to high and stirs as he moves the pot on and off the heat — 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off. He adds salt, pepper and creme fraiche right as the eggs come together and serves them when they're still loose and creamy.

Heston Blumenthal, celebrity chef and proprietor of The Fat Duck in Great Britain, takes his time when making his perfect scrambled eggs. He whisks eggs, cream, milk, butter and salt in a bowl, which he places over a pan of simmering water. He continually stirs the mixture until the eggs are just set (about 15-20 minutes) and finishes the dish with some sherry vinegar and brown butter.

Julia Child's iconic recipe starts with 8 eggs, which are beaten with salt, pepper and a little bit of water or milk. She pours this mixture into a buttered pan and continuously stirs over low-moderate heat. Once the eggs begin to thicken she picks up the pace, removes the pan from the heat occasionally, adds some cream or butter and stirs until they reach the cook's desired consistency.

Jacques Pepin is famously all about the perfect omelet. But his technique for scrambled eggs, according to his cookbook "Essential Pepin," is equally exacting. When he's prepping, he reserves a small amount of beaten egg and mixes it with heavy cream, and once the eggs set, he removes them from the heat and stirs in the mixture, leading to super creamy results.

Katie Lee told PopSugar that she melts butter in a skillet and slowly cooks the eggs over low heat, making sure they don't burn.

"If you have really good eggs, you don't need anything in the eggs at all," Martha Stewart said in a video on MarthaStewart.com. Low heat and constant motion are the most important factors when cooking her eggs once the mixture is poured into a buttered skillet.

Mashama Bailey, chef of The Grey in Savannah, Georgia, told Bon Appetit that she adds cream (to keep them light and fluffy) and bacon fat (for the smoky pork flavor) to her eggs, which she soft-scrambles.

Philadelphia chef Michael Solomonov (of Zahav, Dizengoff and Federal Donuts) told Bon Appetit that he adds chopped olives and crumbled Bulgarian feta to his soft scrambled eggs, which he enjoys with toasted challah and harif — a Yemenite hot sauce — and a mug full of Turkish coffee.

"The Pioneer Woman" Ree Drummond whisks her eggs and passes them through a fine-mesh strainer before combining them with half-and-half and pepper. She then melts butter over low heat, adds the eggs and stirs with a spatula until soft and creamy. Then she adds some smoked salmon and chives and serves with a bagel.

Tyler Florence told PopSugar that he uses three eggs plus one yolk to make his scrambled eggs extra-rich. He adds them to a pan over low-heat as a tablespoon of butter begins to melt, and stirs in some creme fraiche or sour cream and sea salt. He keeps stirring them over low heat until they begin to firm up.

Chef Daniel Patterson actually poaches his scrambled eggs. He begins by straining any excess white using a sieve before vigorously whisking them and pouring them into a pot with 4 inches of water at a low boil; he gives it a brisk stir first to get the water moving. The pan is then covered for 20 seconds, after which the eggs, floating on the surface in ribbons, can be removed with a slotted spoon and dried off on some paper towels before being plated and drizzled lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper. If it isn't already clear, this should prove that there are a lot more than 50 ways to cook an egg.

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