Breakfast: Eggs

I didn’t know how to make eggs for a very long time. That’s mostly because I was squeamish about touching raw eggs. It might’ve also been related to my inability to crack an egg without making a mess or shattering the shell and making a different sort of hopeless mess (I’m still just barely adequate at cracking eggs).
Fast-forward to now, and I get three chances to practice egg-cracking every morning. That comes after dicing garlic and bacon (uncured, thick-cut). Plain eggs are boring.
Two pro-tips to making amazing scrambled eggs (picked up from Gordon Ramsay)
- Take the pan off the heat every so often — this prevents the proteins from tightening too much, which would result in toughened eggs floating in a watery sludge.
- Don’t add salt until the end — similar to using too much heat, this also toughens the eggs.
Flavoring options I’ve experimented with and enjoyed (salt each to taste):
- Sriracha + garlic + oregano (my current favorite)
- Cumin + cayenne
- Lemon ponzu + cayenne + dill
- Salt + pepper + chives + a small amount of parsley
- Tarragon + truffle salt (via Tim Ferriss)
My procedure this morning:
- Thinly slice 2 cloves of garlic and a strip of bacon
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Cook over low heat until bacon renders and garlic is brown. Medium/high heat makes it easy to oxidize the oil. The rendered bacon becomes my cooking oil — although you could spoon out and reserve some if you think you have too much.
- Cool pan — I wet my sink and place the pan in for a few minutes. This prevents the eggs from cooking too quickly after cracking them into the pan.
- Shave a few slices of Emmental cheese while waiting for the pan to cool.
- Crack eggs (three, large, pasture-raised) into pan, stir, and drop in cheese.
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Cook on-and-off low/medium heat.
- Once eggs are no longer runny, add sriracha and salt.
- Finish cooking over low heat, then fold in oregano.
- Top with herbed goat cheese and grape tomatoes.
- Indulge my inner savage and eat straight out of the pan.