The simplest way to make creamy scrambled eggs for a crowd

By Ali Slagle, The New York Times

To make fluffy, creamy, dreamy scrambled eggs for more than a few people, you don’t need a fancy pan or a newfangled hack. You don’t need boundless time or attention, either. You don’t even need the coffee to kick in yet — in fact, you’ll be rewarded for moving slowly.

You just need 24 eggs, one pot and this easy method.

Whether you’re scrambling just a few eggs or making a big batch, the difference between chalky, dry, rubbery eggs and ones you actually want to eat is in the details. This recipe and the tips that follow will help deliver a large-format scramble that’s soft, creamy and achievable for any cook.

Blitz the eggs in a blender.

If you have a blender handy, now is the time to use it: It makes the eggs uniformly smooth in seconds. (That said, whisking by hand also works.)

To save time in the morning, crack the eggs into the blender, cover and refrigerate overnight. Add the dairy and salt just before blending. You can mix everything together up to 15 minutes before cooking.

Boost the texture and flavor with salt and dairy.

Salt helps eggs set at a lower temperature and prevents them from getting watery, while half-and-half or heavy cream adds moisture and fat for fluffier, more tender curds. Both make the scramble taste good, too.

Trade the skillet for an enameled Dutch oven or nonstick pot.

A Dutch oven or other large pot can hold all those eggs without overflowing during stirring. Ideally, the pot has an enamel or nonstick coating for easier cleanup.

If you’re not using a nonstick pot and end up with eggs stuck to it, boil water and a little dish soap in it for a few minutes, then use a wooden spoon to loosen the crust. For really stubborn bits, try baking soda instead of soap.

Go for medium heat: not too hot, not too cold, but just right.

The New York Times columnist J. Kenji López-Alt said that the temperature of the pan (or in this case, the pot) affects the eggs’ final texture: higher heat makes eggs poof, and lower heat makes them dense and creamy. So, medium heat produces fluffy and glistening curds, the Goldilocks of eggs. The moderate temperature also gives you enough time to move the eggs around and avoid a hodgepodge of overcooked and undercooked eggs.

Stir and scrape the eggs slowly. Key word: Slowly.

Since the eggs will pile up in the pot as they set, your primary job is to move them around so they all come into contact with the heat from the bottom and sides of the pot. For big, soft curds, stir the eggs lazily and in long strokes. At the beginning, you can even walk away to get bacon in the oven and pop your bread in the toaster, then return for a stir or two.

The speed is important because it gives the eggs that are touching the pot a chance to set before the spoon breaks it into clumps. Agitating them too much will create smaller, harder clumps, which more closely resemble cottage cheese than the folds of a diner scramble.

Three or four minutes into scraping the pot, you’ll feel some resistance. The eggs are setting! Instead of excitedly speeding up your stirring, continue to scrape slowly until a swipe shows you the bottom of the pot, which then fills with liquid egg.

At this point, the mixture will be about half liquid and half solid: It’s not done yet, but this is your cue to turn off the heat and pick up the pace.

Finish off the heat.

Wake up! Sleepy stirring is over. At this point, the pot holds enough heat to propel the eggs toward rubbery dryness. To halt that momentum, drop the eggs’ temperature by taking the pot off the heat and adding cubes of cold butter.

Scrape and flip until the mounds of eggs are barely set but still shiny. The melting butter will meld with the wet eggs to create a glossy, buttery coating. Repeat until the eggs nearly approach your desired doneness because they’ll continue to firm up as you’re serving them.

Scrambled eggs wait for no one. By the time the pot comes off the heat, toast should be toasted and everyone settled in their seats. Reward your diligent scrambling by enjoying this glorious breakfast as fast as possible.

Recipe: Scrambled Eggs for a Crowd

By Ali Slagle

Making fluffy, tender and creamy scrambled eggs for a crowd is easier than you might think — and it doesn’t require learning a totally newfangled method. This recipe makes just a few tweaks to a common technique to accommodate two dozen eggs. Trade the skillet for a Dutch oven and add the eggs to a warm, not hot, pot. As you slowly scrape in long sweeps, the eggs will begin to clump. Once you see the bottom of the pot behind your wooden spoon, take the pot off the heat and add cold butter, which will drop the temperature to prevent overcooking. Flip the curds until the still-runny egg and melting butter form a creamy, obviously buttery, coating.

Yield: 6 to 12 servings

Total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 24 large eggs
• 1/2 cup half-and-half or heavy cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• Black pepper and sliced chives, for serving (optional)

Preparation

1. Blend or whisk the eggs, half-and-half and salt together until no streaks remain.

2. In a large Dutch oven or nonstick pot, melt half the butter cubes over medium. Refrigerate the remaining butter. When the butter is melted, swirl the pot to coat, then add the eggs.

3. Use a wooden spoon to slowly scrape the sides and bottom of the pot in figure-8 motions. As you do so, big clumps will form. Repeat until one drag of the spoon reveals the bottom of the pot, then quickly fills with runny egg, 6 to 8 minutes.

4. Working quickly, immediately remove the pot from the heat and add the remaining chilled butter. Scrape and flip the clumps over until slightly underdone, 30 seconds to 1 1/2 minutes, depending on how firm you like your eggs. The runny egg should be barely set but still shiny.

5. Transfer to a bowl or plates, sprinkle with black pepper and chives, if using, and serve right away; while it’s tempting to serve the eggs from the pot, they will overcook as they sit.