Julia Child's Unusual Tip for Perfect Scrambled Eggs

I wasn’t allowed to watch much TV when I was a kid—not much more than Sesame Street, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, and Julia Child’s various PBS shows, which I absolutely loved watching with my mom. Child made good cooking seem so accessible and fun, which shaped my own attitude towards food and cooking. So when I got to sit next to Child at a restaurant industry event at Johnson & Wales University's culinary school in the early 2000s, I was completely starstruck. But Child was down to earth, easy to talk to, and put me at ease. There she was, in real life, sharing her wisdom and giving me the same kind of confidence she’s instilled in millions of home cooks over the years. 

Although Child passed away in 2004—just a few years after I met her—her kitchen (and life) wisdom lives on through her books and online videos. Child’s tips have never failed me, so when I came across her unusual method for cooking scrambled eggs, which she demonstrated in this video with Jacques Pépin, I had to give it a try. And—no surprise—while her trick of adding some raw egg at the end of the cooking time might seem odd, it made for some of the creamiest, tastiest eggs I've ever made. 

The Secret to Julia Child's Softly Scrambled Eggs 

Before we dive into Child's method, let's talk about scrambled eggs goals: Pépin and Child make it clear in the video that the ideal scrambled eggs are softly scrambled—we're talking incredibly soft and creamy with small curds, not the "hard nuggets" Child complains about being served at some fast food place she went to. Child likens good scrambled eggs to a "broken custard," and the eggs in the video might look a lot more liquidy than you're used to. 

To make her scrambled eggs, Child starts by cracking three eggs into a bowl, scrambling them with a fork, and simply seasoning them with salt and pepper. She melts some butter in a pan, then, in perfect Child fashion, she pours all of the eggs into a pan, then remembers that she wanted to reserve some of the raw eggs and casually uses the bowl to scoop some of the eggs back up and just keeps on going. (Damn, I love that woman.) Pépin says, "Oh, I know what you are going to do—this is the old style to put a little of the raw egg at the end to stop the cooking," and Child says, "Yeah, or to cream them up." 

She cooks the eggs slowly over fairly low heat, stirring almost constantly with a rubber spatula, for about three or four minutes. Then, when the eggs are not quite set, she turns off the heat, stirs in the reserved raw egg, and transfers the eggs to her serving plate. "I think you have to remember that it keeps cooking in the pan," she notes. 

I tried this method several times and was always impressed by the results. Like Child, I just eyeballed what seemed like an appropriate amount of egg to leave behind—I figured on about 1/8th of a cup based on the video—rather than measuring, and the eggs turned out perfectly each time. I couldn't believe how creamy the eggs were with no cream at all. And because the eggs were custardy and rich, I didn't feel like they needed anything to improve them—often I think scrambled eggs need cheese or at least a dash of hot sauce. I served them simply with some multigrain sourdough toast and a handful of cherry tomatoes, but they'd be perfect with any sort of side or garnish you like with scrambled eggs. 

Jacque Pépin's Method Is Great Too!

After I tried Child's method, I couldn't resist trying Pépin's method as well. He makes his scrambled eggs in a deep pan, using a whisk to stir them almost constantly as he cooks them quickly over higher heat. Then, like Child, he halts this cooking before the eggs get hard, but he uses a nice splash of cream rather than raw egg (he notes that you could also use butter). 

The Takeaway: It Always Pays to Do What Julia Child Says

After testing out both Child's technique and Pépin's method several times, I think they are both great. As Child says in the video, her scrambled eggs are a little eggier-tasting, which can definitely be a good thing—for example, I think they'd be the perfect as Child serves them in the video, with smoked salmon on the side and topped with some chopped fresh chives swiped from Pépin. Pépin's eggs are a bit richer tasting, thanks to the cream, and would be perfect for luxurious dishes, such as scrambled eggs with truffles. But since I don't always have cream in my fridge, much less fresh truffles, I'll stick to Child's method most of the time. Her technique is simple and forgiving, requires no extra ingredients, and makes for perfect tender, creamy, and delicious scrambled eggs every time.