Prevent scrambled eggs from sticking to stainless steel

Question

I'm having the hardest time preventing scrambled eggs from sticking to stainless steel cookware. I've tried bringing the eggs to room temperature before cooking, slowly heating the pan, loads of butter (tasted great, still stuck), adding milk to the eggs. How can I prevent scrambled eggs from sticking to stainless steel?

Answer 1

try a cast iron pan, best alternative to non-stick

Answer 2

If you're willing do deviate from the traditional method, Daniel Patterson (of two-michelin-starred Coi) was tasked by his wife to scramble eggs without using a non-stick pan and developed this poaching method:

http://food52.com/blog/3379_daniel_pattersons_poached_scrambled_eggs

I haven't tried it myself, but it's on my todo list.

Answer 3

Well, if you must use a stainless steel pan (you should ideally use a non-stick pan) the two things you must do is -

1/ Cook over the lowest heat you can get on your cooker hob and,

2/ Stir continuously, don't stop for a second.

It's a similar principle to making roux (fat and flour) cook over low heat and stir continuously otherwise it sticks and burns.

That's what's happening to your eggs, they're sticking and burning because they're cooking too fast (because the heat's too high) and sticking because you're not stirring enough or fast enough to stop them sticking.

Answer 4

Start with medium heat and get the pan hot but put a tablespoon of butter before it gets too hot. Once the foaming stops, add the eggs into the pan and stir constantly but reduce the heat to low. I add about a tablespoon of milk to my eggs.

If it starts sticking to the bottom while you're stirring, then the pan has gotten too hot. Just move it off the burner and continue stirring.

Answer 5

The worst thing you can do from a sticking point of view is slowly heat the pan with scrambled eggs, the pan must be hot enough to get them sizzling right away or they'll act like glue. That's the opposite of what you want to do of course, as the slower you cook the eggs the better they taste, which is why I always cook mine in a non-stick pan.