Talk:Scrambled eggs

If not scrambled, then what were they?

I came here to find more information about scrambled eggs of the sort that I remember from my childhood, prepared by a Scottish-Canadian. But what is presented here as scrambled eggs bears no resemblance to the eggs I loved.

What I remember are eggs that seemed to have been boiled, poached, or fried so that the whites were solid and the yolk still runny, and then all of it was scrambled (not beaten, whisked, or blended) with a fork or some other utensil, with some salt added. The result is small bits of solid egg white coated in yolk, and is delicious.

If anyone knows more information on this method, or whether this is some form of egg cooking not yet covered on Wikipedia, please add something about this where it is the most appropriate.

Thanks. 70.54.69.56 (talk) 07:27, 1 March 2010 (UTC)

We used to eat something like that when I was a kid - softly poached eggs, mashed up and served on toast. But this style of egg didn't have a specific name - it was just "mashed-up poached eggs". Mr Barndoor (talk) 13:53, 20 December 2010 (UTC)

Yes, I remember "mashed egg". Perhaps we should add it to our article List of egg dishes? Dbfirs 08:21, 18 October 2015 (UTC)

Scrambled eggs edit

I made an edit to the scrambled eggs section on wikipedia. I love breakfast and all things eggs and added a method of preparation I personally use that I believe adds an extra kick of protein and vitamins to the start of your day.

Here is my edit:

"Many people will get creative with their egg concoctions. A popular method for cooking eggs is to cut up small pieces of bacon and place them within a non-stick pan at medium-medium high heat with a little bit of coconut or olive oil. Once the bacon starts turning brown and gets a little crispy add in diced onions, either red, yellow, or sweet will suffice. Allow the onions to briefly cook before placing any greens such as spinach which does not need a long time to cook. After the bacon, onions, and spinach is mixed well it is time for the eggs to be placed."  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Tillypug1521 (talk • contribs) 20:04, 13 November 2015 (UTC) 

Thanks for your contribution, but it's not really suitable for Wikipedia. Wikipedia is not a cookbook or a forum for new ideas. And we require reliable sources for content. --Macrakis (talk) 20:43, 13 November 2015 (UTC)

Starch

Article read:

Some recipes add a starch thickener.

This "kitchen hack", invented in a recent blog, has been repeated in some other blogs, the most reliable of which is probably Food52, and even to the Kitchen Shortcut Bible but I don't get the impression that it's mainstream enough to bother to mention in the article. Do we have evidence to the contrary? --Macrakis (talk) 17:29, 17 January 2021 (UTC)

@Macrakis: I agree it's not mainstream. I guess an underlying issue is how many recipes do we need because this is not a list article. This often happens in food articles. Everyone adds his/her favorite recipe. Sundayclose (talk) 17:41, 17 January 2021 (UTC)

The reason it works is because scramble egg is an egg custard. Custards use starches to help stabilise them. Otherwise you tend to get syneresis (chemistry). GliderMaven (talk) 17:53, 17 January 2021 (UTC)

@GliderMaven: The question is whether this should be mentioned at all, not the reason that it works. Anyway, a custard is defined as a cooked mixture of eggs and milk, and not all scrambled egg recipes include milk. --Macrakis (talk) 18:30, 17 January 2021 (UTC)

@Sundayclose: WP is not a cookbook, and so doesn't include recipes at all. It does describe the preparation of the dish, but should only cover notable variants. Sure, I may add tahini or sriracha or fish sauce to my scrambled eggs, and it may even taste fantastic, but I could equally well add those things to meatloaf or tuna salad -- that's the nature of cooking.

The starch trick is qualitatively different from those cases, in that it actually changes the cooking properties -- it isn't just a condiment. It sounds interesting, and I'll be sure to try it some day, but still, for now, it doesn't seem to be a well-known variant. Now, if Mark Bittman or Cook's Illustrated starts recommending it, it becomes notable and will be worth mentioning. --Macrakis (talk) 18:30, 17 January 2021 (UTC)

Starches are used in commercial recipes. As you say, this is not a cookbook, but we're also not limiting ourselves to things you 'may or may not feel like trying'. It's not about you, and things you've heard of. GliderMaven (talk) 23:07, 31 January 2021 (UTC)

Jamie Oliver

OKKKK. We have some weird editing on this article today. Apparently SundayClose thinks that Jamie Oliver is a primary source on scrambled eggs- he thinks Jamie Olive invented scrambled eggs, he was the first to write about them. ;) GliderMaven (talk) 18:12, 17 January 2021 (UTC)

There's a difference between self-published and primary sources. Oliver is not self-published, but when he creates a video or writes a book, that source is a primary source in establishing his expertise on Wikipedia. I could put a video on YouTube or write a book; that doesn't make me an expert. Please read WP:SELFPUB, WP:PRIMARY, and WP:SECONDARY. I added two additional sources to support the statements about American and British styles. That's not ideal, but it provides sourcing beyond a single opinion. But for a sweeping statement such as "Only eggs are necessary to make scrambled eggs" we need more than one opinion when the only evidence for his expertise are sources that he created. I'm looking for a secondary source that identifies his expertise. If someone can find such a source, that will take care of this issue. I never said Oliver invented scrambled eggs. Such absurd accusations don't help your argument. Sundayclose (talk) 18:30, 17 January 2021 (UTC)

We don't need to "establish his expertise" for our readers. Adding a link in the footnote to the article about him should be enough. --Macrakis (talk) 18:40, 17 January 2021 (UTC)

@Macrakis: Good point. Where should the citation to the footnote go? Sundayclose (talk) 18:41, 17 January 2021 (UTC)

The wikilink from the footnote should suffice. I hope that the footnote was added to support the claim that scrambled eggs can be made with eggs and nothing else (and that that is mentioned in the book), and not to establish his expertise, which would be silly. --Macrakis (talk) 18:46, 17 January 2021 (UTC)

@Macrakis: I agree with your change. Thanks. Sundayclose (talk) 18:48, 17 January 2021 (UTC)

Page protection

I see in the edit history a lot of edit warring and revert wars have occurred. Perhaps a temporary protection is in order? 194.247.60.2 (talk) 04:20, 16 July 2021 (UTC)

Adding an edit for scrambled eggs - the history actually goes back further than listed!

Hi!

I'm new to Wikipedia editing and we are learning how to be apart of this community in my college course. In this semester, we have to make an edit on Wikipedia for the better while providing reliable sources.

I noticed on this page that the history only goes back to the 14th century - there has been documentation for scrambled eggs dating back to Ancient Rome where Romans would beat their eggs and bake them with veggies and spices.

Would it be okay to go ahead and add this to the history of the food?

Thanks! Skav0103 (talk) 13:55, 15 April 2024 (UTC)

Beating eggs and baking them doesn't make scrambled eggs. It's more like frittata or eggah. --Macrakis (talk) 14:44, 15 April 2024 (UTC)

This is true in modern times! However, this was just where people think the the act of "to beat an egg" came from, which led to the modern example of a scrambled egg, was what I meant. I worded that funny, my apologies! Skav0103 (talk) 15:35, 15 April 2024 (UTC)

This article is not about beating eggs. There are many dishes based on beaten eggs, including frittatas, omelettes, quiches, etc. etc. This article is specifically about the dish called "scrambled eggs". It doesn't cover other dishes based on beaten eggs or for that matter the use of eggs as food more generally. That said, I wouldn't be surprised to find that documentation of scrambled eggs go further back than the 14th century. --Macrakis (talk) 16:17, 15 April 2024 (UTC)