Scrambled Eggs - My Way.

Well, this is going to be my first cooking post; I've been cooking since I was 7 when my mother first came down with M.E., it was only baked beans but I have come a little way since then.

It has taken me quite some time to perfect my scrambled eggs recipe. The quest began when I realised that the white of an egg and the yolk of an egg need quite different cooking regimens to achieve perfection. Undercooked whites are slippery and unpleasant, overcooked yolks are dry as dust and taste vaguely sulphurous.

So here is how I cook my scrambled eggs now:

Ingredients:

• Eggs, 1 or 2 per person depending on famishment and size of egg.
• Milk, about 50 ml per egg. I prefer organic full fat for this but it does work with semi-skimmed.
• Vegetable oil (I prefer sunflower oil).
• Seasoning

Put enough vegetable oil into a small saucepan to cover the base and swirl around the sides. Separate the egg whites from the yolks, putting the whites in the saucepan and the yolks in a bowl with the milk.

Place the saucepan containing the whites and vegetable oil on a low heat. The intent is to cook the whites without frying them to crunchiness. While the whites are cooking whisk the yolks and the milk together.

When the whites have solidified, you can take the opportunity to pour away any excess oil from the saucepan. A little oil gives sheen and prevents sticking, too much oil is just plain greasy.

I now tend to use the edge of a wooden spoon and break the cooked whites down into pieces. The size tends to reflect how 'refined' I'm feeling. Now add the yolk / milk mixture to the pan and return to the heat.

How high I now have the temperature tends to reflect how much attention I am prepared to pay to it. If I'm in a hurry and am prepared to stir continuously I will up the temperature; if I want to pay attention to cooking other things, I will leave it on the lowest possible temperature and stir occasionally.

Before long the scrambled eggs will start to go 'blop' and steam slightly, this is the signal that you have to pay attention and stir to stop it sticking to the pan. Hereafter it is up to you as to how thick and well set you want your scrambled eggs, the longer you cook it the harder they will get. Don't forget that they will continue to thicken slightly after you take them off the heat.

Serve the scrambled eggs and only now apply seasoning. If you add salt any time before this you risk the eggs curdling and separating giving you a texture of grit floating in tasteless water.

I personally like my eggs served either on wholemeal pitta bread or a nice malted wholegrain toast. Cooking up a few bacon lardons and sprinkling them on top can look really smart too.

The final thing to do is enjoy eating them!