A chef has claimed he has perfected the recipe for scrambled eggs – but his unusual technique could prove controversial.
Unlike so many of his peers, Michelin-starred Daniel Patterson, from northern California, doesn’t use a pan to make the classic breakfast dish.
Instead, he beats the eggs and pours them into a whirlpool of boiling water, as a fascinating video by Food 52 shows.
The trick may seem unusual – but Patterson claims in his new cookbook The Art of Flavor that it produces delicious eggs every time.
Daniel Patterson’s recipe for the ‘perfect’ scrambled eggs involves poaching beaten eggs in boiling water. Pictured: the end result
The first step is divisive enough. Patterson doesn’t use much egg white in his recipe and instead separates the yolks of four eggs from the thin part of the whites using a strainer.
He then beats the yolks and remaining whites, before bringing a pan of water to the boil.
The next step involves the cook stirring the pot of water clockwise until the water forms a whirlpool, adding a few pinches of salt.
Patterson then pours his egg yolk mixture into the centre of that whirlpool of water.
Patterson pours beaten egg yolks and a little of the whites into the centre of a whirlpool of boiling water for his unusual recipe
Once cooked, the eggs form ribbons and float on the top of the water. Pictured: how they should look when they are ready to eat
He covers the pan and waits for 20 seconds.
The eggs should be in ribbons by now and floating on the surface of the water.
He then takes them out of the pan using a strainer, being careful not to break the eggs apart, and serves with plenty of cracked black pepper and a flourish of olive oil.
The poaching technique, he claims, gives you the ‘quickest and fluffiest’ eggs ever.
Many chefs have claimed to have the recipe for the perfect scrambled eggs.
In March, Anthony Bourdain’s method went viral, as the American TV chef – like Patterson – doesn’t add any cream, milk, butter or creme fraiche.
However unlike Patterson, he cooks them in a very hot pan, before pushing them around in a figure-of-eight pattern.