When Should I Salt my Eggs? | Ask Kenji

[@thebishna]

I salt mine before cracking them. Really elevates the flavor of the shell.

[@TurnOntheBrightLights.]

"Why I salt my eggshell, NOT my eggs"

[@fplbosnia6954]

I salt my hens before they lay the eggs.

[@RichWellner]

@@fplbosnia6954 Finally answering the question, what do you salt first, the chicken or the egg...

[@mrdanthesnowman]

@@fplbosnia6954 You know, I've found going a step further and seasoning the hen house makes a big difference.

[@SZvenM]

@@mrdanthesnowman When I read "going a step further" I thought we had gone full cycle (i.e. salting the egg, only to then wait for a hen to grow from it, and then lay the egg we'll actually use)

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

Hello!

[@Hilljc117]

hey

[@xStrikie]

Hi!

[@pork7258]

Wussup

[@joaovitorjoaovitor]

Hello Kenji

[@Gwynbleidd503]

Love your content and I love that you stood up for G A Z A

[@kodysullivan7582]

Didn’t finish the video yet - but had to say that u describing sponges as a 3-dimensional net is blowing my mind rn

[@Sleezy.Design]

Wait until you find out that sponges are a three dimensional net within a three dimensional net! They are made from a net of sponge matter (rayon or viscose) that is also made by a net of molecules, with the same molecular structure as cellulose btw. 🤯

[@bassfever]

I've been reading 3 Body Problem, they unfold a proton into 1, 2, 3, and 4+ dimensions. Imagine unfurling the sponge from 3-Dto 1-D and it being big enough to engulf the plant, but it's really just a single proton. Talk about mind-blowing concepts!

[@ashamancito4630]

I did not think a 10 min video about when to salt eggs would hold my attention. I stand corrected.

[@markbost6915]

You should look into his cookbook! The entirety of "the food lab" is this way

[@ashamancito4630]

@@markbost6915 it is on my wishlist for Christmas :D

[@ivanllopis5882]

I cannot agree more 😂

[@rasmusn7553]

My thoughts exactly. I came to the comments to look for a TLDR on this one, but ended up watching the whole thing.

[@mrmayortheiv]

Just put this in practice, and it made a world of difference for my breakfast burrito! No juices dripping out of the bottom!

[@bondfool]

“Maybe you like that kind of weepy texture…” the shade!

[@derrmeister]

the tears of my enemies taste the sweetest

[@JaminGray47]

Maybe you like crappy food!

[@coolafman]

It's the sad and butter free way of having runny french eggs

[@TFT-bp8zk]

@@derrmeister plenty of salt there

[@xXLiLJokerXx]

I love eggs like that especially if a rich butter is used and some salmon roe caviar with scallions is used as a finishing touch.

[@scotty7311]

Speaking purely about methodology, it appears in the second batch the temperature reading on the range drops to a low of 242, then back up 244 as you take the pan off. The first batch had a minimum temperature of of 289 and was back to 300 when pulled off. Assuming it's accurate, that's a wide degree of variability. I'd be curious about what caused such a difference. Perhaps for the first batch the pan had been held at temperature for much longer than the second batch. I don't know if this has much of an effect on the results, but ideally you'd want them to be more similar. Cool video though! I trust your experiments.

[@flvinny521]

It seems that either the pan had not returned to 300 degrees before the second batch of eggs were cooked or that the temperature setting had been lowered.

[@brianrollins3245]

Good spotting - effect is practically sleight of hand to ensure the second trial produced a certain result? Eggsperiments should have standard conditions.

[@cdub42]

@@brianrollins3245 if only we could all afford a control freak, we could all work on refining the reproducibility of Kenji's and Chris Young's experiments!

[@floodtheinbox]

I noticed this too. I don’t think it was deliberate. Well, the first cook he made a deliberate effort to not move the pan around and the second cook maybe defaulted to form and moved both his pan and spatula which affected the pan heating.

[@rohiogerv22]

@@floodtheinbox this is the most likely explanation, but even in that case the technique isn't VASTLY different. He still shakes the first batch on occasion, and he doesn't pull the skillet off heat when stirring the second batch. I wonder if the second egg was also slightly colder, like taken from the fridge after the salt was mixed into the first one, or something.

[@rhijulbec1]

My favourite thing about Kenji is his tiny little kitchen! A world class chef that doesn't have a kitchen the size of a football field! 😂 I'm chuffed by that!
When you see celebs with these huge kitchens that you KNOW they don't use, I always think of my mom's little kitchen (she was a chef too) and the meals she turned out in that kitchen were phenomenal!
My kitchen is also small, in that it doesn't have a lot of counter space. I'm also a really good cook (although nursing was my career) and I've never wanted these huge showcase kitchens. Small, but workable is my joy.
And I always salt eggs before so I'm in "Camp Salt 'Em Before!"

[@squidge903]

Edit: I wrote this earlier and I'm wrong. Oops. -
That's not the right use of the word 'chuffed'

[@cdub42]

@@squidge903 it most certainly is...

[@squidge903]

@@cdub42 so it is - I thought it meant proud (as that's the most common way I've heard it used) but with some reading it looks like it means 'very pleased'.
I stand corrected!

[@gottimw]

Big kitchens are shit. Everything is far away and you have to walk everywhere.
Best kitchen is where most everything is at arms-length

[@Solitarylaugh]

​@@gottimwI agree - I would add, with an island! Very workable space and it adds multiple dimensions for prep and having another person in the kitchen!

[@abracadaverous]

I like the boost in color I get from pre-salting my eggs. I've heard very reputable chefs saying that salting before the end makes your eggs weep, but I've never had that happen. Thanks for busting that myth!

[@Knux02]

Thats the difference between Kenji and "other chefs", and what i love about him and his content so much! When he tells you background or info, its because he knows from experience and experiment. He doesnt just repeat the "facts", he is curious and tries them out, even not being afraid of questioning old established techniques. Like when he finally redeemed radial onion slicing

[@krups06]

I appreciate this video but I do have concerns about the methodology. If anything, my takeaway from this video is that pre-salted eggs cook faster than eggs salted while in the pan. The moisture loss seemed tied to the apparent "doneness" of the eggs as opposed to when they were salted. I would repeat this using a different variable than time - perhaps removing them from the heat at whatever time uncooked egg is no longer visible.

[@jj3665]

You should conduct your own experiment! A longer cooking time will result in dry eggs, but it's always worth it to see for yourself!

[@dewittdurham5939]

Agree. Waiting 15 minutes for the salt to react with the eggs is a lot more of an inconvenience than +/- 30 seconds of cook time. Would love to see someone experiment with the explicit aim of finding the best convenience/results trade-off.

[@zkrvdc]

Well like he said, all the variables should be the same. Even the time of cooking

[@KevYGO]

That would be heavily susceptible to human error. What if you second guess yourself and end up cooking past done for a minute? Or what if you judge them to be done but once you plate you notice some hasn't cooked all the way?

[@unripetheberrby6283]

true

[@CatalystReactor]

Interesting, when I had heard the "don't salt your eggs in advance" argument, I thought it meant before they were done cooking, I didn't realize it was common to add salt and let the eggs rest. I will have to give that a try!

[@MauiWowieOwie]

When I was much younger I remember a video of gordon cooking eggs and arguing the opposite of this, but with 0 proof and just took him on his word. Good to see someone actually showing a fair experiment proving him wrong.

[@cdub42]

@@MauiWowieOwie it's old kitchen folklore. I imagine it came from some old chef seeing that color change in the beginning and assuming it was bad, then it just propagated.

[@jodawgsup]

Same, I had no idea letting eggs rest was a thing.

[@Pammellam]

I never have let eggs rest for 15 minutes before cooking them. That’s a new one for me.

[@violetviolet888]

@@MauiWowieOwie Next: When should I salt my beans?

[@skdutch]

I’ve been doing these for years ever since we were gifted your cookbook. I convinced my wife, who hated eggs, to give them a try. She now requests these scrambled eggs routinely.

[@takimi_nada]

Haha I have a similar story with soft-boiled eggs. My husband used to hate them/not care for them, but then I made nice ones with a runny yolk and now he's a big fan. We also refined the technique and upgraded from boiling to steaming and that made a big difference.

[@spamcan9208]

I always thought I was a picky eater but in reality I don't like sh*tty food that's been cooked wrong. Same with fruits and vegetables. Nothing beats stuff from the garden that wasn't picked early and artificially forced to "ripen."

[@bladdnun3016]

@@takimi_nada What difference does it make? And why?

[@beepbop6697]

​@@bladdnun3016sounds like her "soft-boiled" eggs were actually hard-boiled if the yolks weren't runny.

[@bladdnun3016]

@@beepbop6697 I meant boiling vs. steaming.

[@CalvinEastwood]

I LOVE the Food Lab book, I LOVE the Wok book, and I love Kenji's cooking style for exactly this reason! Great balance of science, technique, and most importantly - experience!

[@user-gp5ls5iz7x]

Thank You Kenji, well done. You've explained well. So far, I haven't seen any Chef explaining at all. You've explained it very well.

[@elucified]

Definitely salting my eggs first from now on, thanks Kenji!! ❤❤❤

[@patfrat666]

This makes sense. I know this in my head with reasoning and experience, but thank you for the effort in actually displaying it. You rule.

[@pwsiegel]

Impressive that he got through the whole video without uttering the words "Gordon Ramsay"!

[@chajjohnson4]

Kenji never starts beef

[@caskaz1om]

Kenji doesn't like him, and doesn't even like saying his name. Also yeah he doesn't want to start flame wars

[@k03hl3r]

I came to the comments to make a quip about Gordon because his scrambled eggs video was where I learned this myth but I think you beat whatever I had to say lol

[@HarryS77]

He's saving it for the rice video.

[@bloodgain]

@@caskaz1om Understandable. Like I tell my daughter any time she brings him up, I don't care what Gordon Ramsay says, because he's famous for being an asshole, not a good chef. Is he capable? Of course -- he came up under Michelin-starred chefs and has several of his own on his many successful restaurants. But that's mostly because he's a good businessman. As a chef, he's a bit of a hack, like most TV chefs.

[@DavidHaas310]

There is another, viable hypothesis which would explain the observed result. Further testing is necessary before settling on a conclusion. The accelerated denaturing of the proteins in the pre-salted eggs could have a significant effect on the amount of heat necessary to reach a given state of protein coagulation, (= "doneness,") which will clearly influence moisture distribution. Let's look at moisture levels when each sample reaches the same coagulation level.

[@kamiros9739]

I use a small autonomous drone with an hourglass which has a hole in it so my dishes are salted constantly.
Ran double blind tests on it and it’s by far the best way

[@Keen314]

Mmmm, forbidden orange juice

[@lgolem09l]

Not forbidden by any means

[@Vendzor]

Crack 4 eggs into your morning OJ and chug, thank me later.

[@Fists91]

To a body builder OJ is forbidden egg yolk

[@sovietmaize8277]

My favorite breakfast, scrambled oranges with egg juice

[@llvn11]

Only if you're pregnant or diseased

[@divyanshuthakur]

I salt my tongue and not my eggs.

[@Slanderbot]

some ppl actually do this.

[@beantreats]

I salt my brain. Straight to the source!

[@beepbop6697]

I put salt on my ketchup, not on the fries: get more salt that way 🤣

[@KillerCornMuffin]

I remember you mentioning the color change with the eggs from awhile ago and trying it. It absolutely is a game changer. I don't eat my eggs scrambled often but I will ALWAYS salt the scramble before cooking (I prefer sunny side up with really high heat if you're curious.)

[@user-gp5ls5iz7x]

Your book explained quite a lot about delicious dishes. So far, my family have been enjoying your recipes are well loved by us.

[@hobiwankinobi4750]

Im gonna have to try this now... lol. I am 52 and my whole life I have making scrambled eggs like my mom taught me. Add milk or heavy cream (sometimes a slice of American cheese as well) to the eggs beforehand, cook then salt and pepper them on the plate... Love to learn thanks Kenji!

[@iwatchyoutube6356]

Cool video! Love seeing your test methodology as well.

[@johnalbrecht7868]

I've been on an egg kick lately, so this was perfect timing. Thanks Kenji!

[@shade9592]

I'm so glad you did this experiment and demonstrated it on video.
I've only had eggs break 1 time. This was when I salted last minute and added milk. It was horrible... dry curds swimming in a soup of mostly sweet liquid. I had to throw it away. Since then I've always pre-salted the eggs (I found your Serious Eats article soon after) and I've never added milk. If I've had to add dairy, I'd add either cream or cheese.
What's funny is I'm Asian, I was taught to salt eggs in advance whenever possible, but there were just so many famous chefs that gave this type of shit advice. This "phase" only lasted 2-3 months something when horribly wrong and the above incident happened; whereas previously, I've never much of a problem making scrambled eggs.

[@Supraluminal.]

Interesting. I always add milk to my scrambled eggs and I can't say I've ever had them out-and-out break in that way. I keep the milk to ~20% of the total volume of the batter though, which is on the conservative side of the total amount of liquid you can successfully add to scrambled eggs in my experience. (I've had OK results adding liquid up to ~%33 total volume but they're much more likely to weep the more you add, unsurprisingly.)
I've been salting my eggs before cooking for a long while now, although I don't intentionally rest them for any specific length of time. Still, maybe it makes enough of a difference to help keep the milk incorporated.

[@shade9592]

@@Supraluminal. It ain't really a big loss for me, especially since I'll able to digest less and less milk as I get older. And also since I find that scambled eggs with cream to be far better in my experience.
The important thing that the video demonstrates is just how much pre-salting stabilizes the eggs... So just in case I have to cook for someone who likes milk in their eggs, I'd be able get better results.

[@jimmah86]

i would have liked to have seen a texture comparison of cook with no salt at all, but you can bet ill be pre-salting my eggs from now on. I love your work

[@stellac-xb7cr]

Thank you Kenji for sharing this knowledge with us! I have never reflected on what actually happens depending on when you salt the eggs.

[@antichef-j8z]

Thank you for your lovely compliment. I hope my recipe was able to help you in your cooking

[@michellechristensen2354]

I've been doing it this way since I read it in your book, and it made me fall in love with scrambled eggs

[@antichef-j8z]

Thank you for your lovely compliment. I hope my recipe was able to help you in your cooking

[@curt300s]

Ditto

[@iN31L]

Two issues with this controlled experiment:
1) You used a different cooking method on the second batch by using your wrist to move the pan around, thus lowering the temperature during cooking which you can see on the screen.
2) Not an issue per se, but I would have liked to see a third batch which was salted during cooking (same as batch two), but instead of stopping at 28 seconds, cook until it has reached an optimal consistency which would mirror a more practical application of this method in a real world setting (maybe 5-10 more seconds on the pan). This is because in reality the person cooking the eggs would keep going to eliminate that runniness; then a comparison of texture could be made between the three batches.
I really like this video though, thank you for making it!

[@janstehlik3939]

I can confirm the experiment done in the video. I tried Kenji's approach from the Food Lab book a couple of weeks ago and it really works. The downsides: 1) I keep eggs in the fridge and the pre-salt process tends to take up to 30 minutes, which is really long when you want a quick breakfast. The process is faster when the eggs are at room temp. 2) I previously salted eggs at the end as per the advice from Gordon Ramsay. Now I can't trust anything Gordon Ramsay says :-(

[@KurosakiYukigo]

Chefs occasionally have differing opinions about things and it doesn't always come from science, more of gut feeling and experience. Ramsey very much knows what he's doing, it might just be his preference to salt at the end, or more effective for the way he creates his eggs.

[@WarMage]

the massive amount of butter in Ramsay's eggs makes a creamy, almost liquid concoction already, any moisture from the eggs is emulsified into the butter, so makes sense that it works with his method to salt to taste near the end after the salted butter and creme fraiche is added

[@janstehlik3939]

@@WarMage ahh, that makes sense

[@Zelmel]

Gordan Ramsay likes his scrambled eggs to be an ooze, so that would make sense.

[@gingertunstall7739]

@@KurosakiYukigo Sorry that you have drunk the Gordon Ransey Koolaid. Opinions are not fact or based on science.

[@TheTravelOrange]

What is the result if you just cook the unsalted eggs a few seconds longer? Can you get good tasting, non-runny eggs that way, and it just takes a little longer?

[@kencult]

I had this same thought. But as Kenji said in the video, the more heat you apply to the eggs the tighter they become and the more liquid would squeeze out. If you cooked them for an extra 5-10 seconds I'd imagine that liquid would get cooked off so they wouldn't be watery, but also they'd likely be very dry from the extra cooking time squeezing out the moisture. Hope that helps!

[@federicopresti]

If you cook them long enough the water will still squeeze out of the curds, but it will evaporate with the heat of the pan. So you'll end up with eggs that won't drip any liquid into the bowl as tested there, but they will sill be dry.

[@cdub42]

The proteins will continue to cook/coagulate, and more water will continue to be squeezed out. So you'll end up with more done, drier eggs if you do that, ostensibly in a larger pool of external water if you don't drop them in a strainer when you're done with them.
Bonus egg water, yum!

[@Supraluminal.]

People have already commented on the moisture question, but as to flavor, I'm sure you'd get much better results pre-salting. Just like with nearly any food, if you can get the seasoning incorporated rather than just dusting it on top it will probably taste better in the end. Unless you want completely unsalted eggs, I suppose, but that sure doesn't sound appealing to me!

[@ccbowers]

The late salted eggs did look less cooked (in that they were wetter) going into the strainer. In practice, people would not be using a timer to indicate when off the heat, so the end result in practice would be different. Rather than weepy eggs, they may end up with drier tasting eggs as they allow more of water to evaporate.

[@x808drifter]

They were totally not cooked the same.
I've t tested this today. Time to cook varies a couple seconds of egg to egg.
Methodology: 4 eggs each group.
Salted always at the same time.
Same temp.
Same amount of fresh oil.
Same pan, but clean between each batch.
Kept the beaten eggs in the fridge so they all had the same temp and one batch wasn't warmer to start with.
The 3 batches had a spread of nearly 8 seconds from slowest to longest.

[@frecklenuckle4450]

@@x808drifter i love when people run their own experiments, cool stuff

[@ccbowers]

@@x808drifter I think my point may be misunderstood a bit. The inter-egg variability was mitigated by combining and measuring equal amounts. And I don't doubt his actual results because I know he's done this repeatedly previously. I just think the real world implication requires cooking until the egg *appears* similarly cooked, rather than time. That is how people cook their eggs and the real world implication of presalting requires this.

[@TH3G3N3S1S]

@@ccbowers thats what i thought too. If i would salt my eggs after putting them into the pan i just cook them until they look done and set. I dont set a timer for exactly 28 seconds because i like my scrambled eggs not runny. Its probably true that they lose moisture and are a bit on the dryer side of scrambled eggs

[@JG-pm9ty]

I pre-salt eggs, but never let them sit for 15 minutes. I *gasp* put in a splash of 1/2 and 1/2. Cook with butter and never get complaints. Maybe my family just puts up with bad eggs. Lol. I appreciate the science Kenji, keep it coming.

[@averylfong4843]

So I'm a big fan of European style eggs (I guess you'd call them weepy), but when I lived in the UK the standard scrambled egg texture is a "wetter" and more custardy egg, with bigger curds than the French style, and cooked lower and slower than the American style "dry" scrambled eggs.
British-style eggs are also frequently cooked in a saucepan instead of a frying pan, which changes the shape of the curds. If you do it right, you get what is essentially the texture of a French omelette, just not in the shape of an omelette, if that makes sense. Bigger, more set curds + less cooked eggs that are still buttery/custardy with smaller curds throughout.
This is my preference for spooning over toast, because it stays put. And when you lace the eggs with good butter and sprinkle nice sea salt/crack black pepper over? Delicious.
Wetter eggs are also a specialty of the Cantonese "waat dan" (slippery eggs) and many Japanese omelette styles!

[@williamkjwilliamkj1815]

Nicely done. Jean Pierre master French chef also salts 15 or 20 minutes before and adds butter, cream, and sparkling water to the eggs.

[@helvennoir]

Pretty sure Jacques Pépin salts his eggs first. The amount of things he did before it was proven is amazing. I remember his mum used to keep the skins from green apples to make green apple skin tea, which was later proven to be very beneficial for health

[@lowtecMachina]

Great experiment. But by cooking one egg after the other the unsalted eggs stood longer so the time variable is not the same anymore. I don't think the outcome will be different though XD As someone who can't cook I like to salt my eggs before too because that way the salt spreads evenly while when I salt them while cooking I end up with saltier spots.

[@bentoby2123]

I suppose this is the same reason brined meats or marinated meats retain moisture better. I just never thought about it much for eggs. Great watch Kenji!

[@clayoppenhuizen607]

I have always put S&P in the wet beaten egg and my wife always asked what my secret is with eggs. I never knew that it retained the moisture I would have thought the opposite! Thanks for making this. I also add a splash of milk to the beaten eggs. Not sure why but it was always something my grandparents and parents did.

[@karenmaguire4250]

Try adding water insead. Some swear water nets a better outcome than milk.

[@asigwalt6098]

Tried this last night. My husband said it was a slight improvement on my regular scrambled eggs, which he says is a compliment. He really liked it.

[@fuzzjohn]

I'd be very much into a "cooking Mythbusters" series featuring videos like this. There's a lot wisdom, advice, tips and tricks etc. that people parrot online that may or may not hold up to scrutiny.

[@rustyshackleford4117]

Eggs are actually one of the few things I don't think benefit much, if at all from salt. The key to good scrambled eggs is to start with high-quality eggs with deep yellow or orange yolks. This in my experience has a much larger impact on the flavor/texture of the eggs than the seasoning does. In my case, this would either be farm-fresh eggs when I can find them, or there's one specific brand I've found after testing dozen of 'free-range' and expensive organic eggs that actually makes the cut -- Good Egg Company (comes in a bright yellow carton) is the only brand I've found that has yolks and a flavor profile on par with farm fresh eggs. The other 95% of expensive egg brands out there are no better than the cheap eggs in terms of flavor, and not worth the extra expense.

[@martinslvsten428]

Also if you like egg-white omelettes, salting them before cooking still loosens up the protein and you can whip more air into them and they become fluffier as a result.

[@PeterDavoust]

I agree with your methodology, but I think there is another important dimension! That dimension is consistency of seasoning. Maybe it's a personal gripe, but when I salt eggs after (i.e. when I forgot to salt them in advance) the salt is unevenly distributed, leaving some patches of egg way too salty and others not salty enough. But when I salt in advance, I get an entire two-eggs-worth of delicious scrambled egg. Sure, this doesn't contribute to the "salt before" versus "salt during" cooking debate, but for me, it's a strong argument against the "salt after" method.

[@SonnyDee1999]

If I’m ever making bacon or some other fatty breakfast side I pre scramble my eggs with a cornstarch and water slurry with sodium in the form of either salt or sometimes I’ll use Lee Kum kee’s mushroom bullion to add a bit of an additional umami flair, and by the time the meat side is done the eggs have had enough time sit so I’ll use the oils rendered from the bacon or whatever else (removing any unnecessary excess oil) to scramble the eggs with and the results are unbeatable. I have to thank you from the bottom of my heart for putting me onto the cornstarch method, I truly can never go back.

[@falgers]

This was great!

[@tohrum2679]

My apologies if this was answered already but...
Kenji has a prev video about eggs( "Really Good Scrambled Eggs") which has been my go-to for scrambled eggs since. In that video, he recommends a technique he picked up from someone else where you use a cornstarch slurry to prevent moisture loss.
So is the cornstarch slurry method less effective than letting your eggs sit? Or is either method just as viable to prevent the tightening of the proteins?

[@amiigaf4476]

Kenji, i would love to hear your thoughts on this.
I got it from my dad - when we do scrambled eggs, we just crack the eggs into a buttered, hot pan. Then we season them with salt and pepper. Only then, we are starting to mix them around.
You get an egg scramble that isnt boring and all the same.
The idea is, and thats what i love about this method: you end up with a scrambled egg that still has different textures.

[@kennydubroff7772]

Ramsey says add it when it’s just about done cooking and also add crème fraiche at the same time to prevent the eggs from overcooking

[@bassfever]

This was cool. I've never salted my eggs first, but will try it. It makes sense that the salted eggs hold more water, not just because of the proteins unfurling, but also because salt will attract the water and help hold it in, particularly when you let it sit with the eggs for a while before cooking. It makes me think of brining and salting meat.
If you salt meat, the salt draws the water in the meat to its surface, forming a shallow brine, which is then absorbed over time. The meat cooks up juicer because the salt in the meat continues to attract and hold onto the water. But if you salt the meat and then cook it immediately, it may be drier because the salt will draw the water out of the meat before it has the chance to get absorbed back into the meat.

[@nicplaysstuff]

I add a knob of unsalted butter into the pan and put a bit of salt on top of that so the salt melts along with the butter. Then add the eggs. Not sure if it's wrong but it tastes great at the end and the texture is soft. The only time I get "gray" eggs is when I've added pepper while they are cooking instead of at the end.

[@deanc8458]

I just want to thank people like Kenji, Andrew Rea, Ben Ebbrell and their ilk.
I’ve always enjoyed cooking and consider myself a pretty competent home cook, but the people who give context to what you’re cooking & how you’re cooking it are the heroes.
It’s people like Kenji who give everyday cooks the power to cook their way without screwing up.
Thanks for giving the power to the people, chefs. Here’s to years of fun experimentation.

[@JustOneAsbesto]

Andrew Rea's name does not belong in the same sentence as Kenji's. Kenji has a degree in biochemistry (or something similar). Babish's only degree is in being an assclown. It's the only thing he knows or understands.

[@BriceStacey]

It's uncommon to use the word ilk, nevertheless in a positive light... it's refreshing

[@JustOneAsbesto]

Do not put Kenji and Andrew Rae in the same sentence.

[@Zelmel]

@@JustOneAsbesto They've literally collaborated before.

[@Zelmel]

Surprised (pleasantly) to see Ben Ebbrell in that set of people! Sorted Food does great work, been watching their videos for over a decade now.

[@riuphane]

You and Alton Brown are the reason I salt my eggs in advance.

[@edwinequihua2839]

A tip I learn from my mom and I think It's worth a try: substitute the salt for Knorr chicken "bouillon" in powder presentation. Just don't add too much because it could make the eggs salty. I add it after cracking the eggs in a bowl, mix it well and proceed to cook it.

[@2mbst1]

I salt them right before I get them out of the pan, and give them a last stir. this way I need less salt overall as the salt remains largely on the outside of the curds for the tastebuds to taste. But the overall intake of salt is less. Usually a pinch of sea salt/fleur de sel suffices for two eggs.

[@dizzygunner]

I can already sense the fans of that certain angry chef that shall not be named shouting "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SALT THEM WHEN THEY'RE COOKED!"

[@GilbyRanger]

Curious to see the results when cooking the eggs at a lower temp. When making my eggs in the morning, purely out of desire not to create an extra dish, I crack my eggs directly into a cold non-stick saucepot, no salt yet, no oil or butter at all, and then "whisk" them with a silicone spatula. Then start cooking them over medium-low and "whisk" constantly. Just before the eggs come together and still have some amount of liquid I throw in some kosher salt and do one last scramble. I prefer a slightly soft scramble, but certainly not watery and these are the perfect egg for me.
If I do this same method but salt them before I start cooking, they come out with a texture that I find really off-putting.

[@danpazich]

This just taught me that unsalted eggs cook slower and that they needed more time to cook. If you would have left them on longer there wouldn't have been excess 'water'. So in this experiment, time should have been variable.

[@gorilla_with_jetpack4102]

I love this, it had old school Bill Nye the Science Guy vibes.

[@evanlane1690]

Well I had this ALL wrong. Thanks for the video!

[@curt300s]

Brilliant. Thank you for your expertise and insight.

[@nat4sail]

This is a good test, but it's missing a component where you cook both eggs properly. Cooking them at the same time interval is useful for showing what the salt does, but not useful for showing if there's a difference if you actually cook like a normal person would

[@plwadodveeefdv]

Yeah in what world are we cooking scrambled eggs to time instead of doneness 😂

[@1987thedrums]

I came here to say this

[@gregmuon]

You mean a normal person would toss half cooked scrambled eggs in a sieve, and be unhappy that 'moisture' came out? 🤣

[@MB-ho9cf]

It doesn't even show what the salt does. The second batch of eggs is constantly agitated and the pan doesn't keep anywhere near the same temperature.

[@alexthestreet]

Do the experiment yourself. I've tried it both ways cooked to doneness and salting before are more moist and fluffy. Salting later makes it so you have to cook longer which makes them tougher and more dry.

[@SE013]

I think you should've weighed the end results. It doesn't feel right to determine the cooking time based on the first salted batch. Perhaps the second batch that was salted later needs a bit more time to integrate the moisture, or perhaps the water in the first batch evaporated faster due to it being more denatured.

[@lisasmith1733]

When to salt or when not to salt... that is the question. Eggsceptionally feather-splitting. Thanks, Kenji. You da best!

[@jondo821]

I posted about this on one of your previous videos. Thanks for the full video!

[@artosbear]

I salt, add cream or whole milk and beat thoroughly, and cook immediately at a lower heat and just mix nicely, take them on and off the heat a little...draining them isn't necessary the moisture gets mixed in fine and comes out the same as your eggs...they're rich and fluffy. It takes way less than 15 minutes to preheat the pan to a lower temp (I dunno what midway between minimum and 50% on my larger gas burner ends up being temperature wise) and cooling a little longer and mixing more.
I'll try them rested to see but that all seems unnecessary when you can just mix more thoroughly as they cook

[@catpender9807]

Great info. Always told not to salt until finished! Wow what a difference

[@scorpa3033]

The temperature on the second batch dropped a lot more than the first one, making the eggs not cooked enough in comparison. I don't think its a valid conclusion

[@unstopable96]

Love your mini experiments! More are always appreciated 😊

[@garywarren8404]

I salt right before scrambling and cooking, with no rest. I also rest my eggs in warm water to bring them to room temp before scrambling. I put the salt in the eggs right before I scramble them, so the salt is in the bowl as I whip the eggs with a fork,. I'd be interested in this test of just scrambled with salt vs. your 15 minute rested salted eggs. This was from a famous chef who recommended this. Not GR. I've been very pleased with the result. The chef had reasoning for doing it only right before cooking the eggs. I think it has elevated texture.

[@messey12]

I usually salt mine after eating them. Adds a layer of mystery to it.

[@shuman26V]

Hi Kenji, the only variable I'm not convince of is temperature. For the first cook the pan had been at 300 for a minimum of 15 minutes, so it was sufficiently heated through. I'm not sure how long you waited on the second set of eggs, the level of "doneness" was very different

[@katvtay]

Check at the temp for number 2, dropped to 260-250s, then 246 when “done.” Number 1 was high 200s the whole time (300 when done). Unfortunate variable that few viewers caught.

[@skoolboy991]

i remember asking you about this on a tiktok.. nice to see a full video!

[@ashwanibhola3766]

I found that salting the eggs prior to cooking diminishes the natural taste of the eggs, so I only salt after they are done. As for retaining moisture, texture, there are many ways to scramble eggs that will give you a result you will like.

[@marijkeschellenbach2680]

Just learned something new and love these explanations!

[@bretburau8748]

I believe you, I always pre salt, but I challenge you to do unsalted first, stop the timer when you judge they're done, then cook the presalted ones according to that time. Salt could (probably does) change the cook time...cause dissolved solutes and chemistry things I can't remember. I'd be interested to see how it'd change things.

[@AMTunLimited]

Was the liquid squeezed out? It seems like that was just liquid that wasn't incorporated yet. I'm curious if cooking the eggs longer would have incorporated the rest of that liquid. I might have to try some experiment of my own

[@dustinmallett1703]

I’d like to know kanji’s take on this comment as well!

[@MsEngenius]

the liquid is squeezed out from the tighter protein formations, I don’t know for sure but my assumption from this vid is that there isn’t enough protein in the liquid for it to cook into scrambled eggs itself, so cooking it longer would just evaporate the liquid

[@agg42]

I remember reading the food lab to salt before cooking but I wasn't aware to keep it rested for a while.
Thank you Kenji!

[@AhmadIzzJ]

No it's not needed to keep it rested. Just add salt before/when you beat the eggs. The beating/mixing should already do the work of dispersing the salt into the egg rather than waiting for salt to dissolve.

[@mattymattffs]

Been salting early forever. Usually 5-10 minutes. Also add pepper and dried chives. It's great

[@markjones127]

It always seems weird to me how scrambled eggs are cooked in the states, that to me is an omelette, a very loose and scruffy omelette but still an omelette nonetheless, in the UK scrambled eggs are traditionally more liquid and runny and can be literally poured out of the pan, that's not a derogatory comment btw, just picking up on differences in usage of terms, still looks delicious! I also know plenty of people who cook their scrambled eggs US style over here though.

[@BiggMo]

Kenji is the G.O.A.T. (Who knew goats laid eggs).
Thank you Kenji… my kids hate weeping eggs, this will be a game changer

[@ege92]

I think you should make sure that the eggs cook exactly to the same temperature. Maybe cook them in a waterbath for more even cooking? Also weigh the eggs after cooking to see how much moisture has evaporated.

[@bbrockert]

You're looking good, Kenji, I hope you're feeling as well. I rarely scramble eggs but I love the inclination to just do the experiment.

[@emperorchopchop7726]

The difference between Kenji and the standard home cook is that he knows to not overcook eggs. In my experience (eggsperience?) salting in advance is less forgiving if you aren't comfortable with eggs that have only cooked for 28 seconds. Push the cook time to a minute and the experiment results are different.

[@reebgogs]

Great vid as always! I would run the test again with the unsalted eggs cooked first. I'm interested to know how the conclusion changes

[@dipesh_mehta]

I was wondering that too - looked like the unsalted eggs could have done with being cooked for 40 seconds, and I wonder if the salted eggs would have been overcooked if done for that long

[@KnockKnack]

So that's why I seldom experience differences in the texture of my scrambled eggs despite always cooking them for 30 secs always. This info definitely gives me more control on how I'd want my scrambled eggs to be with rice vs on a slice of bread.

[@spinni81]

I always salted my eggs right before putting them in the pan but I never let them sit. Huge difference. I think I actually like scrambled eggs now.

[@stellaz2595]

I don't wait 15 minutes before cooking my eggs. Does the time make a difference?

[@neilmeadowcroft7569]

Apparently so.

[@mm9773]

Neither would I. Time apparently does make a difference, but the main point was not to say you should let your eggs rest, the main point was to show that it’s not a problem to salt the eggs in advance.

[@Pysenn]

i dont think a full 15 minutes is needed, hes just kinda showing proof of concept. a couple minutes at most should be enough for results. also, something people dont seem to understand.. just eat them however you want. he just shows what pre-salting does, if you like it the other way then it eat like that. i know when i have eggs early in the morning my mouth does NOT care nor notice the difference

[@ronjenkins4257]

It probably won't change anything but the experiment should be done twice, reversing the order of cooking the second time around.

[@mohd.salman9]

Oh wow. TiL. I always just crack, salt and cook instantly. Huh. Gonna try the "pre salting"!

[@michaelotto8696]

Eggsactly what I've been wondering about. I eat eggs every day and, as I cook, often I recall hearing/reading/watching something about salting eggs before cooking. Couldn't remember what the upshot was, only that it had something to do with the proteins. . Too lazy/busy to do my own dedicated search for the answer. Well, you've taken care of that! Now, having the answer, I can conduct my own tests as I cook.
Thank you for your eggsistential content!

[@phillipebrall9930]

Agree. Beat air into the eggs, salt them, and mix through then leave 10 mins. The salt needs to melt and then go to work on the protein bonds. Simple.

[@JohannesWiberg]

I usually forget to salt my eggs in advance. But that makes me so sad that I cry a lot while cooking them, giving the finished eggs both salt and moisture.

[@Gpig20]

I salt the yolks about 4 days ahead of time then put them in the oven at 150 for 90 minutes and grate over pasta

[@bensuperdetka]

Haven’t come to this channel in quite a while and honestly was taken aback by how good Kenji looks, the guy is Benjamin Buttoning himself :D Great vid, as usual

[@susankelty4814]

Thank you Kenji

[@m_3zzoz_m309]

“An eggxperiment today” good one kenji🔥🔥🔥🔥