Scrambled eggs ‘restaurant quality’ with 75p ingredient

Scrambled eggs are a beloved breakfast favourite, but getting the texture just right can be surprisingly difficult. One inexpensive ingredient could help give the dish a smoother, richer finish without requiring any complicated cooking techniques.

The ingredient is crème fraîche, and Tesco currently sells a 300ml pot of its own-brand version for 75p. The supermarket stocks both British and 50 per cent less fat versions at that price. It turns out adding just a small amount towards the end of cooking can give scrambled eggs a noticeably creamy texture. The technique has also been widely used by professional chefs, making it an easy way for home cooks to give a familiar meal a more luxurious finish to start the day.

Food writer Felicity Cloake tested several methods for The Guardian, including Gordon Ramsay’s approach of stirring a teaspoon of crème fraîche into scrambled eggs just before serving. She found the crème fraîche produced eggs that were particularly rich and creamy.

The trick is not to cook the eggs until they are completely set before adding it. You should remove the pan from the heat when the eggs are almost cooked, before stirring through the crème fraîche and serving immediately.

BBC Good Food similarly stresses the importance of taking scrambled eggs off the heat before they become fully cooked. Its guide says the eggs should finish cooking from the residual heat in the pan, helping prevent them from becoming dry and rubbery.

For a simple version, crack two eggs into a pan with a knob of butter and season lightly. Cook gently, stirring or folding the eggs as they begin to set, then remove the pan from the heat while they are still slightly soft.

Stir through around one teaspoon of crème fraîche before transferring the eggs to toast. The result should be soft and creamy, with the cultured cream adding richness and a subtle tang.

Crème fraîche is not the only way to improve scrambled eggs, as cooking temperature and timing remain important. BBC Good Food recommends using low to medium heat and avoiding leaving the eggs on the hob for too long, while The Guardian’s testing also highlights the importance of taking them off the heat at the right moment.

So if your homemade scrambled eggs often end up dry or lacking that restaurant-style creaminess, a 75p tub of crème fraîche could be worth keeping in the fridge. Just a teaspoon stirred through at the end can turn an everyday breakfast into something considerably more indulgent.