Argued with a chef about pre-salting eggs... I was dead wrong

I used to be that person who insisted salting eggs while they were cooking made them watery and gross. Like I would literally get into arguments about it with friends who scrambled eggs. Then I went to this diner in Austin called Cisco's and watched the cook crack eggs straight into a bowl, salt them, let them sit for like 2 minutes, then scramble them perfectly. I asked him about it and he laughed and said the salt actually breaks down the proteins so the eggs stay tender not watery. I tried it myself at home the next morning and it changed everything. So now I'm wondering how many other basic cooking habits I have backwards. Anyone else here have a kitchen rule they swore by that turned out to be complete garbage?

3 comments

3 Comments

torres.sage15d ago

Wait did you try salting your eggs right before you cook them or letting them sit for a bit first? I had the same argument with my roommate about seasoning cast iron. She swore you never wash it with soap, but I watched a video from a guy who restores old pans and he said modern dish soap is totally fine as long as you dry it right away. I tried it on my own skillet and it worked way better than just scrubbing with salt and oil. Now I wash it like normal and just wipe it down with oil after, no rust or sticky residue.

hart.cora9d ago

Oh for sure, the eggs and the pan are the same deal. People act like the old rules are set in stone but a little modern soap won't hurt anything.

parker_park814d ago

Yeah the salting eggs thing is interesting... I let mine sit for like 10 minutes after salting and the texture comes out way fluffier. But I've also heard that if you salt them too early they get watery so there's a sweet spot. Same deal with cast iron honestly, people get so stuck on the old rules like never use soap but dish soap now isn't what it was 50 years ago. I wash mine with a little soap and dry it on the stove and it works perfect every time, no sticky buildup.