Scrambled Eggs with Sausage, Sweet Peppers, and Cheddar

From America's Test Kitchen Season 7: Hearty Eggs for Breakfast

Sometimes the simplest things can be the hardest to get right. Scrambled eggs are a good example. Seemingly easy to make, they can easily go wrong, and overcooking is probably the most common problem. We wanted scrambled eggs that turn out of the pan into a mound of large, soft curds—cooked enough to hold their shape but soft enough to eat with a spoon.

We learned that beating the eggs too much before cooking them can result in toughness, so we whisked our eggs just until they were combined. Milk is better than water as an addition to scrambled eggs; the sugar, proteins, and fat in milk help create large curds, which trap steam for that pillowy texture we were after. A nonstick skillet is a must to prevent sticking, and pan size matters as well; if the skillet is too large, the eggs spread out in too thin a layer and overcook. Getting the pan hot is crucial for moist, puffy curds, and constant gentle stirring—really more like pushing and folding—prevents overcooking. Cooked on the stove until they were almost done, which took only a couple of minutes, these eggs finished cooking on the way to the table, remaining moist and meltingly soft.