You've Been Beating Eggs Wrong This Whole Time

The incredible edible egg is truly that — incredible. This simple ingredient can be transformed into a wide range of meals. From omelets and quiche to meringues and mayonnaise, eggs are the base for a variety of delicious dishes and treats. MasterClass notes that eggs are highly nutritious, full of protein, and low in calories, while Statista revealed in 2020 that, on average, one dozen eggs sold for approximately $1.48, making them economical, too. Per Joy the Baker, when used in baking, eggs bind ingredients together while adding texture, flavor, and color. They can add volume and aid in helping your baked goods rise. Eggs are pretty awesome, indeed!

But just as cakes can rise, and souffles can fall, it is the egg and how you beat it that can determine it all. Which brings us to one question: Have you ever considered that you might be beating your eggs all wrong? Per NPR, how you beat your eggs can make all the difference. As Joe Palca told listeners of The Bryant Park Project, "When you beat egg whites, you're basically mixing air into them. The protein in the egg whites forms a kind of skin around the bubbles of air." While Palca is specifically focused on egg whites, this is true when you beat an entire egg, only when you add in the yolk, which is the fat, you have to work a little harder to create those bubbles. Translation: roll up your sleeves.

So, what is the proper way to beat eggs? Jeffrey Buben, a chef at Vidalia restaurant in Washington, D.C. can be heard telling Joe Palca there is a method to beating your eggs properly and it all starts with a clean bowl followed by an "even flow of beating to incorporate the air" during his NPR interview. But Buben also cautions that you do not want to over-beat your eggs, either. He instructs you to, "[S]tart in circle eights, just to break up the egg whites. Then you want to go in a circular motion. Turn your bowl at about a 15 degree angle, and just keep whipping it, and try to get as much air in as quickly as possible."

But do not expect the beating to go by quickly. It should take you about 4 minutes to beat your eggs before they are ready to fold, mix, or stir into a baked good mix or before they are poured into a frying pan to make your favorite scrambled eggs. The Kitchn shares that "thoroughly" beating your eggs can really up the quality of what you are making and increase the light, fluffy nature of the food. Definitely worth the extra effort!