The Simple Trick Dolly Parton Uses For Fluffy Scrambled Eggs

Whether you're home or at a diner, eggs are a staple when it comes to breakfast. While you can prepare them a lot of different ways — hard-boiled, over easy, poached, and sunny side-up, to name a few — scrambled is arguably one of the most popular methods. In fact, a 2021 survey by OnePoll found that scrambled eggs are one of the few dishes Americans say they can confidently cook without a recipe. After all, in their most basic form, scrambled eggs are very easy to make — simply whisk up a few eggs, maybe add a bit of milk or a dash of salt and pepper, and push them around in a pan on the stove until they're fully cooked.

However, you can also easily elevate this dish. Plenty of famous chefs have their own hacks for the best scrambled eggs. Gordon Ramsay swears by a splash of crème fraîche for a creamier texture, while Martha Stewart cooks hers in clarified butter (a.k.a. ghee). Even Dolly Parton has a secret to the fluffiest scrambled eggs. Here's what the country singer does when she's whipping up breakfast.

There are a lot of ingredients you may have thought to add to your eggs — milk, spices, fresh herbs, cheese... But what you probably didn't think of? Ice water. Yet that's what Dolly Parton swears by for making perfectly fluffy scrambled eggs. "When you crack your eggs in the bowl, say if you're going to scramble them, use ice water," she explained in an interview with Insider. "Put a few drops of ice water as you're cooking them and that makes them fluffier — it really does!"

According to Real Simple, there's a scientific reason why adding water to your eggs while you cook them makes them so much better. As the water heats up in the pan, it essentially steams the eggs, which gives them that light and fluffy texture you crave. Note that too much water can turn your eggs into a sloppy mess. Blogger Jessica Gavin recommends starting with a teaspoon and then adding more a little bit at a time if necessary.