Chef and food writer Anne Wolf says the difference between a dull scramble and an exceptional one comes down to a single ingredient: ghee, not butter. Writing for Simply Recipes, she described ghee as the "easiest upgrade" you can make to your morning eggs.
Why ghee beats butter
Anne has experimented with numerous types of butter to find which delivers the richness she seeks. She noted that clarified butter and browned butter only provide a fraction of the depth and flavour required. Ghee, she explained, splits the difference between the two.
"Clarified butter gets you partway there, with a rich fat that won't scorch. Browned butter gets you flavour, but toast it again in a hot pan and you're flirting with burnt bitterness," she wrote.
"Ghee splits the difference. It combines clarified butter's discipline with browned butter's payoff, and is the easiest upgrade you can make to your morning eggs."
What is ghee?
Ghee is a form of liquid or semi-solid clarified butter with origins in the Indian subcontinent. It is produced by simmering butter until all moisture evaporates and the milk solids turn brown, before straining away the residue. This process produces a rich, nutty-flavoured butter with a notably high smoke point.
Ghee can withstand temperatures of up to 485°F (251°C), compared to vegetable oils, which typically range from 400°F (204°C) to 450°F (226°C).
How to make scrambled eggs with ghee
Much like vegetable oil or clarified butter, add an equivalent amount of ghee to the pan — just enough to coat the surface. Then prepare your scrambled eggs as you normally would, whisking them in a bowl along with any additional ingredients such as cream or crème fraîche.
Season the eggs to your usual preference before cooking them in the pan as you ordinarily would. Unlike standard butter, ghee requires a hot pan from the outset, so resist the urge to add it to a cold pan. Serve topped with your preferred herbs and seasonings, alongside whichever breakfast accompaniments take your fancy.
