Scrambled eggs are a breakfast favourite packed with nutrition, but the dreaded clean-up afterwards is enough to put anyone off cooking them. That stubborn film of egg clinging to the pan bottom after serving up is deceptively tricky to shift. What looks like it should wipe away effortlessly often turns into a proper scrubbing marathon.
Cold water and ice cubes
For some, the cleaning faff is such a pain that they'll skip scrambled eggs altogether. Those lucky enough to own a dishwasher might dodge some of the grief, but there's no assurance your dishwasher will handle the job without a pre-rinse first, rendering the whole exercise rather pointless when you could've just washed it manually.
However, according to a cleaning guru making waves on social media, there's a straightforward solution to ensure your pan emerges spotless every time. You'll only need one household item - possibly something you've already got tucked away in a cupboard, and simple enough to prepare if not.
Professional cleaner's method
Claire, a professional cleaner, demonstrated the method on Instagram, filming herself preparing scrambled eggs before revealing the sticky residue coating her pan's base. After dishing up her eggs, she let the pan cool briefly before rinsing it under the tap – crucially using cold water rather than hot.
She filled the pan with enough cold water to submerge the egg remnants, then added her secret ingredient to get the pan clean - a handful of ice cubes. Following the scorching summer Britain has experienced, most households will already have ice cubes stashed in the freezer. If you're caught short, simply fill an ice cube tray with tap water and leave it in the freezer.
Results after an hour
Claire allowed her pan to sit for an hour before checking back, demonstrating just how effortlessly the egg residue now shifted after those 60 minutes by gently gliding a wooden spoon across the pan's base and watching the mess lift away.
To finish cleaning the pan, Claire simply turned on her cold tap once more and used the same wooden spoon to sweep away all the residue. She then squirted some washing-up liquid into the pan and gave it a gentle scrub with a scourer to ensure it was spotless.
In her caption, she explained: "Skip the dishwasher for this one, cold water is your friend. The colder the better, and I'll even chuck in a few ice cubes! As cooked-on eggs cool, it can help loosen the egg from the surface, making it much easier to clean."
She added: "Now, I'm not normally an 'I'll leave that to soak' person... because we all know that usually means 'hopefully someone else will deal with it'. But with eggy pans, a good cold soak really does help."
How to make scrambled eggs
BBC Good Food offers a straightforward recipe for scrambled eggs that's available in its entirety on their website. With only a few basic ingredients required, you can have this dish ready in a mere 10 minutes.
Ingredients:
- 2 large free-range eggs
- 6 tbsp single cream (or full cream milk)
- A knob of butter
Method:
Begin by whisking together the eggs, single cream (or full cream milk as an alternative) and a pinch of salt in a bowl or jug until thoroughly mixed. Following this, warm a small frying pan over the heat and add your knob of butter, ensuring it melts without turning brown.
Add the egg mixture to the pan and leave it undisturbed for approximately 20 seconds. After this, use a wooden spoon to stir gently, carefully lifting and folding the eggs from the base of the pan upwards.
Allow the eggs to rest for a further 10 seconds before stirring and folding once more. Continue this technique until the eggs reach a soft, creamy consistency while remaining slightly liquid in parts. Take the pan off the heat and allow to stand briefly, letting the residual warmth complete the cooking process.
