How Restaurants Cook Eggs (Scrambled, Poached, Over-Easy, Rounded, Folded)

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How restaurants cook every type of eggs.

This article will cover how restaurants make/cook their eggs at their establishments, and reveal some techniques used by them to get great tasting fluffy scrambled eggs. It will cover how they make their scrambled eggs so fluffy, how they cook perfect over-easy eggs, how they make rounded and folded eggs, and how they make poached eggs. This will also show how restaurants make their scrambled eggs really fast for hundreds of people.

Some of the techniques they use may be unfamiliar to what you use at home, but they are really quick and easy if you have the right equipment. Many individuals struggle with making the perfect scrambled eggs and poached eggs, even though it can be an easy thing to do with the right techniques.

How Restaurants Make Perfect Fluffly Scrambled Eggs

When restaurants are making their eggs for many customers in the morning, they use liquid eggs quite often to make their eggs. These are eggs that have been already cracked open and ready to go. They only need to be poured on a hot surface.

Equipment needed to make scrambled eggs:

  • A griddle or flat top grill.
    • This is necessary if you are trying to cook large amounts of scrambled eggs like a restaurant does, but a frying pan will also work.
  • Two griddle spatula.
    • If you are only making eggs in a frying pan, then you will only need a regular heat resistant spatula. Restaurants use two griddle spatulas to prepare eggs for a large crowd.
  • Egg beater.
  • Mixing bowl.

Ingredients needed to make scrambled eggs:

  • Whole eggs or liquid eggs.
    • It will be 2 whole eggs for a small batch per person. If this is made with liquid eggs, then 2 whole eggs is 6 tablespoons of liquid eggs.
    • If this is being made for a large crowd, then you will need a gallons worth of beaten eggs. Restaurants cook all of this on a griddle at one time in about 2 minutes.
  • Salt and pepper.
    • The salt and pepper (mainly the salt) is needed to make the eggs taste really good. If you are planning on adding more than salt and pepper, then don’t add these to the eggs while they are cooking. It is best to add any extras on once the eggs have cooked first. Adding them in while they are cooking will mess up the eggs, and make them possibly cook longer.
  • Cooking oil or butter.
    • Cooking oil like vegetable, canola, or peanut oil is needed to keep the eggs from sticking to the pan or griddle. Butter can also be used instead of a cooking oil.

Restaurants don’t typically use anything special in their eggs to make good fluffy scrambled eggs. They usually just stick with the basics. Some restaurants do however mix a little pancake batter into their eggs, but usually when they are creating their omelets.

How restaurants make scrambled eggs
  1. Heat the griddle/frying pan to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • For a frying pan, this temperature should be achieved at medium setting on the stove top.
  2. Start by cracking open the eggs into a bowl.
  3. Beat the eggs thoroughly with the egg beater.
    • Beating the eggs by whisking it is crucial for fluffy perfect eggs. An egg beater really helps this happen. Restaurants even secretly use a milkshake blender to blend 2 or 3 eggs at a time for 1 minute to make this happen.
    • If you are making the eggs on a griddle for a large crowd, it is better to just use an egg beater or liquid eggs.
  4. Cover the pan/griddle with the oil/butter to keep the eggs from sticking.
    • Make sure that the entire surface of the pan/griddle is coated with oil or butter. Use a heat resistant spatula to spread the oil if you are using a frying pan. Use the griddle spatulas if you are using a griddle.
  5. Pour the eggs evenly on the griddle/frying pan.
    • Once the surface is heated and coated, pour the beaten eggs in the frying pan, covering the surface.
    • If it is on a griddle take the eggs and pour them on the surface of the griddle spread out. Use the griddle spatula with one hand to keep the eggs from running off the griddle until they stabilize. Pour the eggs across the griddle from left to right, covering the griddle, but avoiding the front end of the griddle closest to you. This way the eggs don’t spill into the trough.
  6. Season the eggs with salt and pepper.
    • Make sure to season the eggs with salt by sprinkling it on the whole surface of the eggs, or using a salt shaker. The salt is the secret to great tasting eggs. Add some black pepper too if you want.
  7. Let the eggs cook for a second if it is in a frying pan. If it is on a griddle for a large crowd, gather the eggs into the center of the griddle.
    • In a frying pan, the eggs should not be stirred as if to ‘scramble’ the eggs. Avoid doing this if you want perfect fluffy eggs. Instead, let them cook for 30 seconds, then use the spatula to bring the cooked portions to the center of the frying pan. When the portions are brought to the center, then it will allow the uncooked portions to cook the same way. Keep doing this method until the scrambled eggs form, just do not stir the eggs.
    • On a griddle, right after seasoning the eggs, begin to bring in all the eggs on the surface into a nice big pile of eggs in the center of the griddle.
  8. Keep gathering the eggs to the center of the frying pan if using a frying pan. Begin chopping the eggs and flipping the pile of eggs if using a griddle for a crowd.
    • If cooking the eggs on a griddle, once the eggs are brought to the center, begin using the two griddle spatulas to chop the eggs and flip them. Do this for 1 minute repeatedly chopping the eggs with the spatula and flipping the eggs.
    • In a frying pan, continue to bring the eggs that cook to the center of the pan. Once they have all been gathered to the center, then the eggs portions need to be flipped occasionally to allow the top portion of the scrambled eggs to cook.
  9. When the eggs are almost cooked, remove them from the griddle/pan.
    • Don’t try to cook the eggs fully on the griddle or in the pan if you want them soft, fluffy, and perfect. They will cook a little more once they are taken off of the heat. After 1 minute of chopping and flipping the eggs on the griddle, the eggs will be ready to be removed. Use the griddle spatulas with both hands to scoop the eggs up from the sides, forming one big scoop underneath the pile of eggs. Lift the spatulas up together to pick up the eggs and transfer them into a metal tray.
    • If the eggs are browning, then it means that you have cooked them too long, but with practice, you will make perfect eggs like the restaurants.

How Restaurants Make Eggs Over-Easy

Restaurants make eggs over-easy in a really simple and fast way, but it is important to use the proper pan. Any pan can work, but for the perfect round over easy eggs, a small non-stick frying pan is needed.

How restaurants make eggs over-easy.
  1. Cover the small frying pan in cooking oil or butter.
    • This will ensure that the eggs do not stick to the surface of the pan.
  2. Heat the frying pan.
    • Heat the frying pan to medium on the stove top and wait for it to heat up, just don’t burn the butter/cooking oil.
  3. Crack 2 whole eggs into the small frying pan.
    • Crack open 2 whole eggs in the frying pan and let them cook. Do not touch the eggs. Over time, the egg whites will cook underneath the egg yokes that will naturally sit on top of the egg whites.
  4. Wait for them to cook.
    • Once the egg whites are cooked enough, then you can move the eggs.
  5. Flip the eggs to cook the top portion.
    • Flip the egg layer upside down in the frying pan to cook the top portion a little with the egg yokes. This will cook the egg white on top of the egg yolk and form a seal on top of the yolks.

This is how restaurants cook their eggs over easy. Simple and easy.

How Restaurants Make Folded And Rounded Eggs

Restaurants make folded eggs and round eggs by using eggs molds/egg rings. With the egg molds, you can make round or square shaped eggs that are fluffy if you use enough eggs. A griddle is heated up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, then beaten eggs, or liquid eggs is poured into an egg mold on the griddle grill. If you want the eggs to be over-easy, then just simple crack a whole egg into the egg ring and don’t beat it.

  1. Heat the griddle to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Spread cooking oil or butter on the surface of the griddle where the eggs will cook.
  3. Set the egg mold on the spot where the oil/butter is on the griddle.
  4. Poured the eggs into the molding until it is completely filled to the top.
  5. Season the eggs with salt and pepper.
  6. Let them cook.
  7. Flip the eggs over while they are in the egg mold, season with salt and pepper, then let them cook until they are finished. Remove the egg mold.

For folded eggs, the eggs needed to be folded after they have finished cooking. A long rectangle mold is needed to make this happen correctly. If are satisfied with just the eggs being square shaped, then just use a square egg molding. No folding required.

How Restaurants Poach Eggs

How restaurants make poached eggs.

Restaurants poach eggs in many different ways. Some take uncracked whole eggs and place them in low temperature 140°F water for hours and then crack the eggs open. This produces a poached egg that has a creamy yolk on the inside. However, the best method is still the traditional way of cracking the egg by cracking it open and pouring the contents into boiling water.

For this method, it is important that you make sure that the whole eggs are at room temperature first if you want them to be the best.

Ingredients needed to poach eggs like a restaurant:

  • Whole eggs.
  • Vinegar.
  • Salt and pepper.
  1. Get a regular pot.
    • It needs to actually be a pot, not a pan that looks like a pot. The pan needs to be around 5 inches deep with a diameter of atleast 10 inches.
  2. Fill the pot 50% of the way with water (half empty/half full).
  3. Add a teaspoon of vinegar into the water.
  4. Heat the water to a rolling boil on the stove. Once there, turn the temperature down until the water is barely boiling.
    • The water needs to be boiling still. Don’t turn the temperature too far down.
  5. Once ready, use a spoon or a whisk and make a vortex in the pot of water.
    • This vortex needs to be strong enough to continue when you end the stirring. You have to grab the egg, crack it, and put the contents in the shell into the water while the water is still swirling.
  6. Stop stirring, immediately grab a whole egg, quickly cracķ it, and drop the insides into the center of the pot.
    • It will look weird at first, but it will be fine if the water is still swirling enough. The only part to practice is creating a good swirl in order to make a great perfect poached egg. This is how restaurants do it. No secret tools or tricks. The vortex does the work. The egg will come out perfect with a good swirl.
  7. Let it cook for 1 minute and a half to 2 minutes.
  8. Remove the egg from the water and dry it with a paper towel. Fold the paper towel over the poached egg. Dry it this way to remove the hot water from the poached egg.

The poached egg can be seasoned with salt and pepper after it is finished. Practice makes perfect. Just remember, it is all in the swirl. If you want the outside of the poached egg to be beautiful and the inside to be running out with runny yolk, then this is how it has to be done. This is how restaurants do it.

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