The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science

Additives
What about common additions to eggs—water, milk, and
the like? There are basically two things they can do. First,
they add some water to the mix, which makes for fluffier
eggs (more water = more vaporization). Dairy ingredients
also add fat, which can impede egg proteins from linking
with each other, creating a more tender curd. This chart
sums it all up:

ADDITION EFFECT

ON

TEXTURE

AND

FLAVOR

HOW IT

WORKS

Nothing Eggs    cook

fastest but

are tougher

Water Increased

fluffiness,

diluted

flavor

Extra   water

means   more

vaporization

occurs,

creating