What would make a custard turn out looking like scrambled eggs?
I made a batch of custard cups at home and they came out beautiful. When I followed the recipe at work, using the same method and a still oven like at home, the results were a disaster. The custard had the texture of scrambled eggs. Any ideas on what went wrong?
Best Answer
I've had this exact same issue when making Creme Brulee. If you heat the mixture too long it will turn to the consistency of scrambled eggs. I have figured out that if I gently jiggle the pan a few minutes before it is supposed to be set and you will see a slight wobble. Repeat this for the next few minutes until it wobbles less, then remove it immediately
This is the method that works best for me. There are so many variations due to the oven, altitude, number of eggs in your mixture, etc. to give you an exact time. It took me at least 15 tries to finally get my creme brulee recipe right but now I know what to look for when its done.
Pictures about "What would make a custard turn out looking like scrambled eggs?"
How do you stop custard scrambling?
To prevent curdling, use a low temperature (cook over a double boiler or bake in a waterbath), stir, if appropriate for the recipe, and cool quickly by setting the pan in a bowl of ice or cold water and stirring for a few minutes.Why is my custard eggy?
But when you overcook a custard, suddenly the connection is very, very clear. A nasty eggy taste takes up residence and won't go away. That's likely the result of heat breaking down the protein components cysteine and methionine to release sulphur, says Crosby.Can you fix curdled custard?
Curdled or split custard can be rescued. Take the split custard off the heat and put the pan into cold water and whisk it vigorously.Why did my custard turn into scrambled eggs?
If you have a mixture resembling sweet scrambled eggs then the eggs in the creme brulee are curdling and this happens because they become over heated. If you are making the custard in a saucepan then we suggest that you look at Nigella's Creme Brulee recipe from Kitchen.6 Ways To Make Scrambled Eggs: Tested \u0026 Explained | Bon Appétit
More answers regarding what would make a custard turn out looking like scrambled eggs?
Answer 2
When you heat egg yolk without proper tempering you'll end up cooking the egg into a solid. If you're baking custard, which is sounds as though you are, you should cook in a hot water bath to avoid direct heat. If you did use a water bath and did temper your yolks then perhaps lower the custard on the baking rack to avoid too much direct heat, as you want to cook it primarily with ambient heat.
Answer 3
I have had this happen stupidly following a recipe that said to drizzle the egg yolk into the cream when obviously it should be hot cream into yolks and sugar! I was making a sugar free version and instead of doing what my instincts said and just replacing the sugar with sweetener I just went by the letter... As well as being a bit too hot in the oven, so I got the ‘sweet scrambled eggs’ or curdled. However, I rescued it, whilst still warm, too all the Creme Brulee back into a large bowl or jug and whisk until the texture becomes smooth again. The burnt skin from the tops gave it a lot of brown flecks so I threw some nutmeg i there to disguise that! Texture still a little grainier than a proper Creme Brulee but servable...
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Andrea Piacquadio, Andrea Piacquadio, Andrea Piacquadio, Skylar Kang