Scrambled Eggs - A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001) Discussion

[–] steven-691 16 years ago

He cooks them using a double boiler method. Between letting the eggs reach close to room temp and cooking over hot water (double boiler)it would take about that long. I think you see him with the pan above a larger pot, no doubt filled with boiling water. Why use a double boiler? For the most part its nearly impossible to burn eggs when using this method. Why they would be better then conventional cooking is beyond me.

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[–] mch3172 16 years ago

You don't need a double boiler to make 40 minute scrambled eggs--cook in a medium skillet over low heat and stir occasionally as curds form slowly--cf Mark Bittman _How to Cook Everything_, p. 736. And they are better.

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[–] Saiga 13 years ago

Not to argue with what you said here, but you have missed the point (at least, as worded by the original poster): it does not matter what method you CAN use; what the poster asked is what WOLFE was doing. And the poster that you replied to was correct; Wolfe uses a double boiler to make scrambled eggs.

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[–] TimothyP 15 years ago

I suspect that it was a tribute to Rex Stout's scrambled eggs instructions, which takes 40 minutes. I remember the last line of the recipe, which was something like, 'when the eggs are perfect, give them to someone else to eat, as you're probably too tired."

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[–] shadow-otr 14 years ago

Cooking scrambled eggs over higher heat (and too long) can cause the proteins to "lock up" and squeeze water out of the eggs leaving you with rubbery scrambled eggs.

Even using a lower temperature, you can cook scrambled eggs to done in just several minutes, long before the 40 minute mark.

Also, in general it's usually better to cook with eggs at room temperature (EG when frying, poaching, scrambling) as they'll cook better than using cold eggs.

(Many thanks to Alton Brown)

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[–] smeth 13 years ago

He was using the french method of making them. When the novels were written, french food was considered to be the best of best. That method would normally take maybe 20 minutes, but since Nero Wolfe is a perfectionist, of course HE would take twice as long. They have tiny little curds, are moist and semi-liquid.

A little aside, a hundred years ago, scrambled eggs were french restaurant food, and not for breakfast. Same for omelettes. French toast was a dessert. Americans turned them into breakfast food.

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[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Saiga 13 years ago

The most pertinent point to the original question is simple: taking 40 minutes to cook the eggs was how Wolfe did it in the book, therefore the writers (correctly, IMO) chose to include that in the TV episode. Here is the text from the book:

"The client had admitted to Wolfe, in my hearing, that she didn't know how to scramble eggs.... He had admitted to her, in my hearing, that forty was more minutes than you could expect a housewife to spend exclusively on scrambling eggs, but he maintained that it was impossible to do it to perfection in less with each and every particle exquisitely firm, soft, and moist."

PS: Boopvamp: there is actually an "Official Nero Wolfe" recipe for scrambled eggs, as approved by Rex Stout, author of the original novels, although I do not know if he himself came up with the recipe or if it was given to him, or if it was something that he collaborated with others on. It is part of a collection of recipes in "The Nero Wolfe Cookbook," and Stout credited some other people has having helped and tested these recipes, but only did so on the overall body of work, and not per recipe individually.

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[–] soulful01 9 years ago

There is no need to speculate or argue. Rex Stout actually wrote a cookbook, with all of the recipes from the series.

Stout, Rex. The Nero Wolfe Cookbook. Nashville, TN: Cumberland House Publishing, 1979.

SCRAMBLED EGGS

6 large eggs
1 cup light cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 grindings fresh black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons clarified butter
few drops tarragon wine vinegar

Bring water in the bottom of a double boiler to a boil, and reduce the heat so that the water barely simmers. Use an asbestos pad if necessary.

Break the eggs into a small bowl, and add the cream, salt, and pepper. Beat vigorously with a whisk. Melt the butter in the top of the double boiler, and add the egg-cream mixture. Cover and place over the simmering water. Allow to cook undisturbed for about 15b minutes. Uncover and stir with a wooden spoon, and continue to stir constantly until the desired degree of firmness is achieved. Be sure that the water in the bottom section does not reach a full boil.

In the meantime, cook the clarified butter in a heavy-bottomed pan over low heat until it turns a dark brown. Be careful that it does not burn. Add a few drops of vinegar, stir, and serve as a sauce for the scrambled eggs. (Serves 2 or 3)

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The client had admitted to Wolfe, in my hearing, that she didn't know how to scramble eggs ... He had admitted to her, in my hearing, that forty was more minutes than you could expect a housewife to spend exclusively on scrambled eggs, but he maintained that it was impossible to do it to perfection in less with each and every particle exquisitely firm, soft, and moist. [The Mother Hunt]
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[–] macpro75 9 years ago

That recipe sounds delicious. I never heard of a Nero Wolfe cookbook before; I'll have to keep an eye out for it. Thanks.

"It's a real burden being right so often." Captain Malcolm Reynolds, Firefly

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