Kitchen & Bar

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How to get around

The bar across the top scrolls sideways. These are the same stops, with the job of each one written out.

Foundations

Custard

Cooking egg proteins just far enough to thicken a liquid and stopping several degrees before they set into curd.

What you are actually controlling

  • yolk ratio
  • temperature
  • stirring
  • sugar
  • residual heat

Naming the dials is most of the difference between cooking and following. Everything below is a way of moving one of these.

How it goes wrong

  • scrambled
  • never thickened
  • grainy
  • eggy

If your result is on this list, the step it belongs to is named below and so is the way back.

The loop

Custard5 steps. Each step shows the cue that confirms it worked below the step, and above it the way it fails together with the correction that returns you to the same step.GOES WRONGYellow specks that willnot disperse and show upas flecks later.1Whisk sugar into theyolks firstLOOKS RIGHTPale, slightly thickened,no grains.GOES WRONGThreads of cooked egg themoment the cream hits.2Temper — hot liquidinto eggs, slowlyLOOKS RIGHTThe yolk mixture warmswithout any visiblesetting.GOES WRONGGrainy texture, or a skinof set egg on the bottomof the pan.3Low heat, constantmotion, wooden spoonLOOKS RIGHTIt coats the back of thespoon and a finger drawnthrough leaves a clean…GOES WRONGIt suddenly thickens andgoes lumpy — you passedit.4Stop at 82–84°CLOOKS RIGHT83°C, and the spoon testholding.GOES WRONGA rubbery skin, or acustard that carried oncooking in its own heat.5Strain and cool fastLOOKS RIGHTSmooth, pourable, andthicker again when cold.
Read down, not just across. Below each step is the cue that says it worked; above it, dashed, is how it fails and the correction that sends you back to the same step.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Whisk sugar into the yolks first

    Sugar sitting on a naked yolk draws water out and pits it. Whisk them together immediately.

    Looks right
    Pale, slightly thickened, no grains.
    Goes wrong
    Yellow specks that will not disperse and show up as flecks later.
    Way back
    Strain the finished custard. The specks will not dissolve and straining is the only remedy.
  2. 2

    Temper — hot liquid into eggs, slowly

    Ladle a little hot cream into the yolks while whisking, then return the whole lot to the pan.

    Looks right
    The yolk mixture warms without any visible setting.
    Goes wrong
    Threads of cooked egg the moment the cream hits.
    Way back
    Strain immediately and start the tempering again more slowly. A few threads strain out; a lot do not.
  3. 3

    Low heat, constant motion, wooden spoon

    Stir figure-eights across the base. The base is where it will catch, and it will catch quickly.

    Looks right
    It coats the back of the spoon and a finger drawn through leaves a clean line that holds.
    Goes wrong
    Grainy texture, or a skin of set egg on the bottom of the pan.
    Way back
    Off the heat, into a blender for ten seconds, then through a sieve. This rescues a slightly broken custard; a properly scrambled one is breakfast.
  4. 4

    Stop at 82–84°C

    Yolk-thickened custard sets around 85. The useful window is only a few degrees wide, which is why a thermometer earns its place here.

    Looks right
    83°C, and the spoon test holding.
    Goes wrong
    It suddenly thickens and goes lumpy — you passed it.
    Way back
    Pour it into a cold bowl the second it is there. Residual pan heat will take it past the point on its own.
  5. 5

    Strain and cool fast

    Through a sieve into a cold bowl, cling film on the surface if you do not want a skin.

    Looks right
    Smooth, pourable, and thicker again when cold.
    Goes wrong
    A rubbery skin, or a custard that carried on cooking in its own heat.
    Way back
    Sit the bowl in ice water and stir. Slow cooling is a second chance to overcook something already off the heat.

Where the published floor sits

Separate from everything above it. The cues on this page are aimed at a result; these are numbers a food-safety authority published, reproduced with their source so you can read the chart yourself.

Published minimum internal temperaturesEgg dishes: 71°C, 160°F.Egg dishes71°C / 160°F40°C50°C60°C70°C80°C

These are published minimums, not doneness preferences and not a verdict about any particular piece of food. Ground meat sits above whole cuts of the same animal because grinding moves the surface through the middle — the species is not the reason.

Watch somebody do it

Third-party video. Opens in a new tab — nothing is embedded and nothing is fetched from a video platform until you click.

Reviewed video for this technique. Reading a cue is one thing; seeing it is faster.

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