While cooking scrambled eggs seems fairly straightforward, it often feels like everyone has a different way of whipping up the protein-packed breakfast. Some people like to get creative—one Well+Good editor loves swirling in some pesto at the end for extra flavor, while another swears that bananas (yes, bananas) can be a weirdly delicious add-in. But if you don’t want to venture too far away from the classic dish, consider whisking in a squeeze of lemon juice for seriously fluffy scrambled eggs.
food scientist and product development manager at Panaceutics
I know, I know: Citrus in eggs? That sounds, um, different. But take it from a food scientist, this trick fluffs ‘em up while adding just the right amount of flavor.
Makenzie Bryson Jackson, MS, a food scientist, says that this happens for two reasons. The first has to do with the chemical reaction between the eggs’ proteins and the acidity of the lemon juice. She explains that when heated, the eggs’ protein structure (60 percent of which lies in the egg white and 40 percent of which is found in the yolk) will start to change, coagulate, and create this 3D-structure we know as scrambled eggs.
“Whipping the eggs beforehand with some acid such as lemon juice can create a stiffer structure that holds air bubbles,” Jackson says. Add a few squeezes of lemon just before you slide your eggs into a pan, and presto—the acidity acts as a catalyst that creates and supports that perfect, airy puff.
The second reason lemon juice makes your scrambled eggs so fluffy and soft is because of the water in juice. Just like adding water or milk, the liquid slows how quickly eggs scramble. “The water in the juice dilutes those egg proteins, so they aren’t as quick to coagulate,” says Jackson. “They cook more slowly because there is more water to evaporate, and the water creates steam as it cooks, creating a softer, fluffier texture.”
As for the flavor, don’t worry—your scramble won’t taste like lemonade. The flavor is subtle, and Jackson says that’s also because of the acidity, which likely balances out and enhances the eggs much like the right amount of salt can.
Sold and ready to whip up your own lemon juice scrambled eggs? They’re pretty difficult to mess up. The only thing you need to watch out for is the amount of lemon juice you use. “Too much acid and the eggs will curdle and separate,” Jackson says. “And too much liquid might create a watery, lumpy mess!” The sweet spot is about half a teaspoon for half a dozen eggs—try it in your next batch, and prepare to forever alter your go-to breakfast recipe.
Oh hi! You look like someone who loves free workouts, discounts for cult-fave wellness brands, and exclusive Well+Good content. Sign up for Well+, our online community of wellness insiders, and unlock your rewards instantly.
Sign Up for Our Daily Newsletter
Get all the latest in wellness, trends, food, fitness, beauty, and more delivered right to your inbox.
Maintaining a clean, organized fridge set at the proper temperature is ultimately what’s going to keep you safe from harmful, illness-causing bacteria. Hey, we’re certainly not calling on everyone to pick up the “fridgescaping” trend of decorating the inside of your fridge with candles, books, and picture frames. But you know what isn’t a good look? Slimy leftovers and rotting fruits and vegetables. That’s why the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends chilling your foods at a temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below. But is there a perfect temp? We spoke to a food safety expert to explain what the best fridge temperature is and why.
What is the best fridge temperature for storing food?
According to Bryan Quoc Le, PhD, a food scientist and food science consultant, the ideal temperature is 37 degrees Fahrenheit. “Essentially, these are nearly the lowest temperatures you can get to before your food starts to frost over. The lower the temperature, the slower the growth of the microorganisms is. Every 10 degrees higher than that temperature (37 degrees Fahrenheit), the microorganisms can double their growth rate,” Quoc Le explains.
Most modern refrigerators allow you to set the exact temperature, but if it doesn’t come equipped with one, Quoc Le suggests placing some peanut oil in your fridge and seeing if it solidifies. “Peanut oil happens to have a freezing point of 37.4 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius), which is just slightly above the ideal temperature for a refrigerator. If you put peanut oil in the fridge and it solidifies, then your refrigerator is at the right temperature,” he says. That said, the FDA recommends checking often whether your food is chilling at the proper temperature, so buying a freestanding appliance thermometer is your best bet.
How to store food safely in the fridge
Aside from keeping your fridge at 37 degrees Fahrenheit, you can help prevent bacterial growth and foodborne illnesses by storing food properly and refrigerating cooked dishes shortly after eating.
1. Keep fruits and vegetables in the crisper
The crisper drawers in your fridge are specifically reserved for your fruits and vegetables because they don’t require as cold of a temperature as the rest of your fridge to prevent spoilage, Quoc Le says. Crisper bins expose your produce to different levels of humidity and restrict air flow, which will help fruits and vegetables prolong their longevity.
“If it gets too cold for them [fruits and vegetables], the tissue will start to break down. They go through what’s called chill injury. This means that they go through the same process as they would in the winter. When that happens, the plant will try to reabsorb a lot of the nutrients and break down quickly. They get softer, they get mealy, there’s going to be off flavors, and it’s not going to taste as good. They lose a lot of their sugars,” Quoc Le explains.
Other foods, like meat, dairy, and eggs, should be stored outside of the crisper drawers in their appropriate bins at cooler temperatures.
advertisement
2. Place leftover food in the fridge immediately
Whether you just finished cooking or are reheating leftovers, you want to keep whatever food you don’t end up serving or eating back in the fridge ASAP. Leaving food out of the fridge allows bacteria to proliferate. “The danger zone is 60 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit. So foods that are hot that cool down to that temperature and foods that are cold and warm up to that temperature, the microbial growth is going to be quite accelerated,” says Quoc Le. “Most modern refrigerators move heat fairly quickly. So ultimately, you don’t want to leave things on the stove for too long and have it come to room temperature.”
The rule of thumb is to avoid leaving perishable foods out for two hours or more, but you need to consider the environment they’re in. If you live in a hot, humid climate or if it’s a warm summer day, food is going to spoil faster. Certain foods aren’t going to go bad as quickly as others.
For example, “foods that have more acidity, more salt, or are high in sugars tend to be more resistant to microorganisms because they have a really hard time growing in things like that,” says Quoc Le. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that leftover food in the fridge should be reheated to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and ready-to-eat foods to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Soups, sauces, and gravies must come to a boil.
3. Clean up spills and throw away bad leftovers
Per the FDA, clean up spills as soon as they happen to avoid cross-contamination of bacteria from different foods. You also want to avoid “overpacking” your fridge to allow cool air to circulate and keep foods chilled at the right temp. When it comes to leftovers, meat products and dishes with vegetables are usually good for two to three days, Quoc Le says. “Again, things that have acidity and high sugar and salt content are going to be more resistant to spoilage, so you could probably extend that to six to seven days,” he explains.
Sign Up for Our Daily Newsletter
Get all the latest in wellness, trends, food, fitness, beauty, and more delivered right to your inbox.
Our editors independently select these products. Making a purchase through our links may earn Well+Good a commission
As a registered dietitian (RD) with more than a decade of experience, I’ve worked in a range of healthcare settings over the years— from inpatient hospitals and outpatient clinics to private practices—and the one issue that continues to plague all of these establishments is lack of insurance coverage for nutrition consultation.
While patients in a hospital can typically seek the counsel of an RD as part of their stay, many won’t be able to continue that care once they go home as insurance coverage in outpatient and private practice settings is hard to come by. If clients do have coverage, it’s often for a very limited amount of sessions (around two per year maximum) Given that proper nutrition is one of the primary ways to prevent several types of chronic diseases, working with a nutritionist on healthy eating habits is something that almost all adults could benefit from.
Thankfully, one company has made it their mission to address these long-standing issues for patients and nutrition professionals alike…and that company is Fay Nutrition. As an RD, I tested this online service to get firsthand insight into how it works, what it offers, and if it’s worth trying.
Fay was started by Jason Rasmussen, co-founder and CEO of Fay Nutrition. “Both my mom and sister are registered dietitians, and before starting at Harvard Business School, I was helping them with their private practice,” he said. “What I learned was that many dietitians struggled to accept insurance and open a private practice, yet so many people needed the help of an affordable, personal dietitian.”
Rasmussen soon made it his mission to empower RDs and make medical nutrition therapy more affordable and accessible to Americans. “In America, over half of adults1 have one or more preventable conditions linked to eating patterns, but access to nutrition care has been gate-kept by prohibitively high costs and obstacles for dietitians to accept insurance,” he explained. The company aims to help millions of Americans live longer, healthier, and happier lives through the power of nutrition.
My Experience Using Fay Nutrition
A platform linking you to RDs that take your insurance certainly sounds alluring, but what is it actually like to use? Here’s how my test run went.
Given that I was trying the platform on a demo, I was given a special link with an accompanying payment method to use upon signing up. For at-home users, you’d sign up as you would for any other service, inputting your basic personal and payment information (for co-pays if you have any). You then enter your health insurance information. If you don’t have health insurance, your journey on the platform will end here as it hinges upon this prerequisite.
advertisement
From there, it offered me a list of RDs to choose from based on my location, insurance company, and primary nutrition concern. With each listed RD, you can read a little bit about their philosophy and what areas of nutrition they specialize in.
The first RD I chose wasn’t actually available to see new clients—which was a little confusing, to be honest—but the next one I picked was. However, even though available for both virtual and in-person appointments, this next RD was located in Connecticut—a very long drive from my home in Colorado for an in-person session. If I hadn’t been looking for a virtual appointment, this would have required additional time and searching to find a Colorado-based RD.
Thankfully, virtual worked for me, so I went with the Connecticut-based RD and was able to get an appointment within a week of booking, which is impressive given that many outpatient and private practice RDs are booked out for weeks (if not longer). Booking was simple and I received plenty of helpful email communication after the fact, sharing everything I needed to know before the appointment, as well as frequent appointment reminders. Logging into my appointment was just as simple—I clicked the Zoom link in the email and entered right into the meeting.
My RD was very competent with an impressive 25 years of experience working in a range of settings with a variety of patients. She did all the right things when it came to an initial consultation: inquiring about my medical history, family history, basic biometrics, typical eating patterns, activity level, and more. She then offered very sound nutrition advice (I opted to receive general nutrition information) that was catered to me, recommending balanced eating practices that included all the major food groups (in line with my dietary preferences) to provide the correct amount of macro- and micronutrients.
We also had a candid conversation about who I was and what I was up to. This RD had nothing but positive things to say about working with Fay as a long-time professional in the field. She explained how Fay took care of all the behind-the-scenes insurance work, freeing up RDs to see more clients and often landing patients several covered appointments. This has allowed her to have long-standing relationships with Fay clients, making an even bigger impact on their health through nutrition therapy.
She shared several Fay client success stories with me and assured me that she was being compensated competitively by the company—all things I love to hear as an RD who supports other RDs.
Overall, I think Fay Nutrition is providing a great service for both RDs and patients. Throughout my career, I’ve seen time and time again how problematic a lack of insurance coverage for nutrition services can be for those who need it.
Fay addresses this by doing the grunt work for users and dietitians—a middleman that serves both sides. This enables more Americans (with health insurance) to receive nutrition care, while also empowering RDs to build up their businesses. The company also has an extensive vetting process for new hires (according to the RD I spoke to), ensuring that only experienced and well-qualified providers are featured on the platform.
So if you’re seeking nutrition consultation and have health insurance, it’s more than worth logging onto Fay to see what your options are. It’s far quicker and less frustrating than calling your insurance company for coverage confirmation and then doing additional leg work to find covered RDs in your area.
Buttorff C, Ruder T, Bauman M. Multiple Chronic Conditions in the United States. Rand Corp.; 2017.
