It sounds like a harmless kitchen tradition. Crack the eggs, add a splash of milk, whisk, cook. Many people grew up watching their parents do it, so it feels “right.” But chefs and food experts have long debated this exact habit — and the truth surprises a lot of people.

Adding milk to scrambled eggs does change the texture, but not always in a good way. Milk introduces extra water into the eggs. When heat hits that mixture, the water turns to steam, forcing the eggs to cook unevenly. Instead of soft, creamy curds, you often end up with rubbery eggs or a watery layer that separates on the plate. That bland, diluted taste many people complain about usually comes from the milk, not the eggs.

Professional chefs almost never add milk to scrambled eggs. Instead, they rely on gentle heat, constant movement, and sometimes a small amount of butter or cream at the very end. Butter adds richness without thinning the eggs. Cream, if used sparingly, enhances texture without breaking it down the way milk does. The result is eggs that taste more like eggs — fuller, silkier, and more flavorful.

There’s also a science reason behind it. Eggs naturally contain enough moisture to become fluffy when cooked correctly. Adding milk actually interferes with how egg proteins set, preventing that perfect soft structure from forming. That’s why milk-added eggs often look bigger at first but shrink and toughen quickly.

So who’s right? If you like thin, pale, cafeteria-style scrambled eggs, milk will get you there. But if you want rich, tender, restaurant-quality eggs with real flavor, skipping the milk is the secret most people never learn.

Sometimes the difference between “okay” food and amazing food isn’t a fancy ingredient — it’s knowing what not to add.