There tend to be two camps when it comes to making scrambled eggs.

Most of us scramble like crazy. The beaten egg hits the pan and we’re off! We scramble, scramble, scramble, stir, stir, stir until all that’s left is a pile of tiny little bits of cooked egg that resembles the texture of wild rice or granola.

There’s certainly nothing wrong with a hyperactive scramble. I’ve got a handful of friends that prefer their eggs that way. They come out drier, so there’s none of that undercooked gooeyness, and the constant stirring prevents any of that papery film from forming around the edges. To some, this is the way scrambled eggs are supposed to be. Personally, it reminds me of a cheap breakfast buffet line. But it’s also the way to go when making fried rice, for example.

Most folks just don’t realize there’s any other way to scramble—especially when that’s the way you learned to do it, or when you’re just starting in the kitchen. As is pretty typical for me, the “aha!” moment came as my dad stood watching over my shoulder when I was a kid.

“Just let them be for a minute!” he said as my spatula went back in to break up the cooking egg some more. I stood there, spatula mid-air, with a confused look on my face. What was he talking about? I was scrambling!

He went on to explain an alternative scrambling strategy, one that produces light, wonderfully fluffy eggs that retain some moisture and can actually be cut with a fork, which makes them less messy and easier to maneuver into tacos or on top of toast, bagels or English muffins. They kind of fall somewhere between the first type of scrambled eggs and an omelet.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Beat your eggs and mix any extra goodies you want to include straight into the bowl. Grated cheese, spices, a splash of milk, or spoonful of yogurt can all be mixed right in. You’ll want to cook onion or other veggies separately.
2. Grease and heat up your skillet. Cook down your veggies until soft, if you’re using any. Pour in the beaten egg and let it sit for about a minute before you stir.
3. Once you see that the egg has solidified on the bottom and large bubbles are starting to form, start at one side of the pan and gently push the egg in toward the middle with your spatula. It will sort of ripple and fold up toward the center. Repeat this all the way around the pan.
4. Tilt the pan around so that the portions that are still liquidy and uncooked run into the empty spots and firm up. Repeat as needed.
5. From here, gently flip your egg to make sure it’s cooked on both sides and in the middle. If you’ve got one big piece, you can cut through it with your spatula to create a few smaller pieces. You may want to unfurl them a bit if you find the middle is too wet for your liking. You can also turn the heat down and just let them cook a bit longer to reduce the gooey factor.

Once I started making my eggs this way, I never looked back. I find the texture to be so much smoother, fuller, and more satisfying. It also holds onto heat a good deal longer, so your eggs don’t get cold as fast.

Perhaps my favorite perk of super fluffy scrambled eggs is that they make one heck of a solid breakfast taco. You won’t get any little pieces falling out the back end of your tortilla with this method, folks. It seems to create just the right ratio of taco to filling.

Do you scramble to death? Why not try backing off just a bit and seeing how you dig the fluffy style? I think you’ll be surprised how much difference just a little less spatula time makes.