How to Temper Eggs

Custards and ice cream bases aren't hard to make — they just need a little handholding to keep the eggs in them from scrambling. Tempering such mixtures is the solution, and here's how you do it.

Bring the milk to a boil. Once it begins to foam on the edges, lower the temperature.

Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk them.

Add the milk in 1/2-cup increments to bring the temperature of the eggs up gradually while whisking. Tip: Whisking the eggs with sugar helps, too.