Eggs

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Eggs
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Cooking Rules for Eggs
1. Avoid excessive temperatures
2. Avoid excessive cooking time
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Functions of Eggs
Other than the obvious twoflavor and color.
1. They cause foods to get thick thickening

• They serve as a tenderizer
  the opposite of tender is tough

3. They serve as a binder holding the food
together
4. They clarifymake liquids clear and
transparent
5. They cause foods to get brown browning
6. They preserve texture
7. They enrich adding nutrients such as
protein
8. They make foods rise a leavening agent.
.
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PARTS OF AN EGG
AIR CELL
THICK ALBUMEN
INNER AND OUTER SHELL
MEMBRANES
THIN ALBUMEN
SHELL
CHALAZAE
YOLK
VITELLINE MEMBRANE
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EGG GRADING
Egg grades are based on the shape of the yolk and
the amounts of thick and thin whites.
Before they are sold, eggs are graded. This
used to be done by holding the egg over a bright
light so you could see through the shell. This
process was called candling.
Grade AA egg
Grade A egg
The egg will lose quality as it ages. The older
an egg gets, the flatter the yolk and thinner the
whites.
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How can you tell a fresh egg from a spoiled one?
A spoiled egg has a shiny shell and floats in
water. It is only AFTER you crack open the egg
that it smells bad, and by that time you may have
added the egg to your other ingredients. That
would be TOO LATE! If you suspect that an egg
may be spoiled, use this water test first.
A fresh egg has a domed yolk (not flattened).
There is plenty of thick egg white (notice both
the thick and thin whites in the picture) and the
whites are translucent (see-thru).
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Separating Eggs
Some recipes call just for the egg whites, while
others call only for the yolks. When separating
the two parts, be careful not to break the yolk.
If a yolk does break and gets into the white, use
the sharp edge of an empty shell to scoop the
yolk out of the whites.
An egg separator utensil such as this one can
be purchased by those who have difficulty
separating eggs.
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Egg whites start out being slimy. As they are
beaten, air is added. The whites turn from pale
yellow to white in color and increase in
volume. The more volumethe better. You
should follow as many rules as possible for
increasing the volume of beaten egg whites!
A. Eggs should be at room temperature
B. Dont get any yolk mixed in with the whites
C. Use a smaller deep bowl, rather than a
larger shallow one
D. Use a copper bowl
E. Make sure eggs are at least 3 days old
F. No grease residue allowed! (none on beaters,
bowl, etc.)
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MERINGUE
A meringue is basically a mixture of beaten egg
whites and sugar. Although there are several
types, the most common use of meringue is as a
topping for pies.
If the oven temperature is too high, the meringue
will shrivel and shrink back from the edges of
the crust. Too low of temperature causes the
meringue to be dry.
If too much sugar is beaten into the egg whites,
yellow liquid beads will appear on the baked
and cooled meringue. This is called weeping.
It is an undesirable qualitymeasure carefully!
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Your egg whites turned gray while being beaten?
You were probably using an aluminum bowl or
aluminum beaters, or perhaps your nickel or
chrome plated beaters have a nick on the finish.
Egg whites exposed to aluminum causes them to
turn gray in color!
Your egg whites turned green while being beaten?
Were you using a copper bowl that had traces of
some sort of acid presentlike cream of tartar or
lemon juice? The metal copper in combination
with acid causes egg whites to turn a greenish
color!
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Selecting eggs for hard-cooking (hard boiling)
...
EGGS USED FOR HARD-COOKING MUST BE AT LEAST 3
DAYS OLD!
In eggs fresher than 3 days old, the outer
membrane adheres to the shell during the cooking
process. When you try to peel the egg, chunks of
egg white cling to the shell, and are removed
when the egg is peeled. What a mess!
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How can you tell a raw egg from a hard-cooked egg
without breaking the shell?
Place the egg on its pointed end, and spin it
like a toy top. A hard-cooked egg will spin, but
a raw egg will topple over immediately! (The
heavy yolk wobbles back and forth inside, causing
the egg to topple over.)
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COMMON EGG DISHES DEVILLED EGGS
1. Check eggs for cracks. Cover with cold water.
2. Bring water to just-under-boiling. Time for
10 minutes.
3. Immediately cool eggs. Overcooking allows
the iron in the yolk to reach the outside of the
yolk and leave a green ring around the yolk.
4. Remove shells.
6. Place yolks in a shallow dish, such as a pie
plate.
7. Thoroughly mash yolks with a fork.
5. Cut eggs in half lengthwise and remove yolks.
8. Moisten with mayonnaise. Add mustard and
seasonings to taste.
9. Fill hollows of egg whites with the yolk
mixture. Garnish as desired. Paprika is a
popular garnishadding color and sweetness.
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COMMON EGG DISHES OMELETS
1. Select a skillet with sloping sides and a
lid. Non-stick surfaces such as teflon are ideal.
2. Beat whole eggs and seasonings. Usually 2 or
3 eggs are used.
3. Melt butter in skillet (even if teflon) and
add beaten eggs.
4. Carefully lift edges of cooked eggs, allowing
uncooked mixture to run underneath.
5. If you are adding fillings such as diced ham
and grated cheese, place those fillings on only ½
of the egg mixture. Adding the lid at this time
will help heat the filling.
6.Using a spatula/turner, carefully lift the
unfilled side of the cooked egg mixture and fold
it in half over the filled side of the omelet.
Continue cooking til filling is completely done.
7. Carefully slide the omelet out of the skillet
and onto a plate.
8. Serve this french omelet plain or with
condiments.
A puffy omelet is one in which stiffly beaten
egg whites are folded into egg yolks. It starts
cooking on the stovetop and finishes in the oven.
It is not filled, but often served with sauce.
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COMMON EGG DISHES CUSTARDS
A custard is any soft, egg-based dish.
Unsweetened ones can be served as main or side
dishes, while sweet custards are served for
dessert.
Real men dont eat quiche! The delicate flavors
of this custard-based dish are often not
appreciated by the meat and potatoes crowd.
Served as a main dish for breakfast or lunch,
common quiche fillings include ham, crumbled
bacon, sausage, swiss cheese, and vegetables.
Pumpkin pie and baked custard cups are two
favorite dessert custards.
Use the knife test to check a custard for
doneness. Insert the knife halfway between the
center and the edge of the dish. If the knife
comes out cleanthe custard is done.
These custard cups are set in a pan of water for
baking. The water moderates the baking
temperature.
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Adding egg yolks to hot mixtures...
You cannot add egg yolks directly to hot mixtures
or the egg will cook instantly and cause lumps!
You must first warm the yolks. Begin by slowly
adding the hot mixture to the beaten yolks while
stirring the yolks constantly. Then reverse the
procedure, adding the warmed yolks to the hot
mixture. This process of warming the yolks
first is called
tempering!
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Challenging egg dishes...
Are you looking for a challenge? Perhaps you
should try making a souffle. Served as a main
or side dish, or sweetened and served as
dessertthe key ingredient of any souffle are
the beaten egg whites that are carefully folded
in. The voluminous egg whites cause the souffle
to rise, but even a slight vibration or
temperature change may cause it to fall!
This high hat souffle is baked in a straight
sided dish. It rises above the edge of the dish
and obtains a crown-effect.
A traditional hollandaise is a mild egg, butter,
and lemon sauce that requires constant stirring.
It is served over green vegetables or eggs
benedict. Shown on the right, this consists of
an English muffin topped with canadian bacon,
poached egg, and sauce.
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THE END
NOW IT'S YOUR TURN TO COOK
THE INCREDIBLE, EDIBLE EGGS!
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• Preparing individuals for life and work
• Strengthening families
• Empowering communities
• Created by Barbara L. Swarthout, Family
  Consumer Sciences teacher at Elkhorn High School