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COOKING OF EGGS

PRELIMINARY PREPARATION

35. The successful preparation of eggs for their use as a food demands
that certain points must be observed by the housewife. For instance, she
must see that the eggs she uses are in the right condition; that the
shells are properly broken for the most convenient removal of the egg;
that the parts of the egg are separated in the right way in case the
whites and the yolks are to be used separately; and that the eggs
receive the right treatment for the purpose for which they are to be
used. Attention to all these points not only will insure the most
satisfactory results, but will enable the housewife to supply her family
with food that is extremely wholesome and nutritious.

[Illustration: FIG. 7]

36. Exterior Condition of Eggs.--As has been explained, clean eggs are
the most desirable, but it is not advisable to wash eggs that are to be
kept for even a short time, as washing them removes the natural coating
that helps to prevent the entrance of bacteria. However, as it is
necessary that the shells be perfectly clean before they are broken or
before the eggs are cooked, the eggs may be washed or wiped with a damp
cloth immediately before such processes.

37. BREAKING OF EGGS.--In cookery, it is usually desirable to break an
egg shell so that the yolk will not run into the white; that is, so
that these can be kept separate. While there are several methods of
doing this, the housewife should adopt the one that is most convenient
for her. A quick method that is often employed consists in striking the
shell on the edge of the pan or the bowl into which the contents are to
be put. A preferable method, however, is illustrated in Fig. 7. It
consists in striking one side of the shell, midway between the ends, a
sharp blow with the edge of a knife. The advantage of this method will
be evident after a trial or two, for it will be found that the depth of
the cut made by the knife can be so gauged that there will be little
danger of breaking the yolk. Besides, fragments of the shell are not
likely to fall into the bowl or the pan with the contents of the egg.

[Illustration: FIG. 8]

38. SEPARATING OF EGGS.--Frequently recipes require that the yolks and
whites of eggs be beaten separately before being added to the other
ingredients. When this is the case, care must be exercised in taking the
egg from the shell. The method by which this is most easily accomplished
is illustrated in Fig. 8. As will be observed, the shell is first broken
as nearly as possible into halves and then, while the egg is poured from
1/2 of the shell into the other, the white is dropped into a dish and
the yolk is retained in the shell. During this process, the yolk should
remain intact in its delicate membrane, for if it becomes mixed with the
white the lightness of the white will be injured. To separate the yolk
from the white is not difficult when eggs are fresh, but as they become
stale the membrane surrounding the yolk grows weak and breaks easily. If
the yolk breaks and any of it falls into the white, it must be
completely removed before the white is beaten.

39. BEATING OF EGGS.--Sometimes eggs are cooked in the shell and other
times they are used alone just as they are removed from the shell, as in
the frying and poaching processes; however, when they are to be
combined with other ingredients, they are usually beaten. Eggs are
beaten for the purpose of mixing the yolk and the white or of
incorporating air to act as a leavening agent when the eggs are heated
in the cooking process. Various utensils, such as a fork, an egg whip,
or an egg beater, may be employed for beating eggs, the one to select
depending on the use to which the eggs are to be put. The rotary, or
Dover, egg beater, previously described as a labor-saving device and
illustrated in Fig. 9 (_a_), should be used to beat either whole eggs or
the yolks of eggs when they are to be used in custards, mayonnaise,
cakes, puddings, etc., as it will beat them sufficiently light for such
purposes. However, for the beating of egg whites, use should be made of
a fork or of an egg whip similar to that shown in (_b_), because the
whites must be lifted instead of stirred for the incorporation of air,
and it is only with a utensil of this kind that this can be
accomplished. Then, too, more air can be incorporated into the whites
and the volume of the egg thereby increased by means of a fork or an egg
whip than by an egg beater. An important point to remember in this
connection is that eggs can be beaten more successfully when they are
cold and have had a pinch of salt added to them.

[Illustration: FIG. 9]

[Illustration: FIG. 10]

40. In the beating of eggs, it should be remembered that for some
purposes, as in making some kinds of sponge cake, they are beaten until
nearly frothy, as shown in Fig. 10, when they do not stand up nor cling
to the whip; whereas, for other purposes, as in making meringue, they
are beaten until they are stiff enough to stand up well and to adhere to
the whip, as Fig. 11 shows. When egg whites are to be beaten stiff, care
should be taken not to continue the beating too long. If this is done,
they will become dry and will break up into small pieces, a condition
that will mean a loss of some of the air that has been incorporated. It
is well also to observe that egg whites should always be beaten in the
same direction and that the same motion should be continued throughout
the beating, for a change of direction or motion always causes a loss of
air. A final precaution to take is never to allow egg whites to stand
after they are beaten. If this is done, the leavening power of the eggs
is reduced, because the air soon escapes from beaten eggs and leaves
underneath them a clear liquid that can never be beaten up. For
instance, eggs that are to be used for boiled icing should not be beaten
until the sirup has finished boiling. However, eggs that have been
separated but not beaten may stand for a couple of hours, provided they
are covered and kept in a cool place.

[Illustration: FIG. 11]


POINTS TO OBSERVE IN COOKING EGGS

41. As has been previously stated, the substance in eggs that requires
special care in the cooking process is the protein, which occurs in this
food in the form of albumen. Because of this, certain points concerning
the treatment that the albumen requires should be kept in mind. In a raw
egg, the albumen occurs in a semiliquid form, but it coagulates at a
lower temperature than does the yolk, which contains a high percentage
of fat. After coagulation, the consistency of the two parts is very
different. The white is elastic and more or less tough, while the yolk,
upon being thoroughly cooked, becomes powdery, or mealy, and breaks up
into minute particles. The egg white begins to coagulate at 134 degrees
Fahrenheit, and it becomes white and jellylike at 160 degrees. Bringing
an egg to such a temperature produces a more desirable result than
cooking it at a high temperature--boiling point, for instance--because
the albumen, instead of becoming tough, as it does at a high
temperature, acquires a soft, tender consistency that exists throughout
the entire egg. An egg cooked in this way is more digestible and
appetizing than one that is boiled until it becomes hard and tough.

42. The low temperature at which eggs will cook in the shell applies
also to eggs when they are combined with other foods. Sometimes,
however, a mixture in which eggs are one of the ingredients must be
cooked at a high temperature because the materials mixed with them
require it. This difficulty can be overcome when eggs are combined with
starchy foods, such as corn starch, rice, and tapioca, that require long
cooking. In such a case, all the ingredients except the eggs may be
cooked the length of time they require, after which the eggs may be
added so that they will cook just long enough to become coagulated.
Longer cooking is liable to spoil the texture. Often the starchy mixture
retains sufficient heat to set the eggs without further cooking after
they are added.

43. A very nutritious way in which to prepare eggs when they are to be
used for a dessert is to combine them with milk to form a custard,
which, after being sweetened and flavored, is baked. The proportion that
has been accepted as ideal to produce a dessert of the right thickness
is one egg to each cupful of milk; however, an entire egg is not always
required, as one yolk is often sufficient to thicken 1 cupful of milk.
Care should be taken in the cooking of such custards, for if they are
cooked too long or at too high a temperature they will curdle and whey;
whereas, a properly cooked custard--that is, one cooked slowly at a low
temperature and for the required length of time--will have a smooth,
jellylike consistency. A slight variation in a dish of this kind is
secured by reducing the number of eggs and thickening it with corn
starch or some other starchy material. While such a mixture is not a
true custard, it makes an excellent dessert.

44. In the cooking of mixtures containing eggs, no utensil proves quite
so satisfactory as the double boiler, which has already been explained
and illustrated. In fact, it is almost impossible to cook an egg mixture
directly over the flame on account of the difficulty encountered in
preventing the eggs from curdling. The low temperature at which cooking
is possible in the double boiler makes it a comparatively simple matter
to bring a mixture to the proper consistency without the formation of
curds. Still, a certain amount of precaution must be taken even with a
double boiler. If the degree of heat that is reached in this utensil is
applied too long, the result will be no more satisfactory than when
mixtures are exposed directly to the heat and cooked at a high
temperature. While every effort should be made to cook mixtures
containing eggs, such as custards or mayonnaise, so as to prevent curds
from forming, occasionally they will form in spite of all that can be
done. However, it is sometimes possible to remedy the matter by placing
the vessel at once in cold water and beating the mixture rapidly with a
Dover egg beater until the curds disappear. The cold water cools the
mixture and prevents the formation of more curds, and the beating breaks
up those which have already formed, provided they are not too hard.

45. In addition to the uses already mentioned, eggs have numerous other
uses in cooking with which the housewife should be familiar. For
instance, slightly beaten egg is used to a great extent to make crumbs
or meal adhere to the surface of croquettes, meat, oysters, etc. that
are to be sauted or fried in deep fat, a coating of this kind preventing
the food from becoming soaked with grease. In addition, egg is used to
stick flour together for certain kinds of dough, such as noodles. Then,
again, it is much used to puff up mixtures and produce a hollow space in
them, as in popovers and cream puffs. While such mixtures do not require
beating, spongy mixtures, such as omelets and sponge cakes, do. In
these, eggs are an important factor, and they must be thoroughly beaten
in order to incorporate the air in small bubbles and thus produce the
desired texture.