The shells of newly laid eggs are almost full ; but as the shells are porous, on exposure to the air, the water inside evaporates, and the eggs grow hghter, while air rushes in to fill the place of the water, and causes the nitrogenous elements to decompose, and the eggs soon spoil. This explains wh}^ a good egg is heavy, and will sink in water ; and wh}- a stale egg is lighter, has a rattling or gurgling sound, and floats in the water. Any- thing which will fill up the pores and thus exclude the air, when applied to perfectlj' fresh eggs, will preserve them indefinitely ; a coating of liquid fat or gum, or a packing in bran or salt, with the small end downward, is effectual. Eggs should be kept in a cool, dark place, and handled carefully, as an}^ rough motion may cause the white and yolk to become mixed, hy rupturing the membrane which separates them, and then the egg spoils quickly. Never buy eggs about the freshness of which you have an}^ doubt, not even in winter. One can easily judge which is the better economy, — to pay twenty-five or thirty cents a dozen, and find none of them full and fresh, and perhaps half of them really rotten ; or to pay fifty cents, and obtain them freshl}^ laid, — not merely fresh from the countr}^, — and all sound and good. Eggs with a dark shell are richer and have larger yolks. Eggs are of better The Boston Cook Book. 199 flavor and more palatable in the spring, but are good and suitable, if perfectly fresh, at any season. Boiled Eggs (the Best Way). Put the eggs in a saucepan✪ Boiled Eggs (the Best Way), cover with boiling water, and let them stand about ten minutes where the water will keep hot (180°), but not boiling. The white should be of a soft jelly-like consistency, and the yolk soft but not liquid. Experience will show the exact time to keep the eggs in the water to suit individual tastes. The}^ should be served immediately, as they harden by being kept in the hot shell. An egg, to be cooked soft, should never be cooked in boiling water ^ as the white hardens un- evenl}' before the heat reaches the yolk. Hard-hoiled Eggs, — Cook eggs for twenty minutes in water just below the boiling-point, for use in any receipt which specifies hard-boiled eggs. The 3^olk of an egg cooked ten minutes is tough and indigestible ; twenty minutes will make the yolk dry and meal}^ ; then it may be more easily rubbed smooth for salad or other mixtures, and more quickly penetrated by the gastric fluid. If the shell of an egg be cracked before boiling, pierce several small holes in the large end to keep the contents from bursting out at the crack. Dropped or Poached Eggs on Toast. Toast a slice of bread for each egg✪ Dropped or Poached Eggs on Toast, and trim neatly, or cut with a round cutter before toasting. Have a very clean shallow pan nearly full of salted and boiling water. Remove all the scum, and let the water simmer. Break each egg carefully into a cup, and slip it gently into the water. Dip the water over them with a spoon, and when a film has formed on the yolk and the white is firm, take each up with a skimmer ; drain, trim the edges, and place on the toast. Put a bit of butter and a little salt and pepper on each egg; or make a thin cream sauce and pour it around them. Put a tablespoonful of lemon juice 200 The Boston Cook Book.

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The shells of newly laid eggs are almost full ; but as the shells are porous, on exposure to the air, the water inside evaporates, and the eggs grow hghter, while air rushes in to fill the place of the water, and causes the nitrogenous elements to decompose, and the eggs soon spoil. This explains wh}^ a good egg is heavy, and will sink in water ; and wh}- a stale egg is lighter, has a rattling or gurgling sound, and floats in the water. Any- thing which will fill up the pores and thus exclude the air, when applied to perfectlj' fresh eggs, will preserve them indefinitely ; a coating of liquid fat or gum, or a packing in bran or salt, with the small end downward, is effectual. Eggs should be kept in a cool, dark place, and handled carefully, as an}^ rough motion may cause the white and yolk to become mixed, hy rupturing the membrane which separates them, and then the egg spoils quickly. Never buy eggs about the freshness of which you have an}^ doubt, not even in winter. One can easily judge which is the better economy, — to pay twenty-five or thirty cents a dozen, and find none of them full and fresh, and perhaps half of them really rotten ; or to pay fifty cents, and obtain them freshl}^ laid, — not merely fresh from the countr}^, — and all sound and good. Eggs with a dark shell are richer and have larger yolks. Eggs are of better The Boston Cook Book. 199 flavor and more palatable in the spring, but are good and suitable, if perfectly fresh, at any season. Boiled Eggs (the Best Way). Put the eggs in a saucepan, cover with boiling water, and let them stand about ten minutes where the water will keep hot (180°), but not boiling. The white should be of a soft jelly-like consistency, and the yolk soft but not liquid. Experience will show the exact time to keep the eggs in the water to suit individual tastes. The}^ should be served immediately, as they harden by being kept in the hot shell. An egg, to be cooked soft, should never be cooked in boiling water ^ as the white hardens un- evenl}' before the heat reaches the yolk. Hard-hoiled Eggs, — Cook eggs for twenty minutes in water just below the boiling-point, for use in any receipt which specifies hard-boiled eggs. The 3^olk of an egg cooked ten minutes is tough and indigestible ; twenty minutes will make the yolk dry and meal}^ ; then it may be more easily rubbed smooth for salad or other mixtures, and more quickly penetrated by the gastric fluid. If the shell of an egg be cracked before boiling, pierce several small holes in the large end to keep the contents from bursting out at the crack. Dropped or Poached Eggs on Toast. Toast a slice of bread for each egg, and trim neatly, or cut with a round cutter before toasting. Have a very clean shallow pan nearly full of salted and boiling water. Remove all the scum, and let the water simmer. Break each egg carefully into a cup, and slip it gently into the water. Dip the water over them with a spoon, and when a film has formed on the yolk and the white is firm, take each up with a skimmer ; drain, trim the edges, and place on the toast. Put a bit of butter and a little salt and pepper on each egg; or make a thin cream sauce and pour it around them. Put a tablespoonful of lemon juice 200 The Boston Cook Book.

Mrs. Lincoln's Boston cook book