About one-sixth of the egg is albumin (a form of protein)
used in building the different tissues of the chick. Seventy-
four per cent is water to supply the water necessary in these
tissues and in the circulating liquids. Fat, the most concen-
trated form of heat producing food, is there in quite large quan-
tity to furnish heat and muscular energy and lastly there are
the mineral salts, especially lime, for the bones and other tissues.
124 FOOD AND COOKERY
The white of the egg is made up of albumin, water and
mineral matter; the yolk contains water, albumin, fat, minerals
and some coloring matter.
Composition of edible portion of hen's egg compared with
moderately lean meat (Bailey's Sanitary & Applied Chemistry) :
Hen's Egg.
Lean Meat.
Water
73.7
73.0
Fat
10.5
5.5
Protein
14.8
2i;o
Mineral Matter 1.0
1.0
By comparing the composition of the egg with that of lean
meat you will see that eggs make a good substitute for meat.
Eight to ten eggs will weigh one pound and contain about the
same nourishment that will be found in one pound of beef.
As there is no starch or sugar present in the egg, eggs
should be served with such foods as rice, bread, potatoes, etc.,
or made into desserts with sugar, tapioca, etc.
Spoiling of Eggs.
If eggs are kept for any length of time, some of the water
will evaporate and bacteria-laden air will find its way into the
egg. These bacteria soon cause the changes in the egg that we
call spoiling. Sometimes if eggs are kept in a warm, damp
place mold will form on the outside and push its way through
the shell, ruining the contents of the egg as an article of food.
Preservation of Eggs.
To keep eggs from spoiling we must exclude the air from
them. This can be done by coating them with a solution of
water glass (silicate of soda). To preserve with silicate of soda,
dissolve 4 C. of water glass in ten quarts of water, pack the eggs,
small end down, in a stone jar, then pour over them the solution
EGGS
125
of water glass until the eggs are completely covered.. Cover
the jar and place in a cool place. Eggs will keep all winter
packed in this way.
As bacteria need warmth if they are to grow and cause
food to spoil, eggs can be kept from spoiling by being put in
cold storage. Thousands of dozens of eggs are put into cold
storage every summer and sold in the cities during the winter.
Tests for Fresh Eggs.
1. Drop the egg into a bowl of water. If it sinks it is fresh,
if it stands on end it is not quite fresh and if it floats it is prob-
ably spoiled.
EGG TESTEi;.
2. Hold the egg in front of a bright light and look through
it. If it looks clear it is fresh, if it is opaque it is not fresh. Tliis
is called candling and is the test used by dealers before eggs
are packed in cold storage.
Effects of Heat on Albumin.
The word albumin comes from Albus, meaning white. Al-
bumin hardens and turns white on being heated.
126 FOOD AND COOKERY
Experiments.
Have two saucepans of boiling water. Break -an egg care-
fully into a saucer, remove one saucepan from the fire, slip the
egg into the water. Cover the pan and set aside for eight min-
utes.
Break another egg into the other saucepan of boiling water.
Keep the water boiling for three minutes.
Examine the two eggs and see which is more tender.
Test the temperature of the water in each saucepan.
Albumin becomes firm and jelly-like at 160° 'W'., and gets
hard and tough, therefore less digestible, at 212° F., or the tem-
perature of boiling water. If an egg is cooked below boiling
temperature long enough (from 45 to 60 min.) the yolk will be
dry and mealy and the white will be tender. The old way of
boiling an egg ten minutes to have it "hard boiled" produced
an egg in which the yt)lk was dark and the white tough and
indigestible.
Practical Hints.
The shell of a fresh egg is rough, not smooth and shiny.
Page 25
Presented as published in 1915. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
About one-sixth of the egg is albumin (a form of protein) used in building the different tissues of the chick. Seventyfour per cent is water to supply the water necessary in these tissues and in the circulating liquids. Fat, the most concentrated form of heat producing food, is there in quite large quantity to furnish heat and muscular energy and lastly there are the mineral salts, especially lime, for the bones and other tissues.
The white of the egg is made up of albumin, water and mineral matter; the yolk contains water, albumin, fat, minerals and some coloring matter.
Composition of edible portion of hen's egg compared with moderately lean meat (Bailey's Sanitary & Applied Chemistry) :
Hen's Egg.
Lean Meat.
Water
73.7
73.0
Fat
10.5
5.5
Protein
14.8
2i;o
Mineral Matter 1.0
1.0
By comparing the composition of the egg with that of lean meat you will see that eggs make a good substitute for meat. Eight to ten eggs will weigh one pound and contain about the same nourishment that will be found in one pound of beef.
As there is no starch or sugar present in the egg, eggs should be served with such foods as rice, bread, potatoes, etc., or made into desserts with sugar, tapioca, etc.
Spoiling of Eggs.
If eggs are kept for any length of time, some of the water will evaporate and bacteria-laden air will find its way into the egg. These bacteria soon cause the changes in the egg that we call spoiling. Sometimes if eggs are kept in a warm, damp place mold will form on the outside and push its way through the shell, ruining the contents of the egg as an article of food.
Preservation of Eggs.
To keep eggs from spoiling we must exclude the air from them. This can be done by coating them with a solution of water glass (silicate of soda). To preserve with silicate of soda, dissolve 4 C. of water glass in ten quarts of water, pack the eggs, small end down, in a stone jar, then pour over them the solution
of water glass until the eggs are completely covered.. Cover the jar and place in a cool place. Eggs will keep all winter packed in this way.
As bacteria need warmth if they are to grow and cause food to spoil, eggs can be kept from spoiling by being put in cold storage. Thousands of dozens of eggs are put into cold storage every summer and sold in the cities during the winter. Tests for Fresh Eggs.
1. Drop the egg into a bowl of water. If it sinks it is fresh, if it stands on end it is not quite fresh and if it floats it is probably spoiled.
EGG TESTER.
2. Hold the egg in front of a bright light and look through it. If it looks clear it is fresh, if it is opaque it is not fresh. Tliis is called candling and is the test used by dealers before eggs are packed in cold storage. Effects of Heat on Albumin.
The word albumin comes from Albus, meaning white. Albumin hardens and turns white on being heated.
Experiments.
Have two saucepans of boiling water. Break -an egg carefully into a saucer, remove one saucepan from the fire, slip the egg into the water. Cover the pan and set aside for eight minutes.
Break another egg into the other saucepan of boiling water. Keep the water boiling for three minutes.
Examine the two eggs and see which is more tender.
Test the temperature of the water in each saucepan.
Albumin becomes firm and jelly-like at 160° F., and gets hard and tough, therefore less digestible, at 212° F., or the temperature of boiling water. If an egg is cooked below boiling temperature long enough (from 45 to 60 min.) the yolk will be dry and mealy and the white will be tender. The old way of boiling an egg ten minutes to have it "hard boiled" produced an egg in which the yolk was dark and the white tough and indigestible.
Practical Hints.
The shell of a fresh egg is rough, not smooth and shiny.