Elements of the theory and practice of cookery

quantity of the chopped white of a soft-cooked egg (see recipe), and into c a piece of hard-boiled white, not chopped. Half fill the test-tubes with pepsin and dilute hydrochloric acid,^ and set them in warm water (about 98° F.). At the end of an hour and a half examine them. In which has the white-of -egg been most rapidly dissolved, i.e. digested? After five or six hours look at them again. If any of the egg is still undigested set it aside and look at it again the next day. Does white-of-egg digest more quickly in one piece or when chopped ? What do we learn from this about chewing food ? Which digests more quickly, hard-boiled or soft-cooked albumin ? TABLE SHOWING EFFECT OF HEAT ON ALBUMIN 2 Degree of Heat. Appearance. Digestibility. Raw. Clear, sticky, pale straw-colored liquid. Quickly and easily digestible. Heated to 134^ F. Fine threads of semi-solid white substance appear in liquid. Still readily digestible. Heated to 160° F. Tender, white jelly. Readily digestible. Heated to 212° F. Tough, white jelly. Less easily and quickly digestible. Heated to 300° F., or higher. Hard, horny substance. " Indigestible " ; i.e. digested with difficulty. 1 A digestive juice similar to that in the stomach may be made from 1.1 parts of pepsin and 7.5 parts of hydrochloric acid to 500 parts of water. 2 Yolk albumin coagulates at a lower temperature than white albu- min. In a " three-minute " boiled egg, however, the white is hard and the yolk nearly or quite raw, the heat not having had time to penetrate to the centre of the egg. 88 THEORY AND PRACTICE OF COOKERY 162. It has been found that eggs cooked at 180° can be completely digested by artificial means in five hours, while boiled eggs take longer. It is probable that the same is true of their digestion in the stomach. Recipes SOFT-COOKED EgGS For two4i^iiF6 allow one pint of water; for each addi- tional egg three-fourths of a cupful of water additional. Put the water in a saucepan, let it come to the boiling- point, lower the eggs into it with a spoon, remove at once from the fire, and let stand covered about ten min- utes. The fewer the number of eggs to be cooked, the smaller should be the saucepan, in order that the smaller quantity of water may cover them. 163. To toast bread. — Cut stale bread (at least two days old) into slices one-third of an inch thick. Trim off the crusts, leaving the slices rectangular; lay the bread in a toaster, and hold over a bright coal fire, turn- ing frequently in order that both sides may brown alike. Hold the bread well above the fire at first, to dry it; then nearer, until both sides are an even golden brown. Tt may be buttered at once, but is more wholesome if buttered as it is eaten. Serve on a doily on a hot plate, uncovered. For water toast dip the toasted slices quickly into boiling salted water (half a teaspoonful of salt to one cupful of water), using a fork. Spread with softened butter 1 and serve at once. 1 To soften butter work it with a spoon or knife, — in cold weather in a warmed bowl. TISSUE-BUILDING FOODS: EGGS AND MILK 89 Eggs dropped on Toast (Plate VII, facing p. 102)