to a much lighter yellow. The whites should be beaten until jBi'm and dry enough not to fall from the bowl if turned upside down. The yolk should always be beaten first, since if the white is left to stand after be- ing beaten, a portion of the air which its viscous nature allows it to catch up escapes, and no amount of beating will render it so firm a second time. Eggs which need to be washed before breaking should always be wiped perfectly dry, that no water may become mingled with the egg, as the water may dilute the albumen suf- ficiently to prevent the white from becoming firm and stiff when beaten. RECIPES. Eggs in Shell. — The usual method of preparing eggs for serv- ing in this way is to put them into boiling water, and boil or sim- mer until sufficiently cooked. Albumen, of which the white of the egg is composed, is most easily digested when simply coagu- lated. The yolk, if cooked at all, is most easily digested when dry and mealy. Albumen coagulates at 160°, and when the boil- ing point is reached, it becomes hardened, tough, and leathery, and very difficult of digestion. If the egg were all albumen, it might be easily and properly cooked by dropping into boiling water, allowing it to remain for a few seconds, and removing it, since the shell would prevent its becoming sufficiently heated in so short a time as to become hardened ; but the time neces- sary to properly cook the white of the egg would be insuffi- cient for the heat to penetrate to and cook the yolk ; and if it is desirable to cook the yolk hard, the cooking process should be carried on at a temperature below the boiling point, subjecting the egg to a less degree of heat, but for a longer time. The most accurate method is to put the eggs into water of a temperature of 160° F., allowing them to remain for twenty minutes, and not permitting the temperature of the water to go above 170°. Cooked in this way, the white will be of a soft, jelly-like consist- ency throughout, while the yolks will be hard. If it is desired to have the yolks dry and mealy, the temperature of the water must be lower, and the time of cooking lengthened. The most EGGS. Ill perfect results may be secured with water at a temperature of 150° F., and seven hours' cooking. The temperature of the water can be easily tested by keeping an ordinary thermometer in it, and if one possesses a kerosene or gas stove, the heat can be easily regulated to maintain the required temperature. Another method, although less sure, is to pour boiling water into a saucepan, draw it to one side of the range where it will keep hot but not boil, put in the eggs, cover, and let stand for twenty minutes. If by either method it is desired to have the yolk soft-cooked, lessen the time to ten minutes or so, according to the hardness desired. Eggs are best served as soon as done, as the white becomes more solid by being kept in a hot shell. It should be remarked that the time necessary to cook eggs in the shell will vary somewhat with the firmness of the shell, the size of the eggs, and the number cooked together.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

to a much lighter yellow. The whites should be beaten until firm and dry enough not to fall from the bowl if turned upside down. The yolk should always be beaten first, since if the white is left to stand after being beaten, a portion of the air which its viscous nature allows it to catch up escapes, and no amount of beating will render it so firm a second time. Eggs which need to be washed before breaking should always be wiped perfectly dry, that no water may become mingled with the egg, as the water may dilute the albumen sufficiently to prevent the white from becoming firm and stiff when beaten. Eggs in Shell. — The usual method of preparing eggs for serving in this way is to put them into boiling water, and boil or simmer until sufficiently cooked. Albumen, of which the white of the egg is composed, is most easily digested when simply coagulated. The yolk, if cooked at all, is most easily digested when dry and mealy. Albumen coagulates at 160°, and when the boiling point is reached, it becomes hardened, tough, and leathery, and very difficult of digestion. If the egg were all albumen, it might be easily and properly cooked by dropping into boiling water, allowing it to remain for a few seconds, and removing it, since the shell would prevent its becoming sufficiently heated in so short a time as to become hardened ; but the time necessary to properly cook the white of the egg would be insufficient for the heat to penetrate to and cook the yolk ; and if it is desirable to cook the yolk hard, the cooking process should be carried on at a temperature below the boiling point, subjecting the egg to a less degree of heat, but for a longer time. The most accurate method is to put the eggs into water of a temperature of 160° F., allowing them to remain for twenty minutes, and not permitting the temperature of the water to go above 170°. Cooked in this way, the white will be of a soft, jelly-like consistency throughout, while the yolks will be hard. If it is desired to have the yolks dry and mealy, the temperature of the water must be lower, and the time of cooking lengthened. The most EGGS. Ill perfect results may be secured with water at a temperature of 150° F., and seven hours' cooking. The temperature of the water can be easily tested by keeping an ordinary thermometer in it, and if one possesses a kerosene or gas stove, the heat can be easily regulated to maintain the required temperature. Another method, although less sure, is to pour boiling water into a saucepan, draw it to one side of the range where it will keep hot but not boil, put in the eggs, cover, and let stand for twenty minutes. If by either method it is desired to have the yolk soft-cooked, lessen the time to ten minutes or so, according to the hardness desired. Eggs are best served as soon as done, as the white becomes more solid by being kept in a hot shell. It should be remarked that the time necessary to cook eggs in the shell will vary somewhat with the firmness of the shell, the size of the eggs, and the number cooked together.

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