Experimental cookery

Use a pan deep enough so that water will entirely cover the egg. Add a pint of water. Use more water if necessary, but all should use the same quantity. A film of fat rubbed over the bottom of the pan before the water is added seems to help prevent the egg from sticking to the pan. Have the water boiling when the egg is added. Keep the water bubbling very slowly. (For edible purposes it is better to keep the water below the boiling point after the egg is added, but the temperature of the water in different pans may vary widely. Hence, keeping the water boiling very slowly serves for comparative purposes.) Cook 3 minutes. Start with fresh water for each experiment. Break the egg into a sauce dish just before adding to the water. Slide it carefully into the water. Study the structure of one egg after it is broken out of the shell. Note the proportion of thick and thin white, for this will vary with different eggs. If very different in some individual eggs, cook and repeat one part of the experiment, to see if you get the same results the second time. Note the chalazae. Do any spots appear on the yolk? A. Fresh eggs. 1. Cook in plain water. 2. Add 94 teaspoon of salt per pint of water. 3. Add 1 teaspoon of vinegar per pint of water. 4. Decide which of the three experiments above gives the best-appearing product, then repeat it; but swirl the water around the pan, dropping the egg in the center. B. Eggs deteriorated so that they have a larger proportion of thin white. 1. Repeat Al. 2. Repeat A2. 3. Repeat A3. 4. Repeat A4. C. Repeat Al, using a ring placed in the bottom of the pan in which the egg is placed. Or use any type of cup made for poaching eggs. Which coagulates better, the thick or thin portions of the egg white? What is the effect of adding salt? Vinegar? Would the technic in swirling the water make any difference in the result? Why not swirl too hard? If eggs are cooked at a lower temperature, should the time be increased? Do you wish to try changing the proportion of salt? The time and tempera- ture of cooking? 378 EGG COOKERY White Yolk Extent of coagulation Texture Extent of coagulation Texture Comments Condi Custards Experiment 64. To determine the factors that affect the coagulation and curdling of custards. Recipe : Milk 1 cup 244 grams Egg 1 48 grams Sugar 2 tablespoons 25 grams A. To determine the effect of rate of coagulation upon the texture and consistency of custards. 1. Prepare 2 times the recipe, then divide into equal parts; use part one for Al, and part two for A2. It is better for two or more students to work together for this experiment. Combine all the ingredients and mix thor- oughly. Put one part in the upper part of a double boiler. The boiler should be rather deep to have the custard sufficient to cover the thermometer bulb when portions of the custard are removed. A double boiler holding a quart and about 4 inches in depth is satisfactory. Add a pint of cold water to the lower part; then put the upper portion of the double boiler into the lower. Make a record of the temperature of the custard mixture and the time. Put over the fire and heat. The heating may be rapid until the custard mixture reaches a temperature of 70°C.