Foods and home making

4. Should eggs be bought by the dozen or by the pound? Why? 5- Why does bacon taste different from fresh pork? 6. Why do egg whites sometimes fail to beat up stiff? 7. Why does a spoiled egg float in water? 8. Should eggs be cooked in boiling water or in water below the boil- ing point? Explain your answer. 9. Should a fork or an egg beater be used to beat egg whites stiff? Why? 10. Which costs the least a pound — sliced bacon in bulk, in packages, or in jars? How can you tell at market whether eggs are fresh ? Some persons have eggs every morning for breakfast. An egg is a very nourishing food for both young and old. Let us see what we can learn about buying this important food. When you go to market to buy eggs a storekeeper may ask you if you want strictly fresh eggs or storage eggs. The former usually cost more than the latter. The kind you should select will depend upon how the eggs are to be used. If eggs are to be soft-boiled or, more properly speaking, soft-cooked , or if they are to be poached, it is well to buy strictly fresh eggs. If eggs are bought for cake baking, for muffins or other breads, for scram- bling, or for omelets, storage eggs may be bought provided the eggs have been stored carefully in a clean, cool place. 92 Eggs, Bacon, and Other Breakfast Dishes 93 In judging eggs at market there are two tests that may be conveniently made : 1. Look at the shells. They should be clean. When egg shells are dirty, it usually means that they have been carelessly handled. Also look to see whether the egg shells are rough and dull. Newly-laid eggs have rougher, duller shells than storage eggs. When eggs age, the shells become smoother and some- what glossy. Whether the shell is white or light brown has nothing to do with the quality of an egg or with its age. It has been determined that the color of the shell does not affect the inside of the egg. 2. Shake the eggs. When you shake a strictly fresh egg you cannot feel the inside of the egg move back and forth. If you can feel the contents move in the shell, the egg was laid some time ago. If you are planning to buy storage eggs, feeling the egg shake in the shell should not condemn it, unless you find other indications that the egg is unfit to eat. Why is it that shaking an egg may tell you whether or not it is freshly laid? Like many foods eggs contain water. As an egg ages, it loses some of the water, which escapes through the shell. If an egg has lost very little water, the edible portion almost fills the shell and will not shake around. On the other hand, if some water has evaporated, the contents will move. In some states eggs are inspected and graded according to gov- ernment regulations. The cartons containing graded eggs bear the government stamp and date. Either fresh or storage eggs may be graded, but the latter must be marked cold storage. En- courage the practice of grading eggs. When marketing ask for them. How can you tell at home if eggs are fit to eat ? Place eggs in a pan of salt water , one heaping tablespoon to a pint. Good eggs will sink. Spoiled eggs will float. The loss of water by evapora- tion makes them lighter. When eggs spoil, some of the mate- rials change, with the result that a gas is formed which has a dis- 94 Breakfast