Foods and home making

Have you ever noticed that part of a soft-boiled egg is often raw? When eggs are cooked in boiling water they do not cook evenly. Eggs may be cooked more evenly if they are cooked in water just below the boiling point. Even when eggs are cooked hard they should not be cooked in water at boiling temperature. Eggs which are cooked in boiling water until they are hard are tough. By cooking eggs in water below the boiling point, the white will become firm (but not tough) and the yolk mealy. We say then that eggs should be soft- or hard -cooked rather than soft- or Yvaxd-boiled. This method of cooking eggs follows : SOFT-COOKED EGGS — HARD-COOKED EGGS Put the eggs in a pan of boiling hot water. There should be enough water to cover the eggs. Cover the pan ; place it where the water will keep hot, but not boil. For soft eggs, let the eggs remain in hot water 5 minutes. In case a number of eggs are cooked at one time and they are very cold, a longer time for cooking may be necessary. For medium eggs, let the eggs remain in hot water 8 to io minutes. For hard eggs, let the eggs remain in hot water 45 minutes. After hard-cooking, pour off hot water, cover with cold water. The shells will then come off easier. Eggs may be hard-cooked also by covering them with cold water and heating the water gradually until it reaches the boiling point. Then remove from the flame. Cover and let stand in a warm place for 20 minutes. POACHED EGG ON TOAST This is a favorite breakfast dish. You have already learned to make toast. (See page 78.) Make as many slices of toast as there are eggs to be cooked. The toast should be made before or while the eggs are poaching. The toast will be harmed less by standing than the eggs. After the toast is made spread it with butter. A poached egg is cooked in water, but the shell is taken from the egg Eggs, Bacon, and Other Breakfast Dishes 97 before it is put into the water. Use a shallow pan, greased slightly. Fill it about § full of water. Add salt to the water — f teaspoon for each pint of water. Put buttered muffin rings into the pan. Heat the water until it boils. Break the eggs one at a time into a cup or small dish. Carefully pour each one into one of the muffin rings. When all the eggs have been placed in the pan, cover the pan. Place it where the water will keep hot, but not boil. Occasionally dip a tablespoon of water from between the eggs in the pan and pour it over an egg yolk. Repeat until hot water has been poured over all the eggs. Let the eggs stand for about 5 minutes or until the egg white is stiffened. The film covering the yolk should also be stiffened. Take each egg out of the pan with a skimmer and place on a slice of toast. If soft toast is liked, pour a few spoonfuls of the hot water over the toast. Serve the toast and egg at once. Why does beating sometimes fail to make egg whites stiff ? Experiment 11 : To show the difference between beating a whole egg and beating an egg white. (a) Break an egg. Separate the white and the yolk, pouring the white into a small bowl. Try to separate the egg so as not to mix any of the yolk with the white. If some of the yolk gets into the white, re- move the bit of yolk.