Foods, their selection and preparation

For hard-cooked, after the eggs are covered with boiling water, cover the pan and heat at simmering temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. Allow two to four minutes longer for extra-large or very cold eggs.1 A double-boiler may be used to insure a simmering temperature. Cool immediately in running cold water. The shells of hard-cooked eggs !It is sometimes well to allow eggs to stand out of the refrigerator long enough for them to lose their refrigerator chill. [102] Method1 Soft-cooked Hard-cooked Table XXI • Cold- Water Start Time Place eggs in pan; cover with cold water; heat to boiling; turn off heat. 2 to 4 minutes; open at once. Cover pan; 15 minutes; cool in running water. for Cooking Eggs Boiling- Water Start in the Shell Place eggs in pan; cover with boiling 6 to 8 minutes; open at Simmer 15 to 20 minutes2; water; cover pan. once. cool in running cold water. may be cracked by tapping with a spoon. To loosen the shell, roll the egg between the hands, then peel, beginning at the large end, holding the egg under running water to ease off the shell. The cold-water start may be more con¬ venient and may save time in some cases, but the boiling-water start is more definite. In the cold-water start, the amount of cook¬ ing will vary with the temperature of the water at the start and also with the rate of heating. It is well to test both methods care¬ fully and standardize the procedure pre¬ ferred and the consistency desired. Exact times for soft-cooked or hardcooked eggs, by either method, will vary according to individual tastes, the size of the eggs, and their temperature at the time cook¬ ing was begun. Table XXI gives approxi¬ mate cooking times for both soft- and hardcooked eggs, with both a cold- and a boilingwater start. Cooling hard-cooked eggs quickly in running cold water tends to prevent the surface of the yolks from turning green and also prevents the shell membrane from stick¬ ing to the egg white. There are commercial egg-cookers avail¬ able, especially for use in the restaurant and hotel kitchens where eggs must be cooked to order. Regardless of the equipment used, eggs cooked in the shell should be cooked at the simmering temperature, never boiling, for tenderness and uniformity of consistency. Overcooking, too, is to be avoided, whether for soft- or hard-cooked eggs. Poached Eggs. One of the simplest methods of cooking eggs out of the shell is by poaching. To poach eggs, use a shallow pan with enough water to cover the eggs. Heat the water to boiling; then reduce the heat to hold the temperature of the water at simmering, just below boiling. Break each egg into a cup and slip gently but quickly from the cup into the water. The heat may be turned off unless several cold eggs are put into the water. The addition of salt to the water before putting in the egg hastens somewhat the coagulation of the egg and helps to keep it from spreading too much. There are egg rings available for keeping eggs in a regular shape during poaching, but high-quality eggs will not spread to any extent if carefully handled. It requires three to five minutes to poach eggs at the simmering temperature. For practical purposes, however, the consistency is judged by the appearance of the egg and by the resistance of the yolk when the tines of a fork are pressed gently against it.