The composition of eggs varies with the kind of fowl and its food. The edible portion of the average hen's egg is nearly 75 per cent, water, 12 per cent, protein, 12 per cent, fat, and I per cent, ash or mineral mat- ter. Since carbohydrates are lacking, we naturally com- bine eggs with starches and sugar which supply the class of substance missing. Like milk, eggs may be eaten either raw or cooked, and the ways of cooking eggs, however elaborate they seem, may be reduced to a few simple processes. We shall have the key to all cookery of eggs if we study some eggs cooked by moderate and some by intense heat. Effect' To see how the egg is affected by different degrees on Eggs °i heat, we may poach several eggs, or drop them from their shells into water at different temperatures. When an egg is dropped into a saucepan with cold water, and heat applied, before the egg begins to cook, the egg and water mingle somewhat, showing that a portion of the raw egg is soluble in cold water. As the water is heated, this soluble egg becomes cooked and rises in a thick froth on top, and if the cooking is continued longer, this froth may contract and settle. This point is turned to the cook's advantage in clear- ing jellies, soup stocks, and coffee. Thus even the lit- tle portion of the egg white adhering to the shell is sometimes utilized for clearing coffee. EGGS. 57 When an egg is dropped directly into boiling water, the outer portions of it are hardened by the heat. This cooked egg does not appear to be soluble itself and, moreover, protects the under portion until that also is penetrated by the heat. Experiment. — Boil one egg rapidly ; put another into the boiling water, remove from the stove, and let stand for fifteen minutes or more. Compare tempera- tures with a thermometer. See which egg is more ten- der, and presumably, more easy of digestion. The white and yolk of eggs cook at different tern- Temperature peratures, and these appear to vary slightly with the Eggs°oking freshness of the egg. For general use it is sufficient to remember that 1500 to 1800 F is ample heat for dishes composed mainly of eggs and milk. When starch is used, a higher temperature is required, and whenever possible, this should be obtained before combination with the eggs. Having learned this, we have the key to the successful cooking of all custards and the like. A custard that has curdled, or wheyed, or settled in the center, has cooked too long, or in too hot an oven. The custom of setting a custard in a pan of water in the oven is wise, for the moisture lowers the tem- perature of the oven. Excessive beating of eggs may aid the curdling of the custard ; it certainly is a waste of effort here, however it may be in cake making. Average custards are made with three to six eggs to custards a quart of milk ; naturally the larger number makes a firmer custard, but the other is quite palatable. Often Eggs w?th Starch 58 PRINCIPLES OF COOKERY. gelatine or corn starch is used to assist in thickening milk when eggs are expensive, but these combinations are not real custards. There is a long list of puddings where a custard or egg and milk are combined with starchy materials. In such cases as have already been stated, it is wise to have the starch, whether in the form of rice, tapioca, sago, or corn starch, cooked in the milk before the

AI-modernized reading of the original text

The composition of eggs varies with the kind of fowl and its food. The edible portion of the average hen's egg is nearly 75 per cent, water, 12 per cent, protein, 12 per cent, fat, and I per cent, ash or mineral matter. Since carbohydrates are lacking, we naturally combine eggs with starches and sugar which supply the class of substance missing. Like milk, eggs may be eaten either raw or cooked, and the ways of cooking eggs, however elaborate they seem, may be reduced to a few simple processes. We shall have the key to all cookery of eggs if we study some eggs cooked by moderate and some by intense heat. Effect' To see how the egg is affected by different degrees on Eggs °i heat, we may poach several eggs, or drop them from their shells into water at different temperatures. When an egg is dropped into a saucepan with cold water, and heat applied, before the egg begins to cook, the egg and water mingle somewhat, showing that a portion of the raw egg is soluble in cold water. As the water is heated, this soluble egg becomes cooked and rises in a thick froth on top, and if the cooking is continued longer, this froth may contract and settle. This point is turned to the cook's advantage in clearing jellies, soup stocks, and coffee. Thus even the little portion of the egg white adhering to the shell is sometimes utilized for clearing coffee. When an egg is dropped directly into boiling water, the outer portions of it are hardened by the heat. This cooked egg does not appear to be soluble itself and, moreover, protects the under portion until that also is penetrated by the heat. Experiment. — Boil one egg rapidly ; put another into the boiling water, remove from the stove, and let stand for fifteen minutes or more. Compare temperatures with a thermometer. See which egg is more tender, and presumably, more easy of digestion. The white and yolk of eggs cook at different tern- Temperature peratures, and these appear to vary slightly with the Eggs°oking freshness of the egg. For general use it is sufficient to remember that 1500 to 1800 F is ample heat for dishes composed mainly of eggs and milk. When starch is used, a higher temperature is required, and whenever possible, this should be obtained before combination with the eggs. Having learned this, we have the key to the successful cooking of all custards and the like. A custard that has curdled, or wheyed, or settled in the center, has cooked too long, or in too hot an oven. The custom of setting a custard in a pan of water in the oven is wise, for the moisture lowers the temperature of the oven. Excessive beating of eggs may aid the curdling of the custard ; it certainly is a waste of effort here, however it may be in cake making. Average custards are made with three to six eggs to custards a quart of milk ; naturally the larger number makes a firmer custard, but the other is quite palatable. Often Eggs w?th Starch gelatine or corn starch is used to assist in thickening milk when eggs are expensive, but these combinations are not real custards. There is a long list of puddings where a custard or egg and milk are combined with starchy materials. In such cases as have already been stated, it is wise to have the starch, whether in the form of rice, tapioca, sago, or corn starch, cooked in the milk before the

Principles of cookery