Principles of cooking

When eggs are used to hold particles of flour together, or as a thickening agent, or to form a crust over foods, they should not be beaten, but the yolk and white should be well blended. When they are used to make foods light, as in cake making, omelets, etc., they should be beaten so as to inclose as much air as possible. It is the expansion of thé inclosed air and then the hardening of the protein wall that makes the cake light. As the albumin in egg coagulates at about 160° F., and as stronger heat tends to make the mixture tough, all egg dishes should be cooked at as low a temperature as possible. 142 EGGS Baked Cup Custard. — Beat two large or three small eggs slightly with a fork, just enough to blend the yolks and whites. Add four tablespoons of sugar, a speck of salt, one pint of milk, and one half teaspoon of vanilla. Mix well and turn into custard cups, then grate nutmeg over the top. Set the cups in a pan of boiling water, set the pan in the oven, and bake the custard at a moderate temperature until it is firm. Test with a knife. If, after the knife is inserted, it comes out clean, the custard is done. I the knife is coated with milk, the custard has not thickened sufficiently. Baked Caramel Custard. — Melt one half cup of sugar to a sirup, stirring constantly to prevent burning. When the sugar is a light brown sirup, gradually add two cups of milk, and stir until the sugar is melted. Add three eggs slightly beaten, one fourth teaspoon salt, one half teaspoon vanilla. Bake as for Cup Custard. Soft Custard. — Beat two eggs enough to blend yolk and white ; - add six tablespoons of sugar, a speck of salt, two cups of milk, and flavor with nutmeg. Cook in a double boiler, stirring constantly, until the custard coats the spoon. Add one teaspoon of vanilla. If the custard is cooked too long, it will curdle. It must be removed from the fire as soon as it begins to thicken. Serve cold. Boiled Eggs. — Pour boiling water into a stewpan and place it over the fire and make sure that the water is actually boiling. Put eggs into the water, and let them remain over the fire for a few seconds. Cover the stewpan and place it where the water will not lose too much heat, but where it will not boil, — for 6 to 8 minutes for a “‘soft-boiled egg,” 20 to 30 minutes for “ hard-boiled.”” Eggs may be placed in cold water and brought to the boiling point. When the EGGS — 143 water boils, the eggs are “‘soft-boiled.”’ They may be boiled five minutes longer for a hard-boiled egg. Scrambled Eggs. — Beat six eggs slightly, until whites and yolks are blended; add one half cup of milk or water, and one fourth teaspoon of salt. Put two tablespoons of butter into the omelet pan, and heat until the butter is melted. Turn in the egg mixture, and cook at a low temperature until creamy, scraping the cooked portion from the side of the pan so the uncooked part will reach the bottom. Remove from the pan, and serve immediately. Chopped ham or bacon or cheese may be added to scrambled eggs just before they are removed from the pan. Omelet. — (See p. 98.) Poached Eggs. — Have a frying pan half full of hot water, and add one half teaspoon of salt. Break the eggs, one at a time, into a cup, and carefully slip them into the water. Let them remain in the water until cooked as desired. Lift them out carefully with a skimmer, and serve on buttered toast. A pan, specially devised for poaching eggs, is shown in the illustration. | French Toast. — Beat two eggs until yolks and whites are blended; add one half cup of milk, two tablespoons of sugar, one fourth teaspoon of salt. Mix well and turn into a shallow pan. Dip slices of bread into the mixture, and fry on one side as for pancakes until brown; turn and brown the other side. CONLEY, Pic. ——10 POACHED EGGS. 144 EGGS ©