FoodNet

Use and preparation of food

1919

Page 38

Presented as published in 1919. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Lesson 2. The Cooking or Eggs. AIM. To show composition of eggs and method of preparation. POINTS TO BE BROUGHT OUT. 1. Composition and food value: A. Eggs are a valuable food, containing a high proportion of nutri- ents in a form well suited to use in the body. Average composition of eggs {Langivorthy.) rescript ion. Water. Protein. Fat. Asli. Calorics per poimd >vh 111 egi, edible pcrtion Wliiic ......... Per cent. 73.7 • 86.2 49.5 Per cent. 13.4 12.3 15.7 Per cent. 10.5 .2 33.3 Per cent. 1.0 .6 1.1 672 231 Vol!' B. The protein is somewhat higher in the yolk than in the white. In form it is very similar to protein in milk. 64 USE AND PREPAKATION OF FOOD. C. The fat is nearly all found in the yolk, of which it forms a third. It is emulsified and in an easily digestible form. D. Mineral matter is high, especially in the yolk, which contains relatively large amounts of calcium, phosphorus, and iron, all in forms which are readily available. E. Egg has been classed with milk as a protective food, and the ogg yolk ranks next to milk as a source of the " fat soluble A." 2. Comparative food value of milk and eggs : A. Eggs are similar to milk in the high proportion of nutrients (hey contain and in their ready digestibility. B. Eggs differ from milk in that they contain no carbohj^drates, but their high percentage of fat supplies energy. C. Eggs are valuable in supplementing the low iron content of milk. One Qgg contains nearly 30 times as much iron as one cup of milk. D. When digested in the body, milk leaves an alkaline residue, while eggs leave an acid residue which must be neutralized by the body. 3. Comparative food value of eggs and meat: A. Composition of eggs compared with meat — r Adapted from United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Experiment Stations, Bulletin 28.] Food (edible portion). Water. Protein. Fat. Ash. Calories per poimd. Per cent. 73.7 70.0 Per cent. 13.4 21.3 Per cent. 10.5 7.9 Per cent. 1.0 1.1 720 730 B. Eggs supply the same nutrients as meat in a very similar pro- portion. Both are tissue-building and tissue repairing foods, and both contain mineral matter. C. Eggs have so little waste that at 50 cents a dozen they are a cheaper source of building material than the more expensive cuts of meat or the cuts with a large amount of waste. Neither meat nor eggs is an economical source of energy. 4. Digestibility of eggs. — Eggs are very easily and completely digested. Their digestibility varies somewhat according to the method of preparation. A. Eaw egg whites, contrary to the usually accepted opinion, are less completely digested than those slightly" cooked. B. Eggs cooked in different ways all seem to be completely di- gested, but vary in their ease of digestion with the following factors : (1) Temperature at which cooked. — Eg^s cooked just below boiling point seem more easily digested than those cooked at boiling point, and fried egg is much more difficult to digest than boiled egg. USE AND PREPARATION OF FOOD. 65 (2) Ease of division. — When guniiny or tough they elude the teeth and are not well masticated. (3) Flavor. — When palatably and attractively prepared the secretion of the digestive juices is hastened. These points should be borne in mind in preparing eggs, especially in cases where there is any tendency to weak digestion.