EGGS

Eggs are one of the most important ingredients in the kitchen. There are so much dishes using eggs, just like mayonnaise, maringue, cake, and starting from appetizer until dessert many recipes using eggs. Eggs can be cooked in the shell, poached, fried, scrambled, or prepared as omelets or souffles. Using fresh eggs for cooking is important to ensure the best flavor and quality of the finished dish.

UNDERSTANDING EGGS

COMPOSITION

A egg consists of a yolk, a white and a shell. In additional, it contains a membrane that lines the shell and forms an air cell at the large end, and two white strands called chalaze that hold the yolk in the centered.
  1. The yolk is high in both fat and protein, and it contains iron and several vitamins. Its color ranges from light to dark yellow, depending on the diet of the chicken
  2. The white is primaly albumin protein, which is clear and soluble when raw, but white and firm when coagulated. The white also contain sulfur. The white has two parts: a thick portion that surrounds the yolk, and a thinner, more liquid portion autside of this
  3. the shell is not the perfect package, spite of what you may have heard. Not only is it fragile but it is also porous, allowing odors and flavors to be absorbed by the eggs and allowing the egg to lose moisture even if unbroken.

GRADES AND QUALITY

Grades


In the United States, eggs are graded for quality by the USDA. The three grades are AA, A, and B. The best grade (AA) has a firm yolk and white that stand up high when broken onto a flat surface and do not spread over a large area. In the shell, the yolk is well centered, and the air sac is small.

As egg age, they lose density. The thin part of the white becomes larger, and the egg spreads over a larger area when broken. Also, the air sac becomes larger as the egg loses moisture through the shell.

Maintaining Quality


Proper storage is essential for maintaining quality. Eggs keep for weeks if held at 36° F (2°C) but lose quality quickly if held at room temperature. In fact, they can lose a full grade in one day at warm kitchen temperatures. There's no point in paying for Grade AA eggs if they are grade B by the time you use them. Store eggs away from foods that might pass on underisirable flavors or odors.

Grade And Use

From seeing the picture we'll know that Grade AA is the best to use for fried or poached eggs. Lower grades spread to much to produce a high-quality product. For hard-cooked eggs, use either Grade A eggs or Grade AA eggs that have been held a few days in the refrigerator. Very fresh eggs are difficult to peel when cooked in the shell.

Grade B eggs are suitable for use in baking. If you are certain they have developed no strong flavors, they may be used for scrambled eggs, where the firmness of the whole egg is less important



SIZE


GENERAL COOKING PRINCIPLES

The most important rule of egg cookery is simple : Avoid high temperatures and long cooking times. Overcooking produces tough eggs, causes discoloration, and affects flavor.

COAGULATION

Eggs coagulate at the following temperatures:
  • Whole eggs, beaten (about 156°F / 96°C)
  • Whites (140°-149°F / 60°-65°C)
  • Yolks (144°-158°F / 62°-70°C)
  • Custard / Whole eggs plus liquid (175°-185°F / 79°-85°C)
Whites coagulate or cook before yolks do. This is why it is possible to cook eggs with firm whites but soft yolks.

When eggs are mixed with liquid, they become firm at a higher temperature. However, 185°F (85°C) is still much lower than the temperature of a saute pan or skillet over high heat. As the temperature of a coagulation is reached, the eggs change from semiliquid to solid, and they become opaque. If their temperature is continues to rise, they become even firmer. An overcooked egg is tough and rubbery. Low temperatures produces best-cooked eggs.

If egg-liquid mixtures such as custards and scrambled eggs are overcooked, the egg solids separate from the liquids, or curdle. This is often seen as tough, watery scrambled eggs.

SULFUR

The familiar green ring you often see in hard boiled eggs is because cooking at high temperature or cooking too long. The same green appears in scrambled eggs that are overcooked or held too long in the steam table.

This ring results when the sulfur in the egg whites reacts with the iron in the yolk to form iron sulfide, a compound that has a green color and strong flavor.The best way to avoid green eggs is to use low temperatures and short cooking and holding times.

FOAMS

Whipped egg white are used to give lightness and rising power to souffles, puffy omelets, cakes, some pancakes and waffles, and other products.
  • Fat Inhibits Foaming, when separating eggs becareful not to get any yolk in the whites. Yolks contain fats. Use very clean equipment when beating whites
  • Mild Acids Help Foaming,  a small amount of lemon juice or cream of tartar gives more volume and stability to beaten egg whites. Use about 2 tsp cream of tartar per pound of egg whites (20 ml per kg)
  • Egg Whites Foam Better at Room Temperature, remove them from cooler 1 hour before beating
  • Dont Over Beat, beaten egg whites should look moist and shiny. Overbeaten eggs looks dry and curdled and have lost much of their ability to raise souffles and cakes.
  • Sugar Makes Foams More Stable, when making sweet puffed omelets and dessert souffles, add some of the sugar to the partially beaten whites and continue to beat to proper stiffness. (This will take longer than when no sugar is added). The souffle will be more stable before and after baking.

COOKING EGGS METHOD

Cooking Eggs

Boiled eggs

 Source :

  • The Professional Chef (9th Edition) by The Culinary Institute of America)
  • Professional Cooking (7th Edition) by Wayne Gisslen
  • https://www.pinterest.com/pin/240801911302051145/

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