Quiche - is That too Cheesy?

Written and experimented by: Emily Vierling and Mikayla Wright

Abstract
In any food recipe, each ingredient and system of arrangement plays an important role of changing the
flavor, color, structure, sweetness, or any part of the food. Because there are so many ways to quantify
and qualify food, it practically impossible to identify how good the food truly is. Our goal was to see how
using different parts of an egg for the base of a quiche would change how good the quiche is. One quiche
was made with a whole egg, the second was made with just egg whites, and the third was cooked with
just egg yolks. Our three quiches were to be tested by participants that were unaware of the differences in
the quiches. They then took a survey we had created to collect qualitative data on the texture, structure,
flavor, and density of each quiche. We also took our own quantitative data by actually measuring out the
mass and volume of each quiche to figure out their densities. We found that our yolk quiche was the most
dense both quantitatively and qualitatively, but the least liked quiche of them all. While eating the yolks
will allow you to get many needed vitamins, it makes the quiche unappetizing. Using the entire egg or
just egg white has the best taste, structure, and density.
Introduction
The purpose of this experiment is to understand
the function of each system within an egg and how
they affect foods structure, density and strength.
For this experiment, we will be focusing mainly
on the density aspect. Eggs are one of the most
common baking ingredients and are used in many
different ways to affect the final product. From
hollandaise sauce to the most delicate macaroons,
eggs can function a variety of ways based on the
property that is being used and how it is being
baked or cooked.
One thing that we will be looking for during the
duration of our experiment is the different effects
caused by the yolk and the egg whites. While they
are both contain proteins and water, their functions
are very different and can alter the basic structures
and consistencies of basic baked goods. Yolks
occupy about one-third of the egg and serve as the
nutrition for the embryos development. The yolk
contains lipids, vitamins, minerals, proteins and
contains 75% of the eggs calories. because of the
process of denaturation. Denaturation is the

The proteins within the yolk play an important

role. A lot of the proteins are linked to fats with
lecithin. While they do have saturated fats and
cholesterol, vitamins A, D, E, K and omega-3 fats
can be found within the yolk and are healthy to
eat. Whites are mostly composed of water, along
with a few proteins such as ovalbumin,
ovomucin, and ovotransferrin. These proteins
allow the egg white to be molded and shaped into
different uses, for example, its ability to both set
when cooked and to be whipped into light and
fluffy mounds. The egg white is formed from the
layers of secretions of the anterior section of the
hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. The
primary natural purpose of the egg white is to
protect the yolk and provide additional nutrition to
the embryo during development. Unlike the yolk,
which is high in lipid (fat) concentration, egg
whites contain almost no fat and carbohydrates
make up less than 1%. Egg whites also store about
50% of the protein present in the egg. Egg whites
are vital to the structure of the baked good
out of each quiche to measure how the densities

process in which the proteins within the eggs change due to the different egg systems. We will
unravel as they are heated and tangle themselves do this by taking the same sized, circular cup
into a new formation.
(diameter=5cm) and taking a core out of the
middle of the quiche. We then will be able to
The original recipe is expected to be the best of measure the height, area, volume, and density of
the three because the consistency of the different each different quiche. Each recipe will be different
quiches with the yolks and egg whites, will mess depending on the part of the egg that is being
with how good the quiche tastes and feels within used.
one's mouth.
The first step is to gather all of the ingredients for
Methods
each quiche. Reference the recipe (pg. 5) to see
For our experiment, we are going to change the the necessary ingredients. Place all of the
system of the egg that is being used in the quiche. ingredients out so you can have easy access while
We will have one trial with the original recipe, but baking. Crust will not be a factor for this quiche,
then we also conduct a trial with just the egg so it is not necessary to buy or make a crust. Start
yolks, and one with just the egg whites. This is to the baking process by pre-heating the oven to 375
study the purpose of each different part of the egg F. Then begin sauting your onions with your
and its specific function. Because we are cooking, butter in one pan and begin cooking your bacon in
it is important that we take some precautionary another so that it is ready to be cut and put into the
measures. These include wearing mitts when quiche prior to putting it in the oven. To be
dealing with hot objects (pans, ovens, etc.), being prepared for the last step it is wise to shred the cup
extremely careful around sharp objects such as of gruyere cheese so that it can just be added. For
knifes or graters, cleaning up and being aware that the original recipe the whole egg can be whisked
we will be dealing with raw eggs which can cause together, but for recipe two and three the yolks
sickness if ingested, and just overall, being will need to be separated from the egg whites. Put
cautious in the cooking environment.
a bowl underneath the egg and then crack it,
transferring the yolk from one shell to the other
We are going to be studying the different effects of shell making sure that all the egg white is be
the yolks vs the egg whites. To set up our captured in the bowl below. Set unused egg yolks
experiment, we are going to be making three into another bowl to be used for the third recipe.
different quiches. The original, which uses the Once the need egg type is gather, begin whisking
entire egg, one with just egg whites, and one with that egg part in with the heavy cream, sauteed
just egg yolks. This is to see how the different onions, chopped bacon, cheese, teaspoon salt,
properties affect the quiche. We will then collect and teaspoon pepper. Pour the mixture into a 9
our results through a survey taken by the students inch pie pan and bake the quiche for 40-45
who taste the quiche. The survey will ask them minutes or by testing the center of the quiche by
about the overall consistency of each quiche by sticking a knife into it to see if it comes out clean.
looking at the texture, flavor, structure, and
denseness. We will also be taking a core sample
Results
Coming into this experiment, we had a few

speculations of how each quiche would differ

based on our background research and past
experiences. The results for the first figure were
collected through a number of different processes.
To collect the mass of each quiche we weighed the
original pan (122.005g) and then weighed each
quiche within the pan it was cooked. To calculate
the final mass of the quiche we took the recorded
weight of the quiche and the pan and subtracted
the original weight of just the pan so we were left
with just the mass of the quiche. To collect the
volume, we calculated the area of the pan used
and and multiplied it by the height of each quiche.
Finally, to obtain the density, we used the density
formula:

Density=

hypothesized that the egg yolk quiche would have

the biggest change in density compared to the egg
white and original quiche. We assumed that the
recipe using yolks would be more dense and
structured than the recipe using just egg whites
which would be fluffy like meringue or macaroon
cookies. In Table 1 it can be seen that our
hypothesis was correct because our yolk quiche
was the most dense, the egg white recipe being the
fluffiest, and the original landing respectfully in
the middle of the two.

Figure 1: Density comparison of Quiche 1, 2, & 3

Mass
.
Volume

The results for figures 2, 3, and 4 were collected

from a pool of volunteers. In order to prevent the
discrimination (bias) against certain quiches, we
presented them in random order - not revealing to
the volunteers which quiche they were testing.
Table 1: Densities of each Quiche
Mass (g)

Volume
(cm3)

Density
(g/cm3)

Quiche 1 127.71
- Original

49.08

0.38

Quiche 2
- Egg
Whites

119.57

78.53

0.65

Quiche 3
- Egg
Yolks

123.25

29.45

0.23

Figure 2: Taste comparison of Quiche 1, 2, & 3

This table depicts the mass, volume, and density Based off Figure 2, the original quiche was the
of each quiche. Through this table, we are able to best tasting of all three. The original quiche had
compare the different densities in each quiche. We the best texture in Figure 3 as well.

Figure 3: Texture Comparison for Quiche 1, 2, &

3

Figure 4: Structure Comparison for Quiche 1, 2,

&3

Image 1:

Image 1 shows what our egg yolk and egg white

quiches after they had been taken out of the oven.
The quiche on the top is the egg white quiche and
the lower quiche was cooked with just yolks.
Discussion
Throughout this experiment we collected a
significant amount of data that helped to support
and question our hypothesis. For this experi Our
hypothesis was that because the yolk element of
the egg is the most dense, that the quiche made
with the yolk would have the most grams per cm 3
(g/cm3). However, as seen in Table 1, results
showed that, in fact, the egg whites are more
dense. This may be a misconception. Because the
egg whites have a larger volume, it couldve
altered the results. This essentially does not
support our hypothesis, but the data collected from
the volunteers does. According to Figure 1, 4 out
of 6 participants chose the egg yolk quiche to be
the most dense out of all the quiches. By
comparing these two different results, we can
judge that the egg yolk quiche tasted the most
dense and through educated reasoning, we can
infer that it was a mathematical error that caused
the strange results in Table 1.
The data in Table 1 may seem odd because of a
flaw in our experiment. One flaw could have been
the cook time for each quiche. We wanted every
quiche to be cooked thoroughly. Because of this,
we let the egg white quiche cook for an estimated
10 minutes longer than the egg yolk quiche. This
caused the egg white quiche to rise significantly
and take up more volume, ultimately altering the
results. You can see in mage 1 that the egg white
quiche rose from the bottom quite a bit more than
the egg yolk quiche. This was a systematic error
that couldve easily been avoided. In the future,
we would have a set time limit for each quiche to
cook in order to have a constant variable. Another
flaw may have been the eggs themselves. Each
Original Recipe:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups medium diced yellow onion