EGGS

• Eggs are a nutrient

dense food and contain
essential amino acids
as well as many
vitamins and minerals.
• They are quick and
easy to prepare for a
nutritious meal or
contribute nutrients to
food products.
• EGGS HAVE:
• High quality protein –
contain all essential
amino acids
• Vitamins –minerals
• Only missing Vitamin
is C
• Could be said that
they are high
cholesterol food
Food: Mayonnaise
hollandaise • An emulsion is a mixture
that forms when you
combine liquids that do
not ordinarily mix
• To keep the liquids from
separating you need an
emulsifying agent
• Egg yolk is an excellent
emulsifying agent. The
yolk surrounds the oil
droplets to keep them
suspended
Food: Cakes, meringues, mousse, souffle

• Foams are used to add air

to foods
• When you beat air into egg
whites, many air cells form
• As the beating continues,
the cells become smaller
and more numerous as a
result the foam thickens
• Heat causes egg
proteins to thicken
(coagulate)
• Foods - sauces,
custards, and
puddings
• Eggs act to hold
ingredients together

• Meatloaf is an example
of eggs used in this way
• Frozen desserts like ice
cream stay creamy
because eggs inhibit
the formation of large
ice crystals which would
ruin the texture of the
dessert
• Eggs form the structure
of many baked goods.
• Eggs are used to help
a coating adhere to a
food
Eggs add flavor to many
foods
EGGS ADD A GOLDEN COLOR TO
BAKED GOODS
How many ways to cook an egg
• Traditionally it is thought
that a CHEF HAT or
TOQUE has one hundred
pleats, each one
representing a different
way of preparing an egg

• A chef’s skill is often

judged by how well he
can cook a simple omelet
or fried egg
1. Avoid excessive temperatures
2. Avoid excessive cooking time
 Cooking Methods – whole eggs
For Large Egg Boiled
Soft-cooked yolk 4 to 5 minutes  For perfect cooking, start with eggs
Medium-cooked yolk 6 minutes  that don't have any visible cracks

Hard-cooked yolk 17 minutes To get perfectly peeled hard-

cooked eggs, use eggs that are at
least 3 to 5 days. 
Bring your eggs to room
temperature before cooking.
Gently place the eggs in a single
layer in a pan with enough cold
water to cover eggs completely
(approximately by 1 inch).
As soon as the water reaches a
rapid boil, remove pan from heat
and cover egg pan tightly with a lid.

Poached
Bring the poaching liquid to a boil
and then reduce to a simmer before
adding the eggs (bubbles should not
break the surface).
When you poach eggs, try adding a
little vinegar and salt to the water.
Try creating a gentle whirlpool in the
simmering water and slip your egg
into the middle of that.
Don't disturb the egg once you have
put it in the water
Omelet
The proper pan is important for
successful omelet making. For a 2 or 3
egg omelet, an 8-inch skillet is the best
size. It should be shallow with slopping
sides to make it easy to slide the
finished omelet out.
Always prepare several individual
omelets, rather than one large omelet.
Water, not milk, is recommended for
omelet egg mixtures.

Fried
Use as fresh eggs as possible
Use butter to cook eggs
Use non stick pan
Note: many states do not permit
sunny side or undercooked eggs
Devilled
Extremely fresh eggs are not
recommended when making hard-
boiled eggs. They are very difficult
to peel. This is the best use for eggs
nearing their expiration date.
To help center the yolks in the eggs,
the night before the eggs are to be
cooked (approximately 12 hours),
store your eggs on their sides in the
refrigerator. Seal the egg carton with
a piece of tape and turn on its side
to center the yolks. 
Microwave
EGGS MICRO-COOKED IN THEIR
SHELLS WILL EXPLODE!
Omelets, scrambled eggs and
poached eggs micro-cook well on
full power (high).
Always use a wooden pick or tip of
a knife to break the yolk membrane
of an unbeaten egg before micro-
cooking to allow the steam to
escape.
Covering cooking containers with a
lid, plastic wrap or wax paper
encourages more even cooking.
Scrambled
The secret to successfully
scrambling eggs is slow
cooking. A rubber spatula does
a good job of moving the eggs.
Always remove scrambled eggs
from the heat when they are
almost set but still appear shiny
and a bit underdone.
 Egg grades are based on
the shape of the yolk and
the amounts of thick and
thin whites.

Grade AA egg

Before they are sold, eggs

are graded. This used to be
done by holding the egg
over a bright light so you Grade A egg
could see through the shell.
This process was called
“candling”. The egg will lose quality as it ages.
The older an egg gets, the flatter the
yolk and thinner the whites.
 A spoiled egg has a shiny shell and floats in
water. It is only AFTER you crack open the
egg that it smells bad, and by that time you
may have added the egg to your other
ingredients. That would be TOO LATE! If
you suspect that an egg may be spoiled, use
this water test first.

A fresh egg has a domed yolk (not

flattened). There is plenty of thick egg
white (notice both the thick and thin
whites in the picture) and the whites are
translucent (see-thru).
 Some recipes call just for the
egg whites, while others call
only for the yolks. When
separating the two parts, be
careful not to break the yolk.

If a yolk does break and

gets into the white, use the
sharp edge of an empty
shell to scoop the yolk out
of the whites.

An “egg separator” utensil

such as this one can be
purchased by those who
have difficulty separating
eggs.
 Egg whites start out being “slimy”. As they are beaten, air
is added. The whites turn from pale yellow to white in color
and increase in “volume”. The more volume…the better.
You should follow as many rules as possible for…

A. Eggs should be at room temperature

B. Don’t get any yolk mixed in with the whites

C. Use a smaller deep bowl, rather than a larger shallow one

D. Use a copper bowl

E. Make sure eggs are at least 3 days old

F. No grease residue allowed! (none on beaters, bowl, etc.)

 EGGS USED FOR HARD-
COOKING MUST BE AT
LEAST 3 DAYS OLD!

In eggs fresher than 3 days old,

the outer membrane adheres to
the shell during the cooking
process. When you try to peel the
egg, chunks of egg white cling to
the shell, and are removed when
the egg is peeled. What a mess!
Place the egg on it’s pointed end, and spin
it like a toy top. A hard-cooked egg will
spin, but a raw egg will topple over
immediately! (The heavy yolk wobbles
back and forth inside, causing the egg to
topple over.)
You cannot add egg yolks
directly to hot mixtures or the
egg will cook instantly and
cause lumps! You must first
“warm” the yolks. Begin by
slowly adding the hot mixture
to the beaten yolks while
stirring the yolks constantly.
Then reverse the procedure,
adding the warmed yolks to
the hot mixture. This
process of warming the
yolks first is called…
 A “meringue” is basically a mixture of beaten egg
whites and sugar. Although there are several types,
the most common use of meringue is as a topping
for pies.

If the oven temperature is too high, the

meringue will shrivel and shrink back from the
edges of the crust. Too low of temperature
causes the meringue to be dry.

If too much sugar is beaten into the egg

whites, yellow liquid “beads” will appear
on the baked and cooled meringue. This
is called “weeping”. It is an undesirable
quality…measure carefully!
You were probably using an aluminum
bowl or aluminum beaters, or perhaps
your nickel or chrome plated beaters
have a nick on the finish. Egg whites
exposed to aluminum causes them to
turn gray in color!

Were you using a copper bowl that had

traces of some sort of acid present…like
cream of tartar or lemon juice? The
metal copper in combination with
acid causes egg whites to turn a
greenish color!
1. Check eggs for 2. Bring water to just-
3. Immediately cool eggs.
cracks. Cover with under-boiling. Time for Overcooking allows the iron 4. Remove shells.
cold water. 10 minutes. in the yolk to reach the
outside of the yolk and leave
a green ring around the yolk.

6. Place yolks in a
5. Cut eggs in 7. Thoroughly
shallow dish, such
half lengthwise mash yolks with a
as a pie plate.
fork.
and remove yolks.

8. Moisten with mayonnaise. Add mustard and

seasonings to taste.

9. Fill hollows of egg whites with the yolk mixture. Garnish as

desired. Paprika is a popular garnish…adding color and
sweetness.
 1. Select a skillet 2. Beat whole eggs 3. Melt butter in skillet 4. Carefully lift
with sloping sides and seasonings. (even if teflon) and edges of cooked
and a lid. Non-stick Usually 2 or 3 eggs add beaten eggs. eggs, allowing
surfaces such as are used. uncooked mixture
teflon are ideal. to run underneath.

5. If you are adding 6.Using a spatula/turner, 7. Carefully slide the 8. Serve this “french
fillings such as diced carefully lift the unfilled omelet out of the skillet omelet” plain or with
ham and grated cheese, side of the cooked egg and onto a plate. condiments.
place those fillings on mixture and fold it in half
only ½ of the egg over the filled side of the A “puffy” omelet is one in which stiffly beaten egg
mixture. Adding the lid omelet. Continue cooking whites are folded into egg yolks. It starts cooking on
at this time will help ‘til filling is completely the stovetop and finishes in the oven. It is not filled,
heat the filling. done. but often served with sauce.
A “custard” is any soft, egg-based dish. Unsweetened ones can be served
as main or side dishes, while sweet custards are served for dessert.
Real men don’t eat quiche! The delicate
flavors of this custard-based dish are often not
appreciated by the “meat and potatoes”
crowd. Served as a main dish for breakfast or
lunch, common quiche fillings include ham,
crumbled bacon, sausage, swiss cheese, and
vegetables.

Pumpkin pie and baked

custard cups are two
favorite dessert custards.
These custard cups are set in
a pan of water for baking. The
water moderates the baking
temperature.
Use the knife test to check a
custard for doneness. Insert the
knife halfway between the center
and the edge of the dish. If the
knife comes out clean…the
custard is done.
 Are you looking for a challenge? Perhaps you should
try making a souffle’. Served as a main or side dish,
or sweetened and served as dessert…the key
ingredient of any souffle’ are the beaten egg whites
that are carefully folded in. The voluminous egg
whites cause the souffle’ to rise, but even a slight
vibration or temperature change may cause it to “fall”!

This “high hat” souffle is

A traditional hollandaise is a mild egg, butter, and baked in a straight sided
lemon sauce that requires constant stirring. It is dish. It rises above the
served over green vegetables or “eggs benedict”. edge of the dish and
Shown on the right, this consists of an English muffin topped with canadian
bacon, poached egg, and sauce. obtains a crown-effect.