CHAPTER 3

EGGS

Prepared by:
Miss Nur Adilah bt Zulkiply
Lecturer of Hospitality
Lincoln University College
EGGS
COMPOSITIO THE YOLK: high in fat and
protein. Color ranges from light
N to dark yellow depending on
the diet of the chicken.

THE WHITE (thin and thick

albumen): clear and soluble
when raw, white and firm
when coagulated. It contain
sulfur.

THE SHELL: fragile, porous,

allowing odors and flavor to be
absorbed by the egg and
allowing the egg to lose
moisture even if unbroken.
EMULSIFYING AGENTS
 An emulsion is a mixture that forms
when you combine liquids that do not
normally 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
 For example, take oil and vinegar salad
dressing.
 The vinegar and seasonings sink to the
bottom and the oil floats to the top.
BUT add an egg yolk in the correct
manner and the two will combine to
form a permanent emulsion.

Food: Mayonnaise
LEAVENING AGENT
• 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

Food: Cakes, meringues, mousse, soufflé

THICKENER AGENT
• Heat causes egg proteins
to thicken (coagulate)

Foods - sauces, custards, and

puddings
BINDING AGENT
 Eggs act to hold
ingredients together
 The egg protein
coagulates during the
cooking and keeps the
ingredients together in
a loaf.
 Example: Meatloaf,
burger patty
INTERFERING AGENT

• Frozen desserts like ice

cream stay creamy
because eggs inhibit
the formation of
large ice crystals
which would ruin the
texture of the dessert
STRUCTURE
 Eggs form the structure of
many baked goods.
 The coagulation of the egg
protein helps hold the
structure in baked
products such as muffins,
creampuffs, and cakes.
COATING

• Eggs are used to help a

coating adhere to a food
RICHNESS, TENDERNESS, FLAVOR &
COLOR
 Eggs add important flavor to dishes,
especially egg-rich ones like custard &
cream puff shells.
 The fat in eggs add a “richness” to baked
goods making them flavorful and tender.
 The orange yolks give a yellow color to
yellow cakes, vanilla pudding, and many
other light colored foods that include
eggs.
 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.)

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!