9.1 Eggs – Quality and Cookery
Objectives
- To apply principles of protein coagulation in egg cookery.
- To determine the effects of various time-temperature treatments on the characteristics of coagulated egg proteins.
- To identify characteristics of high quality egg products.
- To identify signs of deterioration in stored eggs.
Laboratory Problems
- Prepare fried eggs to determine the effect of the two standard methods of frying eggs on the characteristics of the products.
- Prepare poached eggs, scrambled eggs, and a French omelet.
- Prepare hard cooked eggs to determine the effect of temperature and time of cooking on eggs cooked in the shell.
- Observe effects of storage at both refrigerator and room temperatures on fresh eggs.
Fried Eggs
1. Large amount of fat
Melt 1 tbsp. butter, bacon drippings, or other cooking fat in a heavy skillet. Carefully slip egg into pan. Cook slowly, basting (pour hot fat over the egg with a spoon) frequently, until done.
2. Small amount of fat
Melt 1 tsp. butter, bacon drippings, or other cooking fat in a heavy skillet. Slip egg carefully into pan. Add 1-2 tsp. water and cover. (Steam helps to coagulate the white over the yolk.) Cook over low heat until done, approximately 3 minutes.
Poached Eggs
Fill the bottom of a small saucepan with enough water to cover egg. Do not salt water. Heat to simmering. Break one egg into a custard cup and slip egg into the water. If poaching more than one egg, tip the dish so that the egg slides toward the edge of the pan rather than toward the center. Keep water hot but below simmering. Cook until white is evenly coagulated, approximately 3-5 minutes. Remove carefully with slotted spoon.
Characteristics of the Standard Product for a Fried Egg:
Egg itself is of high quality with thick, compact white and upstanding yolk.
| Appearance | Texture | Flavor |
|---|---|---|
|
Yolk centered, unbroken, covered with a film of coagulated egg white. White shiny, opaque, with no bubbles, crisp, or browned portions. |
Yolk thickened, not flowing. White evenly coagulated, tender. | Mild egg flavor, enhanced by flavor of fat used for frying. |
Characteristics of the Standard Product for Poached Eggs:
Egg itself is of high quality with thick, compact white and an upstanding yolk.
| Appearance | Texture | Flavor |
|---|---|---|
|
Yolk centered, unbroken, covered with a film of coagulated egg white. White shiny, compact, with no ragged edges. |
Yolk thickened, not flowing. White evenly coagulated, tender. | Mild egg flavor. |
Evaluation:
| Cooking Method | Appearance | Tenderness | Flavor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fried, large amount of fat | |||
| Fried, small amount of fat | |||
| Poached |
Hard-Cooked Eggs
| Hard-Cooked Eggs | Appearance | Texture | Acceptable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Add egg to enough cold water to come at least 1” above egg. Bring to boil. Cover pan; remove from heat. Let egg stand in water 15-20 minutes. Cool immediately in ice water. When egg is cold, remove from shell. | |||
| B. Bring egg to room temperature quickly by placing egg in hot tap water. Add warmed egg to simmering water and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool immediately in ice water. When egg is cold, remove from shell. | |||
| c. Repeat B, but at end of cooking period, leave egg in cooking water 10 additional minutes. Remove shell. | |||
| D. Bring egg to room temperature quickly by placing egg in hot tap water. Add warmed egg to boiling water and continue to boil for 30 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and leave egg in water 10 additional minutes. Remove shell. |
Characteristics of a Standard Product for Eggs Cooked in Shell:
| Appearance and texture | Flavor |
|---|---|
|
White firm yet tender. Yolk mealy, evenly centered in white; no green ring. |
Mild egg flavor |
Prepare Scrambled Eggs:
| 2 eggs | 2 tbsp. liquid (water, milk, or tomato juice) |
| ⅛ tsp. salt | 1 tsp. butter or other cooking fat |
Beat eggs with liquid and salt until blended but not foamy.
- Top of range: Melt fat in a small, heavy skillet. Add egg mixture and cook slowly. As the egg begins to coagulate, lift and turn with a spatula until all of the egg is coagulated but still glossy. Allow sufficient coagulation in one place before turning so that the finished product contains large masses of soft egg rather than small pieces.
- Microwave oven: Melt fat in microwave-ovenproof bowl; coat bowl with melted fat. Cook on high power for one minute, stir, continue to cook in 30 second increments stirring after each 30 seconds. Remove eggs from oven before they are completely coagulated to prevent overcooking. Let stand 1 to 3 minutes to complete cooking.
| Liquid | Appearance | Tenderness | Flavor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | |||
| Milk | |||
| Milk; overcooked and over-stirred | |||
| Milk; microwave-cooked |
Characteristics of Standard Product for Scrambled Eggs:
| Appearance and texture | Flavor |
|---|---|
|
Moist, tender, fluffy masses of egg. Even light yellow color. |
Mild egg flavor. |
Prepare French Omelet:
| 2 eggs | 2 tbsp. water |
| ⅛ tsp. salt | 1 tbsp. butter |
Beat together eggs, water, and salt until well blended. In a non-stick omelet pan over medium-high heat, heat butter until just hot enough to sizzle a drop of water. Pour in egg mixture. Mixture should set immediately at the edges. With a rubber spatula, push cooked portions from the edges of the pan toward the center so uncooked portions can spill onto the hot pan surface. Tilt the pan as necessary, keeping the bottom covered with egg.
When the top is thickened and no visible liquid egg remains, fill one half of omelet with fillings. (Put filling on the left side if you’re right-handed and the right if you’re left-handed.) With spatula, fold omelet in half. Invert to serve – turn the pan upside down over the plate, and the omelet will land with its prettiest side up.
Characteristics of Standard Product:
| Appearance and texture | Flavor |
|---|---|
|
Coagulated yet moist and tender. Little or no browning on surface. |
Mild egg flavor. |
| Appearance | Tenderness | Flavor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| French Omelet |
Observe the Effects of Storage Time and Temperature Upon Fresh Eggs:
| Condition | Appearance of Yolk | Appearance of White |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh | ||
| Stored two weeks in refrigerator | ||
| Stored two weeks at room temperature |
