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Introduction to Egg Cookery DOC (1)

Eggs are a nutritious source of protein and play a vital role in various cooking methods, including baking and poaching. They are composed of several parts, including the shell, membranes, albumen, and yolk, each serving specific functions in culinary applications. Eggs are used for binding, coating, leavening, emulsifying, thickening, and garnishing, making them essential in many recipes.

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6 views

Introduction to Egg Cookery DOC (1)

Eggs are a nutritious source of protein and play a vital role in various cooking methods, including baking and poaching. They are composed of several parts, including the shell, membranes, albumen, and yolk, each serving specific functions in culinary applications. Eggs are used for binding, coating, leavening, emulsifying, thickening, and garnishing, making them essential in many recipes.

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jasmine.kaur290601
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to Egg Cookery

An egg is a nutritious alternative source of protein to ovavagens. It is packed


with a lot of protein and other energy-giving nutrients.
Initially, eggs were treated as non-vegetarian in nature, but today science has
proved that unfertilized egg
can be treated as vegetarian.
Egg cookery is very vast by itself. Eggs are used for cooking, baking,
poaching, etc. be it in Indian style of cooking or continental, it plays a vital
role. Eggs of hens, ducks, geese, quails, ostrich, and emu are used frequently
nowadays.
The most popular and widely used eggs are of hens in India, although eggs of
turkeys, guinea fowls, ducks, and geese are also used.
Color
The color of eggshells and egg yolks varies with the breed of hen and the
food they eat, but this makes no difference to the food value.
Temperature
The ideal storage temperature for eggs is 2-5°C.

Significance
Eggs are essential to all kinds of cooking, not only in the preparation but as
food in their own right. They produce meals that are economical in price, and
with a minimum of waste and time. By the term egg we mean those of the
domestic hen, but these are not the only edible eggs. There are those of
ducks, geese, turkeys, also of wild birds such as plovers and gulls.
An egg has been described as a “Complete Food” because they are highly
nutritious and used in a range of recipes. Yolks and eggs are used separately.
In all culinary preparations, eggs are used for binding, coloring, enriching,
increasing volume, coating, etc.
The egg is primarily made up of shell, membranes, air cell, albumen,
chalazae, vitelline membrane, and yolk.
STRUCTURE OF AN EGG
Shell
Bumpy and grainy in texture, an eggshell is covered with as many as 17,000
tiny pores. Eggshell is made almost entirely of calcium carbonate (CaCO3)
crystals. It is a semi-permeable membrane, which means that air and moisture
can pass through its pores. The shell also has a thin outermost coating called
the bloom or cuticle that helps keep out bacteria and dust.

Inner and Outer Membranes


Lying between the eggshell and egg white, these two transparent protein
membranes provide efficient defense against bacterial invasion. If you tug at
these layers, you’ll find they’re surprisingly strong. They’re made partly of
keratin,
a protein that’s also in human hair.
Air Cell
An air space forms when the contents of the egg cool and contract after the
egg is laid. The air cell usually rests between the outer and inner membranes
at the egg’s larger end, and it accounts for the crater you often see at the end
of a hard-cooked egg. The air cell grows larger as egg ages

Albumen
The egg white is known as the albumen, which comes from albus, the Latin
word for “white.” Four alternating layers of thick and thin albumen contain
approximately 40 different proteins, the main components of the egg white in
addition to water.
Chalazae
Opaque ropes of egg white, the chalazae hold the yolk in the center of the
egg. Like, little anchors, they attach the yolk’s casing to the membrane lining
the eggshell. The more prominent they are, the fresher the egg.
Vitelline Membrane
The clear casing that encloses the yolk.

Yolk
The yolk contains less water and more protein than the white, some fat, and
most of the vitamins and minerals of the egg. These include iron, vitamin A,
vitamin D, phosphorus, calcium, thiamine, and riboflavin. The yolk is also a
source of lecithin, an effective emulsifier. Yolk color ranges from just a hint
of yellow to a magnificent deep orange, according to the feed and breed of
the hen.
SELECTION OF AN EGG
Selection criteria of an egg are as follows:
 A fresh egg is heavy. As the egg gets older it loses water through the shell
making air pocket larger so the older the egg, the lighter it will be.
 One way of judging the quality is by observing the condition of the shell.
When the egg is freshly laid the shell is covered with a substance called
bloom. This coating disappears with time. So the egg may be considered
fresh if the bloom is there.
 One can determine the freshness of an egg by shaking it.
 Another is to break an egg on to the plate if the yolk is compact and
positioned in the center, the egg is fresh if the egg is old, the yolk has the
tendency to spread.
 The freshness of an egg can also be tested by holding it up to the light this
process is known as candling. Holding the egg in front of the light, an air
chamber indicates a fresh egg.
 It is easy to test the freshness of an egg by plunging into the water. The fresh
egg will settle in the bottom of the glass and if the egg is stale it will float to
the surface water.
 Stale eggs will have an unpleasant odor.
 Check for the crack in the shell which could let bacteria in and contaminate
the egg.
USES OF EGG IN COOKERY
Various uses of egg in culinary

 Binding
 Coating
 Leavening
 Emulsifying
 Thickening
 Decoration and Garnishing
 Clarifying
Binding
Addition of eggs to minced mead and mashed vegetables etc. helps to bind
the mixture. As the heat coagulates, the proteins are bound into a cohesive
mass. It helps to retain the shape of mutton croquettes, meatloaf, medallions,
hamburgers, etc.
Coating
The egg and egg batter help to give a coat to the food items and prevent them
from disintegrating and give them a protective coating. Many of the food
items such as fish fillets, croquettes, etc. are dipped into the batter before
crumbing and then fried. Eggs are also used for preparing pancake batters.
Leavening
By beating the egg whites, foam is made up of air bubbles, surrounded by a
thin elastic film of egg white. The mixture, when added to products such as
sponge cakes, meringues, soufflés, etc., increases the volume and the egg
white film hardens. The addition of sugar to egg white makes it stable,
smooth, and the foam does not collapse easily. Egg yolk has a less foaming
power because of its fat content. An egg is used as the principal ingredient for
Chou paste from which éclairs, beignets, fritters, and profiteroles are made.
Emulsifying
Eggs form stable emulsions. For example, mayonnaise, oil, and vinegar
separate unless oil droplets are coated with a substance that keeps them from
separating. Eggs are the emulsifiers that give a smooth mayonnaise sauce. It
is also used as an emulsifier in ice creams, cakes, cream puffs. Eggs enhance
color and shine.
Thickening
Eggs help to improve the consistency of gravies, curries, sauces, and soups.
Egg liaisons used in soups and sauces help to thicken and improve
consistency. When used in custards, the heat coagulates the eggs and makes
the custard firm.

Decoration and Garnishing of Dishes


Silver, sieved or quarters of boiled eggs are used to decorate or garnish dishes
such as salads, biryanis, curries, Vienna steaks, etc. For Consommé Xavier,
threaded eggs are added as a garnish.

Clarifying
Consommés are clarified with egg whites.

Nutritional Value of an Egg


Eggs provide a significant amount of protein to one’s diet, as well as various
nutrients. Chicken eggs are the most commonly eaten eggs and are highly
nutritious. They supply a large amount of complete, high-quality protein
(which contains all essential amino acids for humans), and provide significant
amounts of several vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, riboflavin,
folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, choline, iron, calcium, phosphorus, and
potassium.
They are also one of the least expensive single-food sources of complete
protein. One large chicken egg contains approximately 7 grams of protein.
All of the egg’s vitamin A, D, and E are in the egg yolk. The egg is one of the
few foods which naturally contain Vitamin D. A large yolk contains more
than two-thirds of the recommended daily intake of 300 mg of cholesterol.

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