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Baked
Baked (also known as shirred).
For each serving, break and slip 2 eggs into a greased ramekin, shallow baking dish or 10-ounce custard cup. Spoon 1 tablespoon half and half, light cream or milk over eggs. Bake in preheated 325oF oven until whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard, about 12 to 18 minutes, depending on number of servings being baked.
Related Words
Cooking Methods
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Beaters
In the old days, cooks had to rely on muscle power to whip eggs. They used an assortment of whisks, large and small, flat and balloon-shaped, many of which are still available. A really determined good cook could whip up an angel food cake by separating the egg whites onto a large platter and attacking them vigorously with a hickory rod.
In 1870, the rotary hand beater was invented, beating out all competition along with mountains of meringue. It is still a handy and inexpensive tool.
Most used today are the electric stand mixer or the portable electric mixer. Blenders and some food processors can whip up a whole egg, a yolk, or a mixture, but they will not produce stiffly beaten egg whites.
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Biological Value
A measurement of protein quality expressing the rate of efficiency with which protein is used for growth.
Egg contains the highest quality food protein known. It is so nearly perfect, in fact, that egg protein is often the standard by which all other proteins are judged. Based on the essential amino acids it provides, egg protein is second only to mother's milk for human nutrition. On a scale with 100 representing top efficiency, these are the biological values of proteins in several foods.* -see Nutrient, Protein
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Whole Egg |
93.7 |
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Milk |
84.5 |
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Fish |
76.0 |
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Beef |
74.32 |
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Soybeans |
72.8 |
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Rice, polished |
64.0 |
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Wheat, whole |
64.0 |
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Corn |
60.0 |
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Beans, dry |
58.0 |
*Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The Amino Acid Content of Foods and Biological Data on Proteins. Nutritional Study #24. Rome (1970). UNIPUB, Inc., 4611-F Assembly Drive, Lanham, MD 20706
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Blood Spots
Also called meat spots. Occasionally found on an egg yolk. Contrary to popular opinion, these tiny spots do not indicate a fertilized egg. Rather, they are caused by the rupture of a blood vessel on the yolk surface during formation of the egg or by a similar accident in the wall of the oviduct. Less than 1% of all eggs produced have blood spots.
Mass candling methods reveal most eggs with blood spots and those eggs are removed but, even with electronic spotters, it is impossible to catch all of them. As an egg ages, the yolk takes up water from the albumen to dilute the blood spot so, in actuality, a blood spot indicates that the egg is fresh. Both chemically and nutritionally, these eggs are fit to eat. The spot can be removed with the tip of a knife, if you wish.
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Bloom
The coating or covering on the egg shell that seals its pores. Bloom, also called cuticle, helps to prevent bacteria from getting inside the shell and reduces moisture loss from the egg. Eggs are washed before they are sent to market. This is necessary for cleanliness, but it removes the bloom. To restore the protection, packers give the eggs a light coating of edible mineral oil. -see Oiling, Processing
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Blown-Out Eggshells
Shells from which the edible part of the egg has been emptied. With nothing inside to spoil, empty eggshells can be decorated to keep indefinitely. The contents can be used in any thoroughly cooked recipe which calls for mixed yolks and whites.
It's easy to empty an eggshell. First, wash and dry the egg. Prick with a long needle to make a small hole in the small end of the egg and a large hole in the large end of the egg. Stick the needle into the yolk to break it.
Then, either shake the egg large-end-down over a cup or bowl until the contents come out or use a baster to pull out the contents. Press the bulb of the baster to expel the air it contains, then insert the tip into the egg. Release the bulb to pull out the contents. If the contents don't come out easily, insert the needle again and move it around to be sure both the shell membranes and yolk are broken. Rinse the shell under cool running water and let it dry. Be careful when decorating empty shells-they're quite fragile. Label containers in which you store the insides of these eggshells with the number of eggs they contain. Use them immediately in a fully cooked dish or freeze them for later use. Most baked dishes such as casseroles, custards, quiches, cakes or breads are good uses for eggs emptied from their shells. -see Freezing Eggs
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Boiled Eggs
A misnomer for eggs cooked in the shell. Although hard and soft-boiled are terms often used in conversation, the proper term is hard or soft-cooked. Eggs should not be boiled because high temperatures make them tough and rubbery. -see Cooking Methods, cooked in the shell
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Bowls
There has long been a great controversy about the merits, if any, of the copper bowl in producing volume in beaten egg whites. The fact is that the copper in the bowl reacts with the conalbumin of the egg whites much like cream of tartar to stabilize the egg white foam.
A strailess steel or glass bowl with the addition of cream of tartar works just as well and is much less expensive.
Plastic and wooden bowls are not suitable for beating egg whites because they tend to absorb fat. Any film or residue will keep the shites from forming a stable foam.
Size and shape of bowls are important. Use the bowl size, large or small, specified in a recipe when using an electric stand mixer. A deep bowl with enough room for expansion is best for a rotary beater or portable elecric mixer. For hand whipping with a balloon whisk, the bowl should be rounded at the bottom, at least 10 inches across the top and 5 or 6 inches deep.
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Breakers
Processors who convert shell eggs into egg products. Breaking plants are under strict USDA inspection and are as clean as clean can be. They use a fascinating array of modern equipment to break eggs and separate the shell, white and yolk. -see Egg Products
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Breakout
A system of quality control. Sample eggs selected at random are broken out onto a level surface and the height of the thick albumen is measured with a micrometer. This measurement is then correlated with the weight of the egg to give a Haugh unit measurement. A high Haugh value means high egg quality. At the same time, the condition of the yolk is observed.
Related Words
Grades; Grades - Grade AA; Grades - Grade B; Grades- Grade A; Grading
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