EGGS 101: All about EGGS!
Which one comes first? Egg or chicken?...
Well, it doesn’t matter for as long as we can have both right?
Eggs are cheap and easy to cook. It can be used in many recipes, especially baking. I can write a whole book talking about my dear eggs. Eggs are my life. I can’t survive without eggs. Let me put it this way, you can vanished all of the food in the world but not my dear eggs. I can live in a world where egg is the only food that we can have.
You can make any dish pop-up and make it EGGs-traordinary by simply adding an egg to it. There is something about eggs that makes my morning complete, maybe because of richness, fatty taste and the rich goldy taste. A plain bread with scrambled egg with herbs, or plain yolky fried egg, or that warm poached egg is all what it takes to make it sumptuous. You can immediately taste the freshness of that EGG-citing melts in your mouth yolk like no other EGG-perience of taste in the whole world. Ok, you got it? I love, love and love eggs!
In order not to make this post lengthy, not as long as a bible of eggs, which may be a good idea to write on, I will tell you a story about our dear EGGS in baking.
What are the components of eggs?
1. Egg white: contains Water + Protein
- It serves as a Leavening agent to form a foam-like texture.
- It lightens when air is incorporated into it and it can double the size by 8x.
- A leavening agent used especially for cakes, souffle, and merengue
2. Egg yolk: contains Fat + Protein
- It has the richness, used for binding and thickening
- It is used on custards, pastry cream, or merely as a jelling agent
- It will prevent the egg white from leavening.
3. Chalazae: is the white strands in every egg that holds egg yolk and egg white together.
- Usually, it is removed when making custards to maintain its silky texture.
What is the best way to crack an egg?
Cracking an egg on a countertop with a paper towel is the best way to do it as the shell will not shatter vigorously. The paper towel serves a dual purpose of lessening the impact upon cracking and catching egg whites that will spill in case of an unexpected outpouring.
Do sizes of eggs matter in Baking?
Some recipe calls for specific egg weights, then its best to follow the grams indicated to assure accurateness of the recipe.
The basic “Medium” sized egg has 55g without the shell
Egg white: 30 grams
Yolk: 18-20 grams
Note: 2 egg whites can replace 1 whole egg in a recipe
Why do we need to use it in Baking?
Egg contains a lot of water + protein + fat
- Egg binds all ingredients because of its protein
- Egg is used to lift or pop-up specifically sponge cakes
- Egg provide a structure richness + a leveling agent (like what baking soda or baking powder can provide)
- Eggs can add a golden brown color on the surface of a pastry/bread when applied through a method called “egg wash”
Additional note:
- Lesser egg: Will make your cake a little bit dryer, crumbly and heavier
- Too much egg: Will make your cake spongy & rubbery (it will develop more air pockets)
- Just right amount of egg: Can make your cake “moisty” or spongy
What is the best way to separate the yolk & the egg white for baking?
We will need 3 bowls:
1st bowl: It is where you can put the cracked egg. It can be separated with your hands.
2nd bowl: Contain Egg whites only
3rd bowl: Contain Egg yolks
Note: if there are small pieces of eggshells inside the bowl, remove these by scooping it with the same eggshell.
What is the best Temperature of Eggs for Baking?
- Eggs used in Baking should be at room temperature unless specified. If you need it urgently that it happens that your eggs are in the refrigerator, you can either place it in warm water for about 15 mins or in a hot water for 5 minutes.
- Eggs can last for several weeks when store in the chiller. To achieve its room temperature state, it will require about an hour outside of the chiller for it to be ready for baking.
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