Head of Nutrition Department, Glasgow and West of Scotland College of Domestic Science (Con!ribution to the Symposium on The Egg held by Tlic follo~vjtig paper Iias itndcr cotisidcratioii cookcil eggs in varioiis forms ; thc points wc :ittciiipted to study ltnvc bccn, ( ( t ) IIO\V to obtain the iiiost attrnctivc appcnrnncc, sincc wc helievc tltnt thc acsthctic sidc of prcsctiting foot1 hns ii dcfinitc henring in nutrition, (Ir) digestibility i l l riitro itftcr cooking in diflcrcnt ways, and (c) sotnc clfccts on cost.
Eggs arc uscd iu cookery for various piirposcs ; thcy are used for tticinsclvcs. Tlicy nre uscd along with othcr tliings to tliickcti custards and sniiccs, to nid emulsificntioii iiiid in niayoiiniiisc, to hold air as in iiicringiics, soufllks nntl spongcs, and to bind atid protect as in croquettes. 1111 thosc uses thcy o \ w to tltcir colloidal properties. Egg wliitc is n Iiydropliilic colloid ; this is itnportntit in ponchitig eggs and in incrcnsing tlic volutric of egg-whitc by adding m t c r bcforc bcating. Egg protein would scctii to bc pcptizcd by smnll quatititics of salts. \'c foutrd this in innking otnclets and in pocicliing cgp, nnd still digestion cspcrimcnts \vould sliow tlint thc tcndcrncss ivns only etpparctit. It must nlways bc rctncinbcrcd tlint cgg cookcd in salted w.nter is cookcd n t n liighcr tclupcriiturc. Eggs arc alkaline and thc ndditioti of acid by bringing tlic cgg iicnrcr tlie iso-clcctric point tcnils to nltcr tlic product. Congulntiou tciiipcratures arc iiiiportniit in all forms of cgg cookery. J h y tliiiigs iifl'cct congulatioti tcmpcraturc, whcthcr cgg is pure or iniscd with otlicr substaticcs, tlic time iLt \vhich tcnipcrnturc is mnint:iincd, p11, tiiiic taken to rcncli tempcraturc, ctc. Albumcti is really cleimturetl 011 cooking bccnusc of tlic clectrolytcs it contains 11s shown by Lcpcsckin. High and low coiicentrntions of clcctrolytc iuid acid give difl'ercnt, rcsults.
We Itam bccn sorely tcmptcd by ititricrrtc problcais rcgnrding high class cgg cookcry like soufflCs nut1 aiigcl cakes, but hnving found no csisting striudards for sitnplc egg cookcry we Iinvc codiiiccl oursclvcs to siniplcr irorlc 011 boiliug, poticltiiig, scrnniblitig, frying, nntl iiinkiirg of onielcts (simple). Tliosc nftcr rill nrc tho foundntioas roiind which tlic gnniish of high clnss cookcry is built. As an csnmplc of eggs ns tliickciiing dgcnt.s IW Iinw studied pouring ciiirl baked custnrds, nntl cool;cd mnyonnnisc. Wc I i n w also studicd nicriogucs ntitl spollgc cnltcs. EGGS IN SHELL 'I'hc following tests sho\r tlic efl'cct of tciiipernturc ~u i d time on cgg boiling, nncl .nlso show tlic tinio rcquircd t o give the best rcsults.
((4) Ilard-boiled 'l'etttpcmtrtrc Tittic Wtito Yollc 72" C. 14 iirs.