Salmonella

One of several types of bacteria which can cause food poisoning (salmonellosis) if ingested in large numbers. It is found in the intestinal tract of animals, birds, insects, reptiles, seafood, and people. The bacteria can easily be passed from the intestinal tract to the hands and onto food.

Although the inside of the egg was once considered almost sterile, Salmonella enteritidis (Se) has been found recently inside a small number of eggs (much less than 1%). If an egg does contain Se, the numbers in a freshly laid egg probably will be small and, if the eggs are properly refrigerated, will not multiply enough to cause illness in a healthy person.

The majority of salmonellosis outbreaks have been attributed to foods other than eggs—chicken, beef, and fish—to human carriers, and through them, utensils and other foods during preparation. Of the outbreaks involving eggs, almost all have occurred in the foodservice sector and have been the result of inadequate refrigeration and insufficient cooking.

Se will not grow at temperatures below 40ºF. and is killed at 160ºF., known as the danger zone, are ideal for rapid growth.

Illness from Se can be avoided through adequate refrigeration, proper cooking and sanitary kitchen and food handling procedures.

~see Buying, Cooking Methods, Raw Eggs, Storing

Saturated Fat

~see Fat

Sauces

Eggs are a time-honored thickener for sauces, but they fill more than that primary function. Eggs enrich flavor, add color and increase nutritive value.

Milk or cream sauces thickened with eggs are used to bind casseroles and meat loaves. When sweetened, such sauces are served with desserts.

Eggs are also used in butter sauces which are emulsions of butter and other liquids. On heating, the egg both thickens and strengthens the emulsion. Hollandaise is the best known sauce of this type.

Other egg sauces include those in which chopped hard-cooked eggs are an ingredient such as Polonaise Sauce.

~see Custard, stirred, Hollandaise Sauce

Scrambled Egg

~see Cooking Methods, scrambled

Shell

The egg's outer covering, accounting for about 9 to l2% of its total weight depending on egg size. The shell is the egg's first line of defense against bacterial contamination.

The shell is largely composed of calcium carbonate (about 94%) with small amounts of magnesium carbonate, calcium phosphate and other organic matter including protein.

Shell strength is greatly influenced by the minerals and vitamins in the hen's diet, particularly calcium, phosphorus, manganese and Vitamin D. If the diet is deficient in calcium, for instance, the hen will produce a thin or soft-shelled egg or possibly an egg with no shell at all. Occasionally an egg may be prematurely expelled from the uterus due to injury or excitement. In this case, the shell has not had time to be completely formed. Shell thickness is also related to egg size which, in turn, is related to the hen's age. As the hen ages, egg size increases. The same amount of shell material which covers a smaller egg must be "stretched" to cover a larger one, hence the shell is thinner.

Seven to 17 thousand tiny pores are distributed over the shell surface, a greater number at the large end. As the egg ages, these tiny holes permit moisture and carbon dioxide to move out and air to move in to form the air cell. The shell is covered with a protective coating called the cuticle or bloom. By blocking the pores, the cuticle helps to preserve freshness and prevent microbial contamination of the contents.

Uses for eggshells vary from the thrifty (compost) to the creative (decorating).

Size

Several factors influence the size of an egg. The major factor is the age of the hen. As the hen ages, her eggs increase in size.

The breed of hen from which the egg comes is a second factor. Weight of the bird is another. Pullets significantly underweight at sexual maturity will produce small eggs.

Environmental factors that lower egg weights are heat, stress, overcrowding and poor nutrition.

All of these variables are of great importance to the egg producer. Even a slight shift in egg weight influences size classification and size is one of the factors considered when eggs are priced. Careful flock management benefits both the hens and the producer.

Egg sizes are Jumbo, Extra Large, Large, Medium, Small and Peewee. Medium, Large and Extra Large are the sizes most commonly available.

Sizes are classified according to minimum net weight expressed in ounces per dozen.

Jumbo 30 oz.., Extra Large 27 oz., Large 24 oz., Medium 21 oz., Small 18 oz. and Peewee 15 oz.

Size Equivalents

Although any size egg may be used for frying, scrambling, cooking in the shell or poaching, most recipes for baked dishes such as custards and cakes are based on the use of Large eggs. To substitute another size, use the following chart.

Size Equivalents

To Make 1 Cup

Soft-Cooked Egg

~see Cooking Methods, soft-cooked

Soufflé

A puffy, delicate, light-as-air creation. Savory or sweet, hot or cold, soufflés are sensational and impressive whether served as a main dish, accompaniment or dessert!

Strictly speaking, a true soufflé consists of a thick white sauce blended with beaten egg yolks and leavened by stiffly beaten  whites. It may also contain finely chopped or pureed meats, cheese, seafood or vegetables and is always served hot. Condensed cream soups or quick-cooking tapioca cooked in milk are sometimes substituted for the white sauce. For sweet or dessert soufflés, sugar is added to the sauce

Like so many skills, making a successful soufflé is easy when you know how. A mastery of the following basics will have you turning out soufflés with the best of them.

If you don't have a traditional soufflé dish, use a straight-sided casserole dish or even a straight-sided uncoated saucepan of the proper size. For individual servings, large custard cups or ovenproof coffee or soup mugs are satisfactory. As it bakes, the soufflé will increase in volume 2 to 3 ties, so container size is important. If the container is too large, the mixture will not rise above the  rim and have the lofty look that is part of a soufflés charm. If the container is too small, the mixture may run over. Usually a 4-egg soufflé will fit a 1½- to 2-quart container. Use a 2- to 2½quart container for a 6-egg soufflé. The container may be filled to within ½ inch of the top.

A soufflé needs to cling to the sides of the container to reach its maximum height, so the container should not be buttered. However, buttering the sides and bottom of the container and then dusting them lightly with grated Parmesan cheese, cornmeal or very fine crumbs lends flavor and a nice crusty texture. For dessert soufflés, dust with sugar.

If you find your technique produces soufflé mixtures which are especially light and voluminous, or if you don't have a container of the suggested size, you can keep the soufflé in bounds by fitting a collar around the top of the container. Make a 4-inch band of triple thickness aluminum foil long enough to go around the container and overlap 2 inches. Butter and dust the band. Wrap it around the outside of the dish with the buttered side in and fasten with paper clips or string. The collar should extend 2 to 3 inches above the rim of the container.

Soufflé, Cold

A term loosely applied to a number of airy egg dishes with a texture closely resembling a soufflé. For the purist, however, they are more accurately known as snows or sponges, chiffons or Bavarians.

Snows or sponges are clear gels plus egg whites. A basic gelatin mixture is partially set, unbeaten egg whites are added and the mixture is beaten until soft peaks for and chilled until firm.

Chiffons are custard gels to which beaten egg whites are added. Egg yolks are cooked with gelatin to make a custard base, stiffly beaten egg whites are folded in and the mixture chilled. Chiffons can be enjoyed as they are or used for pie fillings.

Bavarians are custard gels made with egg yolks to which both beaten egg whites and whipped cream are added.

Although such recipes are usually made with raw whites and/or yolks, some can be cooked.

~see Raw Eggs

Sponge Cake

An airy foam cake similar to angel food cake except that sponge cake may be made with egg yolks or with whole eggs. True sponge cakes contain neither shortening nor baking powder.

~see Angel Food Cake, Foams

Storage Eggs

A technical term for eggs held under refrigeration for more than 30 days rather than being immediately sold. Almost no retail eggs today are storage  eggs.

~see Cold Storage, Preservation

Storing

The refrigerator is where you should store your eggs. Unless you seldom open the door, it's best to place the eggs on an inside shelf. Repeated opening and closing of the door causes temperature fluctuations and slamming can result in breakage. The carton in which you purchase them helps keep the eggs from picking up odors and flavors from other foods and helps prevent moisture loss—a particularly important factor if you have a frost-free refrigerator.

Fresh uncooked eggs in the shell can be kept refrigerated in their cartons for at least 4 to 5 weeks beyond the pack date. Properly handled and stored, eggs rarely "spoil". If you keep them long enough, they are more likely to simply dry up! But, don't leave eggs out. They'll age more in 1 day at room temperature than they will in 1 week in the refrigerator.

As soon as you've cooled them, refrigerate hard-cooked eggs in their shells in their cartons and use them within 1 week.

When storing hard-cooked eggs, you may notice a "gassy" odor in your refrigerator. It may be more noticeable when the refrigerator is opened infrequently. The odor is caused by hydrogen sulfide which forms when the eggs are cooked, is harmless and usually dissipates within a few hours.

For outdoor eating occasions, eggs can be kept refrigerator-cold with ice or commercial coolant in an insulated bag or picnic cooler as long as the ice lasts or the coolant remains almost at freezing. Unless it's quite cold weather, for hiking, backpacking, camping and boating when refrigeration or cooler facilities aren't available, it's better to use dried eggs. Usually available in sporting goods stores, dried eggs can be reconstituted with purified water and used in most of the ways you would use fresh eggs. Specially coated hard-cooked eggs which keep without refrigeration for a considerable length of time are also available in some areas. Pickling and other forms of preservation are additional possibilities.

If a recipe calls for only whites or only yolks, refrigerate the leftover whites in a covered container up to 4 days. Store yolks in water in a covered container in the refrigerator and use in a day or 2. If you can't use the yolks quickly enough, hard cook them. Carefully place them  in a single layer in a saucepan and add enough water to come at least 1 inch above the yolks. Cover and quickly bring just to boiling. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, in the hot water for about 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator up to 4 or 5 days.

If you find yourself with more eggs than you will use in several weeks, freeze them.

~see Egg Products, Freezing, Leftover Egg Parts, Pickled Eggs, Preservation

Strata

A custard mixture poured over layers of bread and cheese and baked. The strata was created  to use up stale bread and cheese.