Egg properties EGGS CAN BE USED FOR MANY THINGS
In addition to the egg being a healthy and filling food in itself, it can also be used in many other contexts. For example, it is an indispensable ingredient in most food and baking recipes. Raising agent When egg whites are whipped, they hold air. This makes them particularly useful for cooking gratin, mousses, meringues and roulades. The best results are achieved when the egg whites are at room temperature. Binding agent When egg are heated they bind various ingredients together. An egg can bind twice as much liquid as its own volume. This property is a plus for getting the right texture of meatballs, meatloaf, pancakes and the like. Thickening agent The egg yolk’s ability to thicken liquids is used in ice cream, cake cream and sauces. The yolks are whipped with a little salt in a bowl. Bring the sauce to a boil in the saucepan. Pour a little of the hot sauce into the bowl with the eggs and mix together. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir the yolks into the hot sauce. Do not allow the sauce to
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boil when the eggs are added – otherwise it will break. Emulsifier The egg yolk’s ability to emulsify is used mainly when making mayonnaise and bearnaise or hollandaise sauce. Just keep in mind that the sauce must not boil, or it will break as the yolk cooks at high temperatures. Clarification agent Egg whites can make a murky soup or fruit juice clear. Add a little egg white while heating up the mixture, and the impurities in the soup or juice will bind themselves to the proteins, which can then be filtered out. Colouring agent Bread and pastries get a delicious golden glossy surface colour when brushed with a little whisked egg. Facial treatment mask The protein in egg whites cleans pores, firms the skin and gives facial skin nutrition without chemicals. Egg whites can be used as a cleansing mask: Put the egg white in a small plastic container with a lid. Apply egg white on slightly damp facial skin. Let the mask
dry and wash it off. Put the lid on the container and repeat as needed (egg whites should be stored in the fridge for no longer than two weeks).