The Basic Preparation Of Foods: Dairy Produce.

EGGS: Part 1

Eggs can be fresh or dried, the latter being only hens’ eggs without the shell and water. Dried egg should be stored in a cool, dry place – do not put it fridge! Store eggs for a few days or a week in a cool place away from strong-smelling foods. An egg stand is ideal for this purpose. If the eggs are soiled, wipe them clean – washing will remove the natural oils which help to preserve the eggs.

Pickled Eggs: eggs laid in the Spring keep longer than those laid in the other seasons. Eggs that can not be cleaned-up, must be refused. Waterglass or the other special preparations should be used. If an egg floats to the surface, use it at once. Try to maintain the room temperature around 2-8 C and they should remain edible for 6 to 9 months.

Preparing Eggs for Cooking: break each egg singly into a cup, before adding it to the other ingredients to ensure it is not ‘off’. If you wish to separate the white from the yolk, tip the contents back and forth between the two egg shell halves and the white (albumen) will run off. Beat eggs with a whisk or a fork in an appropriately sized bowl, but whip egg whites with a knife on a large plate – a pinch of salt will help.

Raw eggs used to be prescribed for invalids as they are easily digestible, but this not recommended these days due to the ubiquity of salmonella and other diseases. One method, retold here for the curious was to strain a beaten egg into a mug and slowly add a cup of hot milk (or tea, coffee or lemon water; add sugar to taste. Sherry was often added too.

Cooking Eggs: eggs must be cooked slowly because the albumen solidifies at a temperature lower than that of boiling water and becomes ‘tough’ at higher temperatures. Similarly, if raw egg is used to thicken a sauce and the liquid is subsequently allowed to boil, the sauce will ‘curdle’, i.e. the egg will solidify into small specks, ruining its texture.

Coddling: produces easily digestible egg-whites, making it an ideal method for invalids and children. Lower eggs into 75mm boiling water; place lid and remove from heat. Stand for: 7 mins for medium-, 5 mins for soft- and 20 mins for hard-boiled eggs .

Boiling: lower fresh eggs gently into 75mm 3″ boiling water with a spoon. Replace the lid and boil gently for 3-3″ mins for soft-, 4-5 mins the medium- and 10 mins for hard-boiled eggs.

Place the eggs in eggcups: tap the shell to crack it, pemitting the steam to escape and so preventing further cooking. For sandwiches, salads etc: boil egg for 12 mins and plunge into cold water. This enables the shell to be easily removed and discourages a black ring around the yolk.

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The Basic Preparation Of Foodstuffs: Dairy Products

These fairly basic tips may seem quite irrelevant to most modern householders who own a refrigerator, but modern technology do make people sloppy and so it is very worth while to know ‘why’ we ought do some things. For example, it is worth remembering these tips when your refrigerator is broken or is so small that it will not hold everything you have, such as when camping or boating or on holiday in some (parts of) countries in the world.

MILK:

Milk has been called ‘nature’s perfect food’, because no other food, taken alone, can support adult life. It is of the first importance for the growth and development of young people, but it must be clean as bacteria also find it very nourishing and quickly multiply in it. If milk is not bought pasteurized, then it should be scalded and quickly cooled before consumption.

How To Scald Milk: Rinse a clean saucepan with cold water, pour in the milk and apply heat until bubbles form around the side of the pan. Keep it at this temperature, ie, not letting it boil, for three minutes. Do not let it overheat, as milk burns very easily. Pour immediately into a clean bottle and stand it in a basin of cold water and cover with a fine cloth to discourage flies and dust getting in.

How To Keep Milk Fresh: If milk is not be preserved in the receptacles in which you bought it, pour it into a clean bottle, which has been rinsed with cold water. A warm jug will cause the milk to stick to the sides and go off more quickly. You should always keep milk in the coolest place in the larder and always keep it covered. it is worth remembering that draughts are most often at ground-level and that hot air rises. Never keep milk in an airless cupboard and in hot weather stand the jug in a bowl of water with the cloth covering hanging in the water. The cloth will soak up water, which will evaporate, which uses up heat, ensuring that the jug remain cool. Keep milk away from strong-smelling foods, as it absorbs smells easily. Never mix new and old milk together.

Sour Milk: Milk straight from the cow is a little alkaline, but as it ages, lactic acid is formed and it becomes what is called ’sour’. Pasteurizing or scalding the milk slows down this process. Milk which is ‘on the turn’ can be revived by boiling with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda to restore its alkalinity. However, once the milk has gone too far and has curdled, it can be strained through (cheese) cloth, thus separating the curds from the whey. The curds can be used as a filling for cakes, tarts, scones etc and the whey can be used as the liquid for making scones, cakes and soups etc., as it still retains much of its goodness.

Evaporated Milk: Evaporated milk is ordinary milk, which has had some of its water content driven off by heat in some form or another before being canned. Once reconstituted by adding water, it will last only slightly longer than fresh milk.

Condensed Milk: This is simply evaporated milk to which sugar has been added before canning. The sugar acts as a preservative and will keep the milk for about a week. Do not keep in the tin, but decant it into a jug.

Dried Milk: Dried milk comes in a variety of forms and notice should be taken of the instructions on the label. Specialized products can be bought for babies, invalids, convalescents and dieters, all of which contain varying amounts and types of added vitamins and minerals. Usually, they are very much lower in fat content than conventional milk.

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Preparation Of Basic Foods: Dairy Produce.

Eggs: Part 2

Poaching: boil 1.5 inches (40mm) water in a shallow pan; add a teaspoon of salt and 5ml of vinegar. Crack an egg into a cup, check and pour into boiling water. Reduce the heat. Fold the white around the unbroken yolk with a spoon and continue to simmer for another 3-4 mins. Lift out with a draining spoon and serve on warm buttered toast.

Scrambling: beat eggs well; add salt, pepper and a dash of milk. Melt enough butter to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook eggs slowly, stirring continuously. Cook in a basin floating in boiling water, if preferred. Serve when almost completely set, in about 5 mins.

Fried: Melt enough fat to easily cover the base of a shallow pan. Tip egg in gently and gather the whites around the yolks. When the white has solidified, baste the yolk to taste and remove whole with a fish slice.

Baking: lightly grease a fireproof dish and slide eggs into it. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and butter. Bake in a moderate oven and serve in the same pan after the whites have set.

Omelette: buy a pan and keep it only for omelettes! The base should be smooth and clean. Allow two eggs per person; beat lightly and add salt and pepper to taste. Heat enough butter to cover the base of the pan. When the fat is hot, pour in the eggs; as it sets, raise the handle up and draw set mixture up, allowing the liquid egg to run down onto the hot pan. When all is set, tilt the pan forward and roll the omelette over. Serve immediately on a hot plate. It can be filled with almost anything, before being rolled over.

Pouring Custard: beat 2-3 eggs per 1 pint of milk lightly. Heat the milk and pour gradually over the eggs; add sugar and flavouring; cook in a double pan or jug and hot water until the required thickness has been reached. If it is not to be served immediately, pour a thin layer of water onto the top to prevent a skin forming.

Baked Custard: proceed as above and then pour the custard into greased dish; sprinkle with nutmeg; and place dish in water to halfway up its sides. Bake at 350 F for 35-45 mins; test by inserting a knife – it should be clean on removal.

Steamed Custard: as above, but cook in a steamer or pan of boiling water. The cooking time is about the same too.

Custard Tarts: pour a little pouring custard into each unbaked pastry case and bake in the oven for around 40-50 minutes. A little strawberry jam can be put at the bottom of the pastry case first, if preferred.

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