D E C E M B E R
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WHITES AND YOLKS FOR BUSY FOLKS
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Table of Contents
Fetured Article
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27 Avocado Egg Bagel
10 Facts about eggs
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Senior Editor Jasmine Thomas
Junior Editor Carl Dhein
Flood Editor Kevin Murray
Art Director Kaitlyn Zblewski
Photographer Jasmine Pulchinski
Copywriter Ryan Lemmers
Staff Writer Pam the Chicken
Coffee Getter Vanessa Van Den Elzen
Music By Aria Barrett-Petersen
Eggs Laid By Kjersten Niskanen
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Why Do Americans Refrigerate Their Eggs?
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reader asks: “Why do Americans refrigerate their eggs?”
Kim Severson, a food reporter for The Times, considers the question. Americans love refrigeration, and eggs are high on the list of items we rush to get into the refrigerator after a trip to grocery store. Meanwhile, our culinary compatriots in Europe, Asia and other parts of world happily leave beautiful bowls of eggs on their kitchen counters. So what gives? Mostly, it’s about washing. In the U.S., egg producers with 3,000 or more laying hens must wash their eggs. Methods include using soap, enzymes or chlorine. The idea is to control salmonella, a potentially fatal bacteria that can cling to eggs. The Centers for Disease control estimates that salmonella causes about 1.2 million illnesses a year, resulting in 450 deaths — though not all of those cases are traced to eggs. The bacteria can be passed through the porous shell to the inside of the egg from material on the outside, though in rarer cases it can infect the ovaries of a chicken and infect the eggs from the inside. Why the 3,000-hen cutoff? Salmonella outbreaks are more prevalent in large operations where the chickens are kept in close
quarters, often in cages stacked on top of one another. Some largescale producers vaccinate their flocks, but not all. Thus, the onesize-fits-all washing regulation.
prohibit the washing of eggs. The idea is that preserving the protective cuticle is more important than washing the gunk off.
But — and here is the big piece of the puzzle — washing the eggs also
At most American farm stands and farmers’ markets, eggs are sold unrefrigerated. And many
cleans off a thin, protective cuticle devised by nature to protect bacteria from getting inside the egg in the first place. (The cuticle also helps keep moisture in the egg.)
cooks store unwashed eggs from small producers on their counters, washing them just before they use them — or not at all, if they are getting dropped into boiling water.
“ The idea is to control salmonella, a potentially fatal bacteria that can cling to eggs.”
However, if you buy farm eggs chilled, it’s better to keep them chilled. Bringing them to room temperature if you’re not going to cook them right away can cause condensation, which can damage the cuticle or encourage mildew. A refrigerated egg, no matter the source, will be good for four or five weeks. Unrefrigerated eggs are best used within a week, though they may be fine for two.
With the cuticle gone, it is essential — and, in the United States, the law — that eggs stay chilled from the moment they are washed until you are ready to cook them. Japan also standardized a system of egg washing and refrigeration after a serious salmonella outbreak in the 1990s. In Europe and Britain, the opposite is true. European Union regulations
Safety concerns aside, roomtemperature eggs perform better in the kitchen. If cold eggs are worked into batters with a high fat content, they can reharden the fats, and you’ll end up with batter that looks curdled and whose texture could be impacted. Also, if you want more volume when you whip egg whites for meringue or soufflés, use roomtemperature eggs.
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Avocado egg bagel Servings: 1
Level: Beginner
What You Need for this recipe 1 Avocado 2 Eggs 1 Bagel 2 tbs. of Butter Salt and pepper Parsley (Optional)
Estimated Time: 20 minutes
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Fill a sauce pan about 2 inches deep with water and let boil.
2.
Meanwhile cut the avocado in half and remove the seed.
3. While the avocado is still in the
shell, slice the avocado vertically into thin slices. Carefully spoon out the content of the avocado onto a plate and seperate the slices.
4. Once the water on the stove has come to a rolling boil, slowly crack and lower two egg into the pan. Let boil until whites are firm.
Prep: 5 minutes
5.
Toast a bagel in a toaster. Once done, butter the sliced end of the bagel and set on a plate.
6. Gently spoon on the avocado
slices evenly accross the face of the bagel. take the egg out of the pan and dry off. Place the egg on top of the avocado slices.
7. Salt and Pepper to taste
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10 Suprising facts about
EGGs
Not so long ago, an all-eggsall-the-time restaurant was just a daydream for the married couple Sarah Schneider and Demetri Makoulis. It was one they fantasized about often, and publicly. “You know I love you guys, but I’m so sick of hearing about the egg place,” their friend Florian Schutz, a hotel general manager, finally said in 2013. “Can you find a chef and work out a business plan already?” So they did just that, joining forces with Schutz and Nick Korbee, then the executive chef at Smith & Mills. Egg Shop opened on the Lower East Side in August 2014, with a permanent line out the door of enthusiastic — and particular — regulars. “I’ve learned that people are very specific about their preferred cooking style for eggs,” Schneider says. “I guess it’s similar to style in general: It gives a glimpse into who people are and the energy they put out into the world.” This week, Schneider, Makoulis and Korbee will release their first book. It’s titled “Egg Shop: The Cookbook” ($35, William Morrow Cookbooks), but it’s more than a cookbook. There are plenty of recipes for popular dishes like Egg Shop’s take on the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich and its “Spandex” bowl of poached eggs, quinoa and vegetables. But the book also functions as a complete, and frequently very funny, guide to understanding the egg as an ingredient. Below, a few highlights straight from the source.
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Chicken’s Reproductive Cycle Lasts a Single Day After a hen releases a yolk from its ovary, it takes only about 24 hours for the egg to form before it’s laid. And egg output is deeply impacted by the time between a single sunrise and sunset; the longer the period of sunlight, the more likely a hen is to lay an egg.
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When Scrambling, You Want 1 Tablespoon of Fat for Every 2 Eggs A couple of other pro tips: Use a bowl and fork; a whisk tends to incorporate too much air. And start with a hot pan. If you can hold your hand an inch from the cooking surface comfortably for 30 seconds, it’s not hot enough!
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Older Eggs Are Easier to Peel It’s hard to tell the age of supermarket eggs, but if you’re buying directly from a farmer they can tell you when the eggs were laid and how long they have been stored. A tiny bit of baking soda in the cooking water will help make the shells more brittle. And peeling an egg in a bowl of fresh water or under running water will remove any tiny shell particles.
Better Eggs Come From Smaller Flocks Fewer birds usually get more attention and have a wide range of diet, as there is less competition for the tasty bits around the pasture. And with fewer birds, the farmer can’t stockpile eggs to bring to market — resulting in superior freshness. At the farmer’s market, ask how large the flock is before committing to buying a dozen. Fewer than 50 hens is a hobby farm, 50 to 100 is a very small commercial size, but up to 500 would still fall in the realm of a family farm — a good choice!
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Don’t Trust the “Omega-3 Fortified” Label Omega-3 fatty acids are undeniably useful: They reduce inflammation, help with cognitive function and may even lower the risk of certain chronic diseases. But the “fortified” label on eggs is not USDA regulated, so it’s more of a marketing tool than anything else. (Thanks to a hen’s diet, the typical organic/pasture egg naturally contains omega-3 fatty acids already — about 30 milligrams worth.)
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Eggs can be Poached up to 24 Hours in Advance Immediately submerge the poached eggs in ice water and refrigerate them. To reheat, simply take the par-poached eggs from the water/ice bath and dunk them in simmering water for 30 to 45 seconds. This is best done a few eggs at a time.
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For 90 Years, Bartenders Have Used Egg Whites in Whiskey Sours Whites improve the balance, texture and presentation of the cocktail, which is usually made with water, whiskey, lemon and sugar. (Purists argue that the basic egg white
whiskey sour is actually a Boston sour. And topping a Boston sour with a red wine float makes it a Greenwich sour.)
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You Can Scramble Eggs With an Espresso Machine Gently whip the eggs with cream, using a fork, until well combined. Add the egg mixture to the ceramic pitcher of an espresso machine and submerge the steam wand tip. Begin to release steam into the eggs while stirring constantly with a spatula and moving the pitcher ever so slightly up and down. You’re finished when the eggs resemble a classic French soft scramble. Add the butter and give one last burst of steam. Stir to melt the butter, season to taste with salt and serve.
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Three Temperatures Are Key to Perfectly Boiled Eggs Eggs are hard-boiled when the internal temperature at the yolk’s center is 174°F, medium-boiled when the yolk’s center is at 165°F, and soft-boiled when the internal temperature is 158°F.
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Soaking Eggs Doesn’t Make Them Cleaner The shell is porous, and water draws bacteria through the shell to the egg. Most small farmers take pride in very clean eggs and will proudly tell you their eggs are brushed to remove only the surface debris, or they have a specialized (very expensive) egg washer.
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