Oeuf Again!
In the wake of Easter, what better topic than eggs? Lent traditionally touted a ban on the egg, and the common, commerciallized practices of hunting and painting on Easter are a remaining vestige of a celebration of their return.
As ICA fans know, eggs come in all shapes and sizes, not to mention species from Ostrich to Sturgeon, but we will focus on the common egg, the hen's egg.
Those brown, natural eggs frequently sold for twice the price of their pasty peers are really no different; in fact, neither natural nor organic is indicated by hue. However, the brown eggs are apparently easier to examine in the event that you are buying them direct from the farm. In addition, they tend to house smaller contents.
City markets tend to sell eggs stamped with a two week expiration date, but if stored refrigerated, rounded end up in their crate, eggs will last over a month. Unfortunately, as an egg sits, it loses some of its moisture. Hence, Larouuse Gastronomique reminds us that we can test an egg's freshness by submerging it in salted water, "An egg up to 3 days old will sink to the bottom; an egg 3-6 days old will float halfway up in the water; if it is bad, it floats horizontally on top of the water." The catch being that eggs are like gremlins and once the shell has gotten wet, it should be broken shortly thereafter. (Of course, one should be careful with the sanitation of eggs as they are prone to visits from Uncle Sal!)
Eggs are one of the three products that the government still does the consumer the favor of classifying. The USDA ranks those of the best quality AA, followed by A and then B. The price differences in this hierarchy are minimal and one should always use AA eggs. The official website explains that the ova are also broken into the following weight-based categories: jumbo (30 oz. per dozen), extra large (27 oz.), large (24 oz.), medium (21 oz.), small (18 oz.) and peewee (15 oz.) A visible blood vessel or two is not a sign of fertility, simply an imperfection.
The albumen or whites are useful for in baking. The much denser yolk forms the base of countless sauces and mayo which is oft believed to be a derivation of the early french word for yolk or center, moyu. The yolk and white are connected via tissue called chalaza; the Wikipedia offers up the derivation of the word, "Greek word from "khalaza" meaning hailstone, or hard lump."
Prior Poetic Pondering of the Egg Here
As ICA fans know, eggs come in all shapes and sizes, not to mention species from Ostrich to Sturgeon, but we will focus on the common egg, the hen's egg.
Those brown, natural eggs frequently sold for twice the price of their pasty peers are really no different; in fact, neither natural nor organic is indicated by hue. However, the brown eggs are apparently easier to examine in the event that you are buying them direct from the farm. In addition, they tend to house smaller contents.
City markets tend to sell eggs stamped with a two week expiration date, but if stored refrigerated, rounded end up in their crate, eggs will last over a month. Unfortunately, as an egg sits, it loses some of its moisture. Hence, Larouuse Gastronomique reminds us that we can test an egg's freshness by submerging it in salted water, "An egg up to 3 days old will sink to the bottom; an egg 3-6 days old will float halfway up in the water; if it is bad, it floats horizontally on top of the water." The catch being that eggs are like gremlins and once the shell has gotten wet, it should be broken shortly thereafter. (Of course, one should be careful with the sanitation of eggs as they are prone to visits from Uncle Sal!)
Eggs are one of the three products that the government still does the consumer the favor of classifying. The USDA ranks those of the best quality AA, followed by A and then B. The price differences in this hierarchy are minimal and one should always use AA eggs. The official website explains that the ova are also broken into the following weight-based categories: jumbo (30 oz. per dozen), extra large (27 oz.), large (24 oz.), medium (21 oz.), small (18 oz.) and peewee (15 oz.) A visible blood vessel or two is not a sign of fertility, simply an imperfection.
The albumen or whites are useful for in baking. The much denser yolk forms the base of countless sauces and mayo which is oft believed to be a derivation of the early french word for yolk or center, moyu. The yolk and white are connected via tissue called chalaza; the Wikipedia offers up the derivation of the word, "Greek word from "khalaza" meaning hailstone, or hard lump."
Prior Poetic Pondering of the Egg Here
posted by The Baron | Monday, April 17, 2006
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