Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1910-03-11

Dl(hAuB lOSStuCh.
How to Cook Eggs.
The white of egg is almost entirely
pure albumen, a substance which Is
quickly coagulated by heat and tough
ened by prolonged cooking. Albumen
is the proteid part of animal foods and
when hardened by cooking is rendered
much less easy OF digestion. 1t Is
probable that eggs and meat cooked al
carefully as may be are less readily
acted upon by the gastric juices than
either would be In the uncooked state.
Albumen c~oagulates at a very moder-
ate temperature, only a little higher
than 100 degrees, and at less than
simmering point, 100 degrees, it Is
hard. Boiling makes 1t tough and In
digestible; hence 1t can readily be
seer that eggs should never be boiled
If their digestibility Is to be retained
in even a moderate degree. The term
soft boiled" or "hard boiled" should
never be applied to eggs; rather, soft
cooked and hard cooked would bet
ter be used. The custom OF boiling
eggs three minutes is an unwise one
to follow. This is the scientific meth
cd for cooking eggs in the shells, and
when 1t is followed even the hard egg,
cooked until its yolk car be grated,
will be found perfectly digestible:
Soft Cooked Egg.
Allow one pint of water for two
eggs. Heat in double boiler until wa
ter in the outside part of utensil is
boiling. Temperature of water | n In
ner vessel will be $50 degrees. Put
In eggs with a spoon, cover and let
stand over fire for six to eight min
utes If liked soft cooked, thirty min
utes for hard cooked. The same re-
suit may be obtained by having water
boiling in saucepan. Slip In eggs and
remove saucepan to back of range
where water will not boil again. Eggs
perfectly cooked should be placed and
kept in water at a temperature OF 175
degrees.
Nothing Is more tempting for break
fast than a light, fluffy omelet. SO
tender that 1t almost vanishes at a
touch. The secret of a good omelet
is to beat much air into the eggs and
then apply a moderate temperature In
cooking that the albumen may not be
toughened. The air in the eggs will
expand by the heat and be retained by
the albumen as 1t is hardened. My
favorite recipe for an omelet, which
may be served with tomato, cheese or
oyster sauce, is as follows:
Plain OmeIet.
Four eggs, half t%easpoonful of salt,
a few grains of pepper, four table
spoonfuls of water and n tablespoon
full of butter. Separate yolks from
whites. Beat yolks in a bowl with
a Dover beaten until thick; add salt,
pepper and water. Beat whites until
stiff, cutting and folding the yolks into
them until the mixture is blended.
Melt butter in omelet pan, and when
moderately hot turn in mixture, sprasS
evenly, place on range where 1t will
cook slowly-about twelve minutes.
Keep the temperature low until the
last minute, when 1t may be raised
to brown the bottom. When well
pulled put pan In q moderate over to
cook the top-that is, until omelet is
firm to the touch. Grease. cross the
top and fold. Serve at once.
Cheese custard.
Half cup of cheese, three eggs, two
cups of milk, salt and pepper and
slices of buttered bread. Beat eggs,
adding salt, pepper. milk and grated
cheese. Then pour yer slices of but
tered bread and bake in moderate oven,
following method of baking custard.
What a simple dessert is a baked
custardi 1t is a favorite with almost
every person when baked until firm.
with no indications of wateriness.
And yet, possibly because it is so sim
pie, 1t very often appears more like
curds and whey than the article which
the name implies.
The secret Of success is In the meth
cd Of cooking. The W. should be
moderate, only hot enough to brown a
piece of white paper in twenty min
utes, and the dish containing the Gus
tard should be set in a pan of hot wa
ter ON several folds of paper to equal
ize the temperature and prevent the
custard boiling.
Baked Custard.
Four cups of scalded milk, five eggs,
one-half cup of sugar, ~one-quarter tea
spoonful of salt and a little grated nut
meg. Beat eggs, add sugar and salt
and pour on slowly the scalded milk.
Pour into buttered baking dish or into
individual buttered baking cups, sprin-
kle with nutmeg, set in a pan Of hot
water and bake in a slow ven until
custard is firm. Remove from pan
containing hot water and set In cold.
Stews and Soups.
A few pounds of the clod or forearm
are excellent for a stew. Cut the meat
into small pieces for serving. Plunge
into rapidly boiling water, set the ket-
tie over the simmering burner or a
very low fire where it will not boil