Egg Dishes - Comprehensive Study Notes

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• By the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

  • identify tools, utensils and equipment needed in egg preparation;

  • clean, sanitize and prepare tools, utensils and equipment needed in preparing egg dishes;

  • identify egg components and its nutritive value; and

  • identify and prepare ingredients according to standard recipe.

OVERVIEW

• In cookery, egg refers to poultry or fowl products.

• The versatility of eggs is evident in its presence in numerous food items.

• Eggs may be eaten cooked in its shell, fried or poached or may be combined with other ingredients to produce another dish.

• In baking, egg acts both as an emulsifier and leavener.

BLOOM (egg freshness and protection)

• The egg\'s protective coating or mucin layer which aids in the maintenance of its freshness by covering the small holes in the shell is called the bloom.

• Bloom is removed during washing, so it is not advisable to wash eggs prior to storage unless it is very dirty.

• Removal of the mucin layer will expose the holes, making the egg susceptible to bacterial penetration and dehydration, thus hastening deterioration of its quality.

TOOLS, UTENSILS AND EQUIPMENT NEEDED IN EGG PREPARATION

• In the preparation of egg dishes, the first consideration is to identify the needed tools and equipment and how to clean and sanitize them after each use.

KITCHEN TOOLS

• 1. CHANNEL KNIFE (also called zester)

  • a small hand tool used generally in decorative works such as making garnishes.

• 2. COLANDER

  • a perforated bowl of varying sizes made of stainless steel, aluminum or plastic,

  • used to drain, wash or cook ingredients from liquid.

• 3. OFFSET SPATULA

  • a broad bladed implement bent to keep the hand off hot surfaces;

  • used for turning and lifting eggs, pan cakes, and meats on griddles, grills, sheet pans, and the like;

  • also used to scrape and clean griddles.

• 4. PASTRY BRUSH

  • small implement used to brush the surface of unbaked pastries or cookies with egg white, egg yolk or glaze.

• 5. RUBBER SPATULA OR SCRAPER

  • broad flexible plastic or rubber scraper, rectangular in shape with a curve on one side;

  • used to scrape off all the contents of bowls and pans from the sides and fold in beaten eggs in batter or whipped cream.

• 6. SIEVE

  • a screen-type mesh supported by a round metal frame;

  • used for sifting dry ingredients like starch and flour.

• 7. SPOONS: SOLID, SLOTTED AND PERFORATED

  • Solid: large stainless spoons holding about $3\ \text{ounces}$, used for mixing, stirring, and serving.

  • Slotted: large, long-handled spoons with holes in the bowl, used to remove larger solid particles from liquids.

  • Perforated: similar to slotted but with different perforation pattern.

• 8. WIRE WHIP OR WHISK

  • device with loops of stainless-steel wire fastened to a handle;

  • used for blending, mixing, whipping eggs or batter, and for blending gravies, sauces, and soups.

KITCHEN UTENSILS

• 1. EGG POACHER

  • miniature Bain Marie with an upper dish containing indentations sized to hold an egg or contains a separate device for poaching.

• 2. OMELET PAN

  • heavy-based frying pan, usually of cast iron or copper, with rounded sloping sides used exclusively for omelets;

  • never washed after use but cleaned with absorbent paper.

• 3. MEASURING CUP

  • measuring liquid or bulk solid cooking ingredients such as flour and sugar.

• 4. MEASURING SPOON

  • used to measure an amount of an ingredient, either liquid or dry, when cooking;

  • may be made of plastic, metal, or other materials.

• 5. SAUCE PAN

  • cooking pan with a handle used primarily for cooking sauce.

• 6. MIXING BOWL

  • containers with smooth, rounded interior surfaces with no creases to retain some mixture and used for mixing ingredients.

KITCHEN APPLIANCES

• The slides show a broad range of kitchen appliances typically found in kitchens, including categories and examples such as:

  • OVEN, ELECTRIC MIXER, REFRIGERATOR.

• 1. OVEN

  • a chamber or compartment used for cooking, baking, heating, or drying.

• 2. ELECTRIC MIXER

  • hand-held mixer which usually comes with various attachments including a whisk attachment for whisking cream, batters and egg whites, and sugar.

• 3. REFRIGERATOR

  • a kitchen appliance where you store food at a cool temperature.

• Note: The slide also references other appliance categories (e.g., blenders, kettles, food steamers, espresso machines, grills, electric ovens, toasters, hot plates, meat mincers, water filters, etc.), illustrating the broad range of equipment available in kitchen settings.