Different Methods of Cooking Eggs in Hotel Kitchen
1. BOILED
EGG (Oeufs Bouillis)
Boiled eggs are one
of the most widely used types of cooked eggs. This use, however, is not always
at the breakfast meal. The hard-boiled egg is used as an ingredient in many
dishes and as a garnish for many
dishes. Both soft-boiled and hard-boiled eggs are popular breakfast items.
While preparing boiled egg there are only two
important things to be kept in mind. 1) The cooking time,
which will be determined by the consistency of the white
and yolk. 2) Is the water temperature.
Method to Prepare
boiled Eggs:
- Select
only those eggs which are free of cracks, The eggs which have cracks will
seep during the cooking process and will not be suitable for service.
- Bring
a quantity of water sufficient to cover the
eggs completely, to a rapid boil.
- Carefully
lower the eggs into the water and reduce to
a simmer 82
to 85 °C (180°F - 185°F).
- Cook
for 3-8 minutes for soft-boiled eggs and 10 minutes for hard-boiled eggs.
- The
egg should be plunged into the simmering liquid, reboil and simmer for the
required time.
- Commence
timing once the water has reboiled.
The three stages of
boiling eggs are:
Soft Boiled (in the shell)
[Oeuf a la Coque] - boiling time 3 to 4
minutes.
Soft Boiled (without shell) [Oeuf
Mollet] - boiling time 5 minutes.
Hard Boiled [Oeuf Dur] - boiling
time 8 to 10 minutes served with or without the shell.
2. SCRAMBLED EGGS
(Ouefs Broilles)
Scrambled eggs are another popular breakfast item. They can be prepared
with or without the addition of milk, depending on the preference of chef and
the guest and finished with butter or cream.
In France, good scrambled eggs are considered an
art; gently stirred over low heat to a thick creamy puree which is
elegantly garnished with truffles, smoked salmon or chopped chives. These are
prepared by thoroughly mixing the
eggs, seasoning with salt and
pepper, adding them to a little butter melted in a thick bottomed pan, then
cooking slowly stirring with a wooden spoon until set.
To hold scrambled eggs on a buffet add one
tablespoon of water, milk or cream to one egg( one cup 16 eggs). They are then
cooked to a soft stage and then hold between 54° and 60°C ( 130- 140°F). 54 C
(130°f) is the lowest temperature one can use without encouraging bacteria growth.
Slightly overheating will cause the liquid to
squeeze out and forms a separate puddle. It can be recognized when the liquid
collects around the edge of; for example custard or a mould of gelatine
products and is termed as SYNERISIS (weeping).
Scrambled eggs may be served in many ways, example
on anchovy toast, with cooked diced sweetbreads, with diced cooked ham or bacon
etc.
Method To Prepare
scrambled eggs:
- Beat the
desired number of eggs until well blended.
- If
milk is used, the normal proportion is 1/2 cup for 6 eggs.
- The
milk to be added when the eggs are beaten.
- Heat
a saute or frying pan
and add fat.
- When
fat bubbles, pour your beaten egg into the pan.
- The
Fast should be hot, but not excessively so or the egg will frizzle.
- Shake
the pan while stirring the eggs.
- There
should be no egg white showing, and the eggs should be cooked to a creamy
consistency.
- The
longer you cook the scrambled egg the tougher it will become.
- It
is best to remove it from the heat slightly undercooked, allowing the
carry-over heat to finish setting the egg.
3. POACHED EGGS
(Oeufs Poches)
Poached eggs are used
in a variety of ways in breakfast service. One difficulty of this preparation
method is keeping the form of the egg in the cooking process. Only the freshest
eggs should be used while poaching eggs.
The whites will remain more closely gathered around the yolk and not
spread out in thin wisps. The yolk in the cooked egg should also remain soft
and tender.
POACHING EGG IN BAIN-MARIE ( OEUFS
MOULES ): A cooking vessel with a lid is half filled with
water to form a bain-marie. Bring the water to boiling point. Prepare the egg
moulds with seasonings and knob of butter to flavor and to prevent eggs from
sticking to moulds. Break the egg in
individual moulds and place in the bain-marie with the lid on for gentle
cooking. Cook for 3-5 minutes so that white sets and the yolk remains soft.
Turn out and serve hot.
Method of Poaching
Eggs:
- Put
sufficient water in a pan of suitable size.
- To poach eggs,
fill a deep pan with about two and a half inches of water.
- Add
one tablespoon of salt and one tablespoon of vinegar per gallon of water.
- The
vinegar, an acid, helps to set the egg white and prevents it from
spreading.
- Acid
also makes the eggs more tender, whites whiter.
- The
poached egg must be fresh or it will spread even though vinegar is used.
- Both
salt and vinegar help to coagulate the egg as soon as it enters the
poaching liquid so that it retains a better shape.
- Then
cook the eggs until the desired degree of doneness is reached.
- Carefully
remove from the water with a slotted spoon.
4. CODDLED EGGS (OUFS À Codes)
Eggs are coddled in the shell or coddler. They are
cooked by pouring boiling water over the edges, one pint of boiling water over
an egg. The eggs are then covered and held in a warm place until cooked (six to
ten minutes) for firm yokes and pleasantly soft whites.
Method to Prepare
Coddled egg:
- Set
coddler inside a medium saucepan and fill with water to come
three-quarters up the side of the coddler.
- Remove
coddler and bring water to a gentle boil over medium heat and then butter
coddler.
- Pour
in half of the cream and add half of ham and chives; season with
salt and pepper.
- Add
egg, then top with remaining cream, ham, and chives etc.
- Season
with salt and pepper and seal closed.
- Place
coddler in water and cook the egg for about 8 minutes until whites are set
but the yolk is still runny.
5. EN COCOTTE (Oeufs en Cocotte) / Shirred Eggs:
Method to prepare Egg EN COCOTTE
(Oeufs en Cocotte):
- Butter
small bowls and season with a pinch of
salt and pepper.
- Pour
a scant tablespoon of cream into each bowl and set aside.
- Heat
olive oil in a small saute pan over medium-high heat and add in
chanterelles, thyme and sage.
- Cook
until chanterelles are tender, about 3-5 minutes.
- Pour
the mixture into the bowls and crack one egg on top of each bowl.
- Place
bowls in a baking dish,
and pour water into the baking dish until it is halfway up the sides of
the bowl.
- Transfer
baking dish to the oven, being careful not to let the water splash into
the bowls.
- Bake at
375° F (190 °C) for 10-15 minutes or until whites are set and the
yolk is still soft.
6. FRIED EGG (Oeufs Frits):
Fried eggs top the list of breakfast orders. There are four types of
fried eggs: Over Easy, Hard fried, basted and sunny side up. The preparation of
each of the four types begins in the same manner, but the steps for finishing
them are different.
The preparation of any type of fried egg requires close attention to the
amount of heat used. Too high a heat cooks the egg too quickly, toughening the
bottom and leaving the yolk cold. The temperature should be sufficient to allow
the egg to cook to the desired degree of doneness without being toughened, yeat
heating the white and yolk thoroughly.
The fried egg is the centrepiece of the great British breakfast,
surrounded by bacon, sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms, baked beans, black
pudding and toasted bread. Eggs done or cooked only on one side is known as
SUNNY SIDE UP. For EASY OVER use a palette knife to flip each egg carefully.
Method to prepare
Different Types of Fried Eggs:
- Heat
a saute or frying pan and then add the fat, clarified butter, bacon fat,
shortening oil etc.
- When
the fat bubbles, slip the eggs into the pan, it is best if the eggs are
cracked open into a dish before placed in the pan.
Fried Egg - Over
Easy:
1) Cook the egg until the white is set.
2) Flip the egg by pushing the pan forward and then pulling back
sharply.
3) The curvature of the egg pan should allow the egg to flip over.
4) Continue to cook until the white is firmly set but the yolk is still
soft.
Fried Egg - Hard
Fried:
1) Cook the egg until the white is set.
2) Puncture the yolk of the egg, then flip in the same manner as that
for over-easy.
3) Continue to cook until both the white and yolk are firmly set.
Fried Egg - Baster:
1) Do not flip, Baste the yolk of
the egg with hot fat or cover the pan and allow the egg to steam slightly.
2) In either case, the egg yolk is slightly whitened.
3) The egg is cooked until the white is firmly set and the egg yolk is
thoroughly heated but soft.
Fried Egg - Sunny
Side Up:
1) Cook the egg, without flipping or basting.
2) Wait until the white is set firmly and the yolk is thoroughly heated
but soft.
7. OMELETTES (Les
Omelette):
Like fried eggs, omelettes have been and continue
to be a popular breakfast item and are present always on the breakfast menu.
Due to the versatility of this dish which makes it a highly desirable menu
item. In reality, the basic omelette is nothing more than scrambled eggs
enclosed in a coating of coagulated egg.
Omelette can be served plain or filled with many
items like bacon, cheese, onion, chilly, sausages, seafood, spinach,
seafood, herbs, asparagus etc.
There are a variety of types of omelettes like rolled, folded, in half, thirds,
left flat or puffed etc. depending on the guests like the omelette is finished
by the Breakfast Chef.
Method to prepare
Omelette:
- Begin
as you would for scrambled egg, but as the egg setup up stop stirring and
shake the pan.
- It
is necessary to let the eggs set, but not stick to the pan.
- When
the eggs are just at the soft runny stage start adding your filler.
- At
this point the omelette may be rolled, folded in half or thirds depending
on the guest request or preference.
Other ways of adding garnishes or
flavourings are the following:
- Combined
with egg before cooking.
- Placed
into the centre of omelette before it is folded.
- Placed
on top of the omelette, in a cavity after folding is
complete.
Examples of Special
Omelette Preparation:
The Omelette Parmentier is server American style
folded. Sauteed, diced potato and chopped
parsley are added just at the point of egg setting and then the omelette is
folded and served hot.
The Souffle Omelette is prepared by keeping the
white and yolk of the egg separately. The white is whipped separately to the
consistency of whipped cream The egg yolks are then beaten and the whites are
folded into them. The Mixture is poured into a pan which is hot and lubricated
and cooked until the bottom is set and slightly brown. The egg pan is then
placed on to the oven or salamander to finish.
8. SOUFFLES (soufflé):
Soufflés are similar to puffy or foamy omelettes
except that they have been thickened with flour, butter and milk. The
proportion of an egg is lower than in an omelette. To make a soufflé the eggs
are separated and added to the white sauce or starch
thickened mixture.
The whites are beaten to soft foam before being
folded into the rest of the materials. Soufflés are baked at 149 C (300 F) and
they should be served soon after they are cooked.
Method to Prepare
Vanilla soufflé:
- Butter
soufflé mold and toss them with caster sugar.
- Beat
the whites by gradually adding sugar.
- Relax
the custard cream in a saucepan on the fire.
- Once
the whites have risen with the sugar, stir in
the custard cream.
- Garnish
the soufflé mold, smooth them with a spatula and go around the mold at the
knifepoint.
- At
the moment put a soufflé on a hot plate in a hot oven at 180 ° c. Cook for
9 minutes.
9. CUSTARDS (Crème
aux Oeufs):
True custards contain only milk, eggs, sugar and flavouring. No starch agent is added. Baked custards must contain enough eggs to produce a firm mass. Custards should be cooked in a container of water to prevent overheating. For firm Custard heats the milk to about 66 C (150 F) then adds this to the mixture of sugar, eggs, and flavouring.
An oven temperature of about 177 C (350 F) is used
for baking custards, but if the temperature of the custard itself exceeds 85 C
(185 F) the custard is likely to contain holes, be watery and have a concave
top. Once the custard is cooked it should be placed in a cool spot for setting
in a pan of cold water. At a very high temperature synergetic occurs this is a
separation of liquid from the gel, caused by contraction of the proteins.
10. PUDDINGS AND
CREAMS:
A thickened mixture of corn flour, milk, sugar and flavouring is called a blancmange or corn flour pudding. If eggs are added to this mixture, the pudding is called a cream pudding.
Preparing Bavarian Creams (Bavarois): Add
corn flour or cream puddings made by light gelatine, whipped cream, beaten eggs
and other ingredients for Bavarian creams. Add 1/4 tsp creams of tartar are
added for each 5 egg whites.
Zabaglione or Sabayon: is a dessert of
Italian origin made with egg yolks, sugar and wine (Marsala).
Quiches: Are custards
baked in a pastry case. It contains eggs, milk, cheese, bacon, and onions.
11. OTHER EGG
ITEMS:
Crepes are thin pancakes made from flour, sugar,
milk and eggs. No baking powder is added to them
as in American style pancakes. Crepes are popular as desserts or as entrees.
After mixing the pancake batter, it must be
allowed to rest in the refrigerator for half an hour. Fondues contain eggs
especially that of Geneva, which is made up of egg yolks and cheese.
Some fondues are baked custards containing parts of
bread, loosely resembling a soufflé. Cheese fondues probably originated in
Switzerland. Swiss cheese is melted in white wine. The wooden or earthenware
bowl in which it is served is rubbed with garlic and kirsch or cherry brandy
just before the fondue is served. It is then picked up on chunks of bread for
eating.
Eggs are also basic to many baked desserts, including
all those using sweet dough, puff paste,
sponge or genoise. They are also used in mousses.
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