Tip: Freezing Egg Whites

In FOOD SAFETY TIP #3: Raw Egg Whites we indicated that egg whites can be frozen for up to a year.

For best results, put them in a paper cup, covering the top with foil. This keeps air off of the whites and keeps water crystals from forming on the egg whites

Be sure to mark on the outside of the cup the number of whites it contains and the date they went into the freezer.

1st "Conservation" Linky: Share Ways You Use Leftover Egg Yolks or Whites

Imagine that you live on a spaceship (because you do) traveling to the nearest extra-solar star* [OK, you're on a BIG spaceship orbiting the Sun...].

What would you take? How would you do things differently?

I'm Pam Hoffman and I was 'green' when it was still a color. I started making different decisions about my personal "Conservation" back in the 80s, I just always thought of it as 'spaceship thinking' so I reused, recycled, repurposed, composted and plain old did not get things as part of my daily routine.

I'm Jeff Miller. My parents went through the depression and WWII rationing so, I too, was raised to think of ways to reuse, recycle, and repurpose things. I do my bit to conserve resources but I'm not radical about it. In my own bit of "spaceship thinking," I've always felt that we've been tearing apart the life support system to repair the coffee maker. However, I'm a technophile so I think that our increasing understanding and innovations will eventually solve the problem. I just hope that there's something left to save.

Topic of the week:

While we will diverge greatly over time, it is appropriate to make the 1st "Conservation" Linky all about Eggs!

When you are faced with leftover egg yolks or egg whites after making a favorite recipe, what do you do with the leftovers?

In our first CoE book "Where's My Other Half?," published 9/6/11, we offer up some ideas an recipes.

Go ahead and add YOUR best ideas here. Who knows, your post may be referenced in a future edition or revision of the CoE series of books! If your idea makes the cut, we will be sure to ask your permission and give you the appropriate credit!

Thanks for playing. Here are a few 'rules' to maintain your spot on this "Conservation" Linky Series...

1. Please Adhere to the Linky Party Theme
2. Link Directly to YOUR Participating Post (not just the main URL)
3. Link Back From Your Post to This Post (NOT a different page) With the Text: CoE - Conservation of Eggs
4. Please Do Your Best to Visit Fellow Participants Posts and Leave Them a Comment. Isn't That Why YOU'RE Here?

This Linky will reorder the links by 'Likes' as Facebook calls it. If you want to stay in the top spots, have everyone you know stop by and click on the 'Like' by your link!

Have Fun!

Share Ways You Use Leftover Egg Yolks or Whites Below:


*Proxima Centauri

Fight Back Fridays

CoE is now participating in Food Renegade's FIGHT BACK FRIDAYS!



From their site:

"Welcome back yet again to another Fight Back Friday! Today we are bringing together another collection of recipes, tips, anecdotes, and testimonies from members of the Real Food Revolution.

"Who are they? Why, they’re the Food Renegades. You know who you are — lovers of SOLE (Sustainable, Organic, Local, and Ethical) food, traditional food, primal food, REAL food, the list goes on. I believe that by joining together, our influence can grow, and we can change the way America (and the industrialized world) eats!"

If you can relate to any of this, please take a moment to visit and learn more!

We have linked our very first post: Your Conservation of Eggs [CoE] Begins! to their 10/14/11 Linky edition.

Thank You!

p.s. BTW, Announcing: CoE "Conservation" Linky Party on Fridays too beginning today. Stay tuned for that and add your 'Link' to the list for more attention and possibly a 'link back' to your site! We will have a new theme every Friday. Have Fun!

Cleaning Up After Eggs: Cooked on Egg, #1

Some times after cooking eggs (scramble, omelet, and souffle) you end up with an eggy, hard to clean, mess from Cooked on Eggs. It clogs scrubbers and soaking it just makes it gooey without making it any easier to clean off the pan.

This usually results from cooking the eggs at too low of a heat, with too little oil and/or an uncoated pan.

The first step is prevention. Nonstick pans go a long way to preventing the eggy mess. However, even with non-stick pans, I would add a little oil, fat or butter. If you have a regular pan (stainless steel, cast iron, etc.), you should use oil, fat or butter to coat the pan.

Also, cooking hotter and faster gives the egg less time to work its way between the oil and the pan. Constantly, keeping the egg moving in the pan also helps to keep it from gluing itself to the bottom or sides.

In the next post (Cleaning Up After Eggs: Cooked on Egg, #2), we will discuss what to do if prevention fails.

Sexual Health Benefits of Eggs

"The egg is the ultimate fertility symbol among almost every ancient nation since time began. It's believed that the egg contains the ultimate gift of virility straight from the Gods. They symbolize rebirth, long life and even immortality. It makes sense that it's considered a powerful natural aphrodisiac as well.

"In Iran, brides and grooms exchange eggs. In seventeeth-century France, a bride broke an egg when she first entered her new home. In Egypt eggs were hung in the temples to encourage fertility. In the Chinese/Indian border area, if a woman gave an egg to a man it was considered a marriage proposal. Colored eggs were considered especially powerful and they were tossed into the laps of women to help assure pregnancy. Everywhere around the world, eggs have been associated with…"

Keep reading…
http://happyher.hubpages.com/hub/Eggs-for-Enhanced-Sexual-Health

Question from The Times of India

"Is it harmful to have the yolk of egg? If I mix one yolk with the whites of five eggs in my breakfast omelets, would that be okay or am I still asking for cholesterol problems?"

- Rushad Bana

"No, consuming the yolk is not totally harmful, especially if not eaten daily. Yes, the yolk contains most of the fat (99 per cent) of the egg, but it also contains a chunk of the nutrients, including 90 per cent of the calcium, iron, Vitamin B6 + B12, zinc, and folate content. Majority of the protein (100 per cent complete in all essential amino acids) content is in the egg white, and since it has just 1 per cent of the fat; it contributes very little calories to the daily intake. Thus egg whites can be had in multiple numbers daily."

Found here..
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-08-23/diet/29773720_1_jaggery-refined-white-sugar-egg-yolk/2

FOOD SAFETY TIP #4: Raw Egg Yolks

Raw egg yolks, once they have been exposed to the air (and the bacteria it contains), can only be refrigerated for 2 to 4 days.

The yolks do not freeze well. I suspect that the yolks are the reason you should not freeze whole eggs either (as mentioned in FOOD SAFETY TIP #1: Freezing Eggs).

DEFINITION: Quiche

In French cuisine, a quiche (English pronunciation: /ˈkiːʃ/; keesh) is an oven-baked dish made with eggs and milk or cream in a pastry crust. Usually, the pastry shell is blind-baked before the other ingredients are added. Other ingredients such as cooked chopped meat, vegetables, or cheese are often added to the egg mixture before the quiche is baked. Quiche is generally an open pie (i.e. it does not include a pastry covering), but may include an arrangement of tomato slices or pastry off-cuts for a decorative finish. Quiche may be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, depending on local customs and personal tastes.

More here...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quiche

Meet Brian: Egg Farmer

Brian is an egg farmer in Ohio. The farm produces more than a million eggs a day! There's a video of Brian touring the farm. If you'd like to know more, click on the link below & follow the story:

Tour the Egg Farm with Brian!

Thanks to Ohio Egg & Poultry Farmers for this insight into Brian and his Egg Farm!

An Egg Magic Trick

Bruce Weertman writes:
"Egg trick

1. a duck egg works better but a regular old egg will work too.
2. poke small holes in the egg at opposite North/South holes
3. blow all the egg stuff out
4. soak the egg in vinegar for ~10 days The shell dissolves off and you're now left with an empty rubbery shell of an egg.
5. remove from vinegar, dry and powder with talc. Store with talc on it.

OK now for the magic trick...

1. hold the hollow egg in your hand showing the audience.
2. squeeze your hand shut and the egg will appear to vanish.
3. do a slight of hand
4. The egg can be made to reappear by drooping the crushed egg into a cup and shaking.

I saw a magician do a long trick with this and was quite amazed!"

Found here...
http://bizarrelabs.com/egg.htm

The First Book Is Now Available!

"Have You Ever Been Stuck, With One Egg Yolk or One Egg White After Using a Recipe?"

"Where's My Other Half?" is the first book in the CoE (Conservation of Eggs) series designed to provide you with ways to USE that other half that's leftover from your original recipe.

There is a section of very simple things you can do, a bunch of recipes in the middle and some 'out there' ideas toward the end you can reference.

If you ever get stuck with one *or more* egg yolk or egg whites after working with a recipe, just pull out "Where's My Other Half?" flip through the pages until you find the chapter with your leftover type & number (1 thru 4 egg yolks or egg whites in this volume) then search for a recipe to 'Conserve' that Other Half!

We included a special section called "Noble Recipes" (recipes that use use equal numbers of yolks and whites in different places) for you as well.

A Conservation of Eggs:
Where's My Other Half?

First in the CoE Series, Published on September 6, 2011 Now Available on Amazon Kindle & Kindle apps!

Buy It Now!

Eggs and Their Affect (or lack thereof) on your Cholesterol Levels

"Many people have heard the claims that egg yolk contains too much cholesterol, thus should not be eaten. An interesting study was done at Purdue University a number of years ago to test this. Men in one group each ate an egg a day, while men in another group were not allowed to eat eggs. Each of these groups was further subdivided such that half the men got “lots” of exercise while the other half were “couch potatoes.” The results of this experiment showed no significant difference in blood cholesterol levels between egg-eaters and non-egg-eaters while there was a very significant difference between the men who got exercise and those who didn’t."

Much more here...
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio104/lipids.htm

Labor Day: Summer's Last Gasp!

After a little digging, I found some interesting info on Egg Games to play for Labor Day!

One game is to "...color some boiled eggs and leave one white. Place the white egg in the center of the room and take turns to see who can roll their colored egg closest to the white egg." That's a new one on me!

"Another fun egg game is the famous egg and spoon race game. Eggs, spoons and an area to run are all you need for this game. Variations could include relays and obstacle courses. To make it easy for younger kids, place something sticky on the spoon."

Found here...
http://labor-day-weekend.com/games/egggames.htm

They suggest prizes so that "...everyone to be happy and feel glad that they were at the party."

There is a LOT more on that site about Labor Day and Labor Day Weekend. If you are in the USA, Have a Great Labor Day Weekend!

FOOD SAFETY TIP #2: Froze Your Egg Accidently?

In Food Safety Tip, #1, I warned against freezing whole raw eggs. However, life doesn't always work out as planned.

If an egg is frozen accidentally, keep it frozen until you need it.

Thaw the egg in the refrigerator and use it immediately after it thaws.

Eggs on TV: Futurama

“Fry Am the Egg Man” was not in fact one of those episodes that’s deeply moving. That being said, it had the most heart of anything we’ve seen during season six, something it pulled without feeling the least bit manipulative. I’m also pleased that it didn’t try to repeat one of the show’s earlier pet-based stories, something it definitely risked by going into territory Futurama really loves.

The episode begins with Fry and Leela returning from a delivery (why isn’t Bender there?) and deciding to stop off for a quick snack afterward. However, Leela soon becomes incensed with the unhealthiness of the processed food they’ve been eating and begins proselytizing healthy food. When she buys some fresh eggs from somewhere in space, Fry decides to keep one and hatch it, soon resulting in the birth of Mr. Peppy.

Found here...
http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2011/08/futurama-review-fry-am-the-egg-man.html

DEFINITION: Omelette

In cuisine, an omelette or omelet is a dish made from beaten eggs quickly cooked with butter or oil in a frying pan, sometimes folded around a filling such as cheese, vegetables, meat (often ham), or some combination of the above. To obtain a fluffy texture, whole eggs or sometimes egg whites only are beaten with a small amount of milk or cream, or even water, the idea being to have "bubbles" of water vapor trapped within the rapidly cooked egg. The bubbles are what make the omelette light and fluffy.

Omelettes may be only partially cooked on the top side and not flipped, even prior to folding.

More here...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omelette

"How much cholesterol eggs give a person depend...

...on what the hen laying the eggs eats, researchers in Israel say.

"Dr. Niva Shapira of Tel Aviv University's School of Health Professions and colleagues designed feeds that were high in antioxidants and lower in omega-6 fatty acids, based on wheat, barley and milo.

"The specialized feed was given to young hens who had not yet accumulated omega-6 fatty acids in their tissues, and the composition of their eggs was then tested. Once the desired composition of low omega-6 and high antioxidant eggs was achieved they were given to study participants, who were instructed to eat two of these special eggs daily."

Read more...
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/08/15/Egg-cholesterol-depends-on-what-hen-eats/UPI-11201313447716/#ixzz1VCssOSrv

A Conversation About Egg Yolks & Health

Q: I have been eating egg whites... feeling guilty for throwing away the egg yokes. I am looking for something healthy to make with egg yokes. Any ideas?

Replies...

***Shoot... if you hadn't thrown the 'healthy' in there, I would have said creme brulee. Heck... I still say creme brulee. :-)

***this is the oddest thing ever to do with egg yolks, but if you can stand the grossness....

put the yolk on your face for 10 min every evening, then wash off.

your skin will NEVER feel so smooth, healthy, etc!!

otherwise, do what my bf does and just buy egg whites in a carton. no waste :o)

***Why not eat the whole egg? Read article below .....

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/08/earlyshow/health/main7329038.shtml

(CBS) If you like eggs, this is good news: A new government study finds they're actually 14 percent lower in cholesterol and 64 percent higher in vitamin D than previously thought.

The yolk is considered by many the bad part of the egg, but Sass explained that there is nutritional value in it: "It's not just the vitamin D. There's also a really important nutrient called choline -- about 90 percent of us are short on this. It's been linked to a reduced level of inflammation in the body."

"One egg has about 25 percent of the choline we need for the whole day," she said.

Catch the REST of this thread here...
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/312036-egg-yoke?page=1

FOOD SAFETY TIP #1: Freezing Eggs

Never freeze whole raw eggs.

You can store them in the refrigerator safely for 3 to 5 weeks. So there should be no need to freeze them.

If you do need to freeze them for long term storage, beat yolks and whites together; then freeze.

DEFINITION: Custard

Custard is a culinary preparation made by blending eggs with milk or cream. Custard is thickened by the coagulation of the egg proteins, which is achieved by gently heating the custard in some way.

Custard is mainly used as a dessert, or as a base for a dessert, or as a dessert sauce.

Custard can be cooked in a bain-marie in the oven, or on the stovetop. Cooking custard in a bain-marie helps keep the cooking air moist and heats gently so that the custard doesn't curdle or crack.

A custard can have various consistencies, from thick and firm, as in creme brulee, to nearly liquid, as in creme anglaise. Pastry cream, or creme patissiere, which is used as a filling for classic desserts like cream puffs and éclairs, is made by adding some sort of starch, such as flour, to the custard.

Custard is usually sweet, but it can also be savory. Quiche is an example of a savory custard.

More here...
http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/glossary/g/Custard.htm