Helpful Hints

Eggs are so easy to take for granted, unless you’re a chicken. Yolks, being the life force they are, help crusts to be tender. The whites are for structure. When you’re whipping egg whites, the eggs should always be at room temperature to achieve maximum loft. If you forget to take them out of the refrigerator, just put them in a bowl of hot water before separating. And try not to over-beat your eggs. They hate that. Or over-fold the beaten egg whites either. Both will deflate the bubbles that create the height.

Moving on — eggs are sized according to weight. A dozen Large eggs in the shell weigh 24 ounces, while an equal number of Extra Large eggs weigh 27 ounces, so it’s really important to use the size egg the recipe calls for. Refrigerate eggs as soon as you get them home and use them by their sell-by date, which is 30 days past their packing date. As for the salmonella situation, cooking eggs at 140℉ for three minutes, or to an end temperature of 160℉ will kill any bacteria.