Georgia 4-H Egg Preparation Demonstration Contest |
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Leader's Guide |
Coo perative Extension Service
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
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Georgia 4-H Egg Preparation Demonstration Contest |
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Leader's Guide |
How Eggs work for You
Opening Remarks
The Eggciting Properties
Activity 1: Cooking with Eggs
Activity 2: Eggs - The Inside Story
Activity 3: How to Follow a Recipe for Successful Egg Cookery
Activity 4: Making Posters
Activity 5: Egg Facts
Age Group: Grades 6 -12
Objective: To help students become familiar with the special properties of eggs that make them useful in a variety of cooking applications, and to expand the student's knowledge of eggs in cooking and to make them more imaginative in their use of eggs.
Ideal Number: 10 Students
Time: 1 hour
Materials: Posters, a table top, easel, recipes, recipe ingredients, cooking utensils, kitchen facilities, poster materials, marking pens, glue, magazine clippings of egg dishes.
Preparation beforehand: Select one or more of the suggested activities. Review the materials list and have items available and in good working condition prior to presenting the lesson.
Prepare recipes that require a long cooking time before the presentation.
A statement on the nutritive value of eggs.
From the time primitive man first robbed the nests of wild birds, eggs have been recognized as an important food staple.
Eggs are nutritious. Eggs are valued as a source of high quality protein containing all the essential amino acids. Also, eggs are a good source of iron, Vitamins A, E, K and B, including B12. They are also one of the few foods that are rich in vitamin D.
Physicians and nutritionists recommend a well-balanced diet composed of foods from each of the basic food groups.
The groups are:
A. Bread
B. Vegetable
C. Fruit
D. Meat
E. Milk
Eggs are included in the meat group of the "Basic Food Groups" because of the nutrients they contain.
Protein - builds muscles and all body tissues and provides food energy.
Iron - builds red blood and helps promote good health.
Vitamin A - helps give normal vision and clear healthy skin.
Thiamin (Vitamin B1) - promotes growth, good appetite and healthy nervous system.
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) - promotes growth and good health.
Vitamin B12 - helps prevent and cure pernicious anemia.
Vitamin D - helps calcium in building bones.
Eggs are the perfect eye-opener for breakfast, but they also perform in many other ways. So many, in fact, that they have been called "the cement that holds the castle together." Let's learn how eggs work for you and me.
The special properties of eggs enable them to perform in a variety of capacities. This is why eggs are a useful ingredient in foods such as noodles, mayonnaise, cakes and candy.
Listed below are nine special properties of eggs and examples of foods that benefit by these properties.
Flavor
Angel cakes, custards, eggs cooked in the shell, fried, scrambled, or poached.
Color
Sponge cakes, noodles, custards, sauces, omelets.
Thickening
Sauces, puddings, cream fillings, soft and baked custards.
Leavening
(Makes foods lighter) Sponge cakes, butter cakes, quick breads, souffles, and puffy omelets.
Coating
Breaded meats, vegetables, croquettes, breads, rolls, cakes, cookies.
Binding
(Holds foods together) Croquettes, meat loaves, egg loaves, vegetable casseroles.
Emulsifying
(Keeps foods from separating) Cream puffs, mayonnaise, salad dressings.
Clarifying
(Makes liquid clear) Soup stock, "boiled" coffee.
Retarding crystallization
(Keeps sugar crystals from forming) Certain cake icings, candies.
The following recipes have been selected to give 4-H'ers the opportunity to experience and practice 1) blending eggs with milk; 2) separating the yolk from the egg white; 3) emulsifying butter or oil into egg yolks; 4) whipping egg whites into meringue; 5) using eggs for binding in a vegetable casserole; 6) preparing hard-cooked eggs.
4-H'ers will enjoy preparing all of these dishes in class. But since time is at a premium, it may be more practical to have some of the recipes prepared in advance.
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As-You-Like-It
French Toast 4 eggs Break the eggs into
a pie plate or pie pan. Add the milk. Beat with a fork until well mixed. |
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Meringue Shells 3 egg whites Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (very low). Beat egg whites until foamy. Add salt and cream of tartar. Beat until soft peaks form. Add sugar gradually, beating constantly, and continue beating until very stiff peaks form. Shape meringue into six mounds on heavy brown paper placed on a baking sheet. Use the back of a spoon to form a hollow in the center of each mound. Bake 1 hour. Turn off heat and let meringues cool in oven. Serve with chocolate filling, ice cream or fruit. Note: One teaspoon lemon juice may be used instead of cream of tartar. Add it after the sugar has been beaten into the egg whites. |
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Divinity Fudge It's the beaten egg whites that make this candy different from others that start with boiled syrup. A candy thermometer is a helpful guide for accurate cooking. 21/2
cups sugar In medium saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup, water and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil and without stirring continue cooking until mixture reaches 260 degrees F, or the hard ball stage on a candy thermometer. Meanwhile, in large mixing bowl, beat egg whites at high speed until stiff but not dry, just until whites no longer slip when bowl is tilted. Continue beating at high speed; slowly pour hot syrup over egg whites. Do not scrape saucepan. Use a thermometer to make sure the egg whites reach at least 160 degrees F (higher is ok) as you beat. Beat at high speed until mixture holds its shape when dropped from a spoon, 4 to 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Working quickly, drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper, aluminum foil or greased cooking sheets. Cool. (Illustrates how eggs are used to retard crystallization.) Variations: If desired, add 3/4 cup chopped nuts, toasted coconut, raisins, chopped pitted dates or candied fruits. Stir into candy just before dropping onto wax paper. Note: Divinity and 7-Minute Frostings are both based on Italian Meringues. Italian Meringues are made by beating boiling hot syrup (sugar and water) into beaten egg whites. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service says that the only way that Italian Meringues are safe is if the temperature of the egg white reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. A thermometer must be used to determine this. It is very important that the egg whites and syrup are thoroughly mixed so that all portions of the egg reach the needed temperature. If you cannot be sure that the egg whites reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit, you should not consume the product. A safe alternative to using fresh egg whites would be to use a pasteurized meringue powder that is often found in stores with candy-making supplies. Simply follow package instructions. |
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Timbales Pronounced "tim-buhls," the name comes from the French work for kettledrum. Their inventor baked them in cups and saw a resemblance to little drums. 1 cup chopped cooked
vegetables, meat or fish* Sprinkle 1/4 cup chopped vegetables, meat or fish and 2 tablespoons cheese in each of four 6- to 9-ounce custard cups or one 31/2- to 4-cup ring mold. Beat together eggs, onions, salt and paprika. Gradually blend in milk. Pour into prepared cups or mold. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired. Set cups or mold in large baking pan on oven rack. Pour hot water into pan to within 1/2 inch of top of custard mixture. Bake in preheated 350-degree F oven until knife inserted near center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes for custard cups or 30 to 35 minutes for mold. Remove from hot water immediately and gently loosen edges with spatula. Invert onto serving plates. Serve with cheese sauce, if desired. Note: Cooked, well-drained chopped broccoli, cauliflower, spinach or asparagus; sauteed, well-drained shrimp, well-drained flaked crab meat, salmon or tuna. Cheese Sauce: 2 tablespoons butter In medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Blend in flour and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly. Blend in milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils. Boil, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add cheese, stirring until melted. |
4-H'ers should learn the various parts of the egg and be able to label the different parts. Provide at least one egg and a medium size plate, smooth and undecorated, for each student.
Then, have 4-H'ers break an egg out on a plate and find each part. Pay special attention to thick and thin albumen, chalazae and yolk mem-brane. After examining their eggs, have 4-H'ers make a drawing of their egg and label the parts. Also, have them look at the illustrations showing the grades of broken-out eggs.
The Parts of an Egg |
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Egg Parts
Shell - The outer covering of the egg is nature's most nearly perfect package. Shells of eggs in the store are mostly white, but some breeds of hens lay brown or other colored eggs. Shell color has nothing to do with the taste, quality or nutritional value. The shell accounts for 11 percent of the weight of the egg.
Yolk - The yolk represents about 31 percent of the weight of the egg. It is covered with a thin membrane which is easily broken. Yolk color is determined by the hen's diet and ranges from pale yellow to almost orange.
Albumen - The white of the egg is the albumen. It is about 58 percent of the egg's weight. In very fresh eggs you will notice a thick part surrounding the yolk and thinner part on the outside. These are called, aptly enough, the thin and thick albumen.
Shell Membrane - There are two thin membranes inside the shell. These are edible; but in most methods of preparation, they are discarded along with the shell. In hard cooked eggs, the membranes can help separate the egg from the shell to make peeling easier.
Chalaza - (kuh-LAY-zuh) Two of these strands of thick albumen anchor the yolk in the center of the egg. If you're talking about both of them, say chalazae (kuh-LAY-zae). You will notice them most in very fresh eggs. The chalazae look like small streaks of white material. They are not a sign of poor quality or lack of freshness. On the contrary, they are most noticeable in very fresh eggs.
Egg Grades
Have your students look at the illustrations showing the grades of broken-out eggs. Encourage them to try to determine the grade of their eggs using the illustrations.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has determined standards for grading eggs. Samples of eggs from producers are checked regularly to see that standards are maintained and that grades assigned are correct.
A Grade AA egg will stand up tall. The yolk is firm and the area covered by the white is small. There is a large proportion of thick albumen to thin albumen. In some localities, these are called "Fresh Fancy" rather than AA.
A Grade A egg covers a relatively small area. The yoke is round and upstanding. The thick albumen is large in proportion to the thin albumen and stands fairly well around the yoke.
A Grade B egg spreads out more. The yolk is flattened and there is about as much thin albumen or more than thick albumen.
Egg Sizes
Point out the information on egg sizes. (Use the illustration at the top of the page on a poster.) If students remember only one number, it should be that a dozen large eggs weigh 11/2 pounds (24 ozs.). They can remember that all other sizes vary in 3 oz. per dozen increments.
| Minimum weight per dozen: | |||||
| 30 oz. | 27 oz. | 24 oz. | 21 oz. | 18 oz. | 15 oz. |
Don't allow technical terms in egg cookery recipes to take the joy out of cooking. This activity can be used as a discussion and a demon-stration. The information found here, however, can also be combined with recipe preparation by the 4-H'ers.
Eggs Technically
Slightly beaten - Use a fork or whisk to beat eggs until the yolks and whites are blended.
Thick and lemon-colored - Beat yolks in a mixer for about 5 minutes, or in a blender for 2 minutes. Yolks will become a pastel yellow and form ribbons when you lift the beater or you drop from a spoon.
Stiff, but not dry - Beat whites with a mixer or whisk until they no longer slip when the bowl is tilted. Under-beaten egg whites make your dish less puffy. Over-beaten egg whites form clumps that are difficult to blend in. This will make your dish dry. Do not use a blender for stiff whites, because it will not aerate them properly.
Add cream of tartar - Egg whites beat to a greater volume than most other foods, including whipping cream. But, they lose the air beaten into them quite easily. Cream of tartar added to egg whites makes the foam more stable. A small amount of grated lemon peel works well, too, but, use only the amount called for in the recipe. The peel contains an oil that can inhibit foaming.
Add sugar (one or two tablespoons at a time) - Add sugar to beaten egg whites slowly when making meringues or some cakes. This increases the stability of the foam, but sugar can reduce foaming, so add it slowly.
Gently fold - When combining beaten egg whites with other heavier mixtures, handle carefully so the air in the beaten whites is not lost. It is best to pour the heavier mixture onto the beaten egg whites. Combine the ingredients with a downward stroke into the bowl, then across, up and over the mixture. Use a spoon or rubber spatula. Come up through the center of the mixture every three strokes and rotate the bowl as you are folding. Fold until there are no streaks in the mixture. Do not stir. This will force air out of the whites.
Separated - Fat inhibits the foaming of egg whites. Since egg yolks contain fat, they are often separated from the whites and beaten separately. This allows the whites to reach their fullest possible volume. Eggs are easier to separate when they are cold, but the whites will reach their fullest volume if allowed to stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before beating.
Add a small amount of hot mixture to egg yolks - When egg yolks are added to hot mix-tures all at once, they may begin to coagulate too rapidly and form lumps. Stir a small amount of the hot mixture into the egg yolks to warm them and then stir the warmed egg yolk mixture into the remaining hot mixture. This is called tempering.
Cook until the mixture coats a metal spoon - For stirred custard mixtures, the eggs are cooked to the proper doneness when a thin film adheres to a metal spoon dipped into the custard. This point of coating a metal spoon is 20 to 30 degrees below boiling. Stirred custards should never boil. The finished product should be soft and thickened but not set. Stirred custards will thicken slightly after refrigeration.
Cook until a knife inserted near center comes out clean - Baked custards mixtures are done when a metal knife inserted off center comes out clean. The very center may still not be quite done, but the heat retained in the mixture will continue to cook it after removal from the oven. Cooking longer may result in a curdled and/or weeping custard. Cooking a shorter period may result in a thickened but not set custard.
Demonstration: Easy Hard-Cooked Eggs
To Peel: Tap the egg on all sides on the countertop. Roll the egg gently between your hands to crackle the shell all over. Start to peel at the large end of the egg. Hold it under cool running water to help the shell come off.
Microwave: Cook the yolks and whites separately. (Eggs cooked in their shells will explode.)
Separate the yolks and whites of 4 eggs into 2 greased liquid measuring cups or small bowls. Stir the yolks with a fork.
Katy's Best Egg Salad
This egg salad may be used for sandwiches or as a dip with fresh vegetables. Makes about 1 cup.
1/4
cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1/2
teaspoon prepared mustard
1/4
teaspoon salt
4 hard-cooked eggs (recipe above)
1/2
stalk celery, washed and chopped into dime-size pieces.
Egg Dishes: 4-H'ers cut out pictures of different egg dishes that appear in magazines. Label each dish and identify the special function eggs perform in each recipe.
Eggs in the Diet: Make a poster about eggs and the place in the diet.
See how much your 4-H'ers know about egg nutrition by giving them the true or false quiz on page 10.
Sources for Additional Information:
American Egg Board
1460 Renaissance Drive
Park Ridge, IL 60068
Georgia Egg Commission
State Farmers' Market
Forest Park, Ga 30050
(404) 363-7661
Creative Egg Cookery
Stadelman, W.J. and O.H. Cotterill. Egg Science and Technology. AVI Publishing Co.
USDA. Eggs in Family Meals: A Guide for Consumers. Home and Garden Bulletin No. 103.
Egg Facts |
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a "T" for true or an "F" for false on the line in front
of each statement. |
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| _______ | 1. | Eggs are a good source of protein. |
| _______ | 2. | Eggs, which are found in the dairy case at the supermarket, nutritionally belong to the dairy group of foods. |
| _______ | 3. | Protein is made up of several amino acids. |
| _______ | 4. | Amino acids cause upset stomach commonly called heartburn. |
| _______ | 5. | Eggs contain all vitamins except Vitamin C. |
| _______ | 6. | Eggs don't contain Vitamin A. |
| _______ | 7. | The shell of the egg is composed of an important mineral. |
| _______ | 8. | Newly laid eggs are more nutritious than eggs that are four or five weeks old. |
| _______ | 9. | Cooking robs eggs of nutrients. |
| _______ | 10. | Such things as sodium, chlorine, sulfur, zinc and copper in foods are hazardous to your health. |
| _______ | 11. | A serving of eggs is defined as two large eggs. |
| _______ | 12. | Egg shell color can help us judge nutritional content of eggs. White-shelled eggs are more nutritious than brown-shelled eggs. |
| _______ | 13. | Fertile eggs are more nutritious than infertile eggs. |
| _______ | 14. | Nutritional values in eggs are determined by the quality of feed eaten by the hens. |
| _______ | 15. | Eggs cooked in custards, cakes and other desserts do not count in the two eggs that make a suggested serving. |
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Answer Sheet |
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| Egg Facts Discussion |
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| 1. | True |
| Eggs are an excellent source of protein. The quality of egg protein is so high that it is often used as the standard by which the protein foods are judged. Egg protein is animal protein that contains the proper balance of essential amino acids not found in protein from any single plant source. Essential amino acids are those the body cannot manufacture. | |
| 2. | False |
| Eggs are in the meat group. Nutritionists recommend two servings a day from the meat group, which includes poultry, fish, legumes (dried beans), as well as eggs. | |
| 3. | True |
| Scientists know there are many complex protein structures. Most of these can be manufactured in the body provided an adequate supply of protein is available. Some amino acids, however, cannot be manufactured, and these essential amino acids are found in eggs. | |
| 4. | False |
| Trick question. | |
| 5. | True |
| Vitamin C is the only vitamin not supplied in eggs. | |
| 6. | False |
| Eggs, along with green and yellow vegetables and liver, provide important amounts of Vitamin A. | |
| 7. | True |
| The shell is a good source of calcium. However, there are more tasty sources of calcium. | |
| 8. | False |
| As eggs are stored, they lose only moisture and carbon dioxide, not nutritional value. | |
| 9. | False |
| If eggs are cooked correctly, they remain nutritionally stable. | |
| 10. | False |
| These trace minerals are all essential to good health when consumed in small amounts. Eggs contain these minerals and more. | |
| 11. | True |
| Two eggs equal one serving from the meat group and contain about one-fourth to one-third of the recommended daily allowance of protein. | |
| 12. | False |
| Shell color is determined by the breed of the hen. Brown eggs are just as good as white eggs, and vice versa. Some hens lay blue eggs. They are just as nutritious, too. | |
| 13. | False |
| Fertility does not affect egg nutrition or taste, and there are no known advantages of a fertile egg over a nonfertile one. Chalaza, ropey strands of egg white that anchor the yolk in place in the center of the thick white, are often confused as beginning embryos. Blood spots (also called meat spots) are occasionally found on the egg yolk. Contrary to popular belief, these tiny spots do not indicate a fertile egg. They are harmless "manufacturing errors" made by the hen! | |
| 14. | True |
| The hen's diet determines the amount of nutrients in the egg. But the diets of commercial hens are well balanced, and all eggs graded A or AA by USDA are fairly standard. | |
| 15. | False |
| Eggs do not lose nutritional value when cooked, so you get full value of eggs when you eat anything with eggs cooked into it. | |
Adapted for use in Georgia by Georgia Egg Commission Staff Members Robert Howell, Jean Colville; Susan Youngner; Holly Alley, former Extension Nutrition and Health Specialist; Doris N. Hall, former Extension 4-H Specialist; and Cheryl Varnadoe, Extension 4-H Specialist
A special thank-you goes to Tennessee 4-H for their permission to adapt this material for use in Georgia.
4-H Publication JM-VM-04/May, 2001
The University of Georgia and Ft. Valley State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and counties of the state cooperating. The Cooperative Extension Service offers educational programs, assistance and materials to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex or disability.
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action organization committed to a diverse work force
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating.
Gale A. Buchanan, Dean and Director