The Common Chicken Egg: A Complex Organic Structure

The common chicken egg is a complex organic structure that has three basic components, and it's what's inside these parts that make the egg amazing at three form-altering functions that transform the foods we know and love. Chefs and home cooks alike often want to combine fat and water, which naturally resists coming together. A good way to temporarily overcome this resistance is through emulsification.

Emulsification: The Power of Egg Yolks

Egg yolks have both protein and lecithin, and are responsible for the egg's special emulsifying properties. Mayonnaise is probably the perfect example of how little yolk is required to hold a lot of oil with a small amount of vinegar. One yolk can handle emulsifying 12 to 18 times its weight that's about a cup and a half of mayo. The white or albumin, on the other hand, is made up of nearly 90 water, with the other ten percent being primarily proteins, minerals, and vitamins. Compared to the yolk, it has about thirty percent more protein, which makes it great for trapping air and foam.

Foam and Emulsification: The Dual Nature of Egg Whites

Foam made from egg whites make the texture and rise in things such as soufflé or macarons like heating egg whites whipping them uncoils some of the protein, some parts are more attracted to water, and other parts are more attracted to the air that's being incorporated. The dual nature is what allows the foam from egg whites to be so stable. However, even a small amount of fat will interfere with the foaming whites, which is why egg whites are often whisked separate from the yolks in recipes that use whole eggs. Older egg whites are often easier to whip by hand than fresh ones, as they tend to be thinner and less viscous.

Lowering Viscosity: The Effect of Temperature

You can also lower the viscosity of the egg white by whipping them at room temperature or by diluting them with a small amount of water. Both the white and yolks are useful in gelling foods, which is basically the process that takes your egg from being a fluid when it's dropped into a pan to being a pillowy batch of scrambled eggs before heating.

Gelling: The Process of Denaturation

Gelling is the process that allows the custard to set once cooked proteins in the egg denature at different temperatures. The appearance of the egg begins to change around 140 degrees Fahrenheit and fully sets around 180 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a result of the denaturation of proteins, which causes them to coil and tangle like a ball of yarn, thickening and gelling.

Emulsification and Foam: Unlocking Textures We Know and Love

So there you have it - three ways the egg is working behind the scenes to unlock the textures we know and love in our favorite dishes. By understanding how emulsification and foam work, chefs and home cooks can create a wide range of delicious recipes that showcase the versatility of the humble chicken egg.

Learn More About Eggs at ChefSteps.com

For more information about eggs and how to use them, be sure to check out chefsteps.com.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthe common chicken egg is a complex organic structure the egg is made up of three basic components and it's what's inside these parts that make the egg amazing at three form altering functions that transform the foods we know and love chefs and home cooks alike often want to combine fat and water which naturally resists coming together a good way to temporarily overcome this resistance is through emulsification egg yolks have both protein and lecithin and are responsible for the egg's special emulsifying properties mayonnaise is probably the perfect example of how little yolk is required to hold a lot of oil with a small amount of vinegar one yolk can handle emulsifying 12 to 18 times its weight that's about a cup and a half of mayo the white or albumin is made up of nearly 90 water the other ten percent is primarily proteins minerals and vitamins compared to the yolk it has about thirty percent more protein this makes it great for trapping air and foam foam made from egg whites make the texture and rise in such things as souffle or mac or impossible like heating egg whites whipping them uncoils some of the protein some parts are more attracted to water and other parts are more attracted to the air that's being incorporated the dual nature is what allows the foam from egg whites to be so stable but even a small amount of fat will interfere with the foaming whites which is why egg whites are often whisked separate from the yolks in recipes that use whole eggs older egg whites are often easier to whip by hand than fresh ones that's because the older egg tends to be thinner and less viscous you can also lower the viscosity to the egg white by whipping them at room temperature or by diluting them with a small amount of water both white and yolks are useful in gelling foods gelling is basically the process that takes your egg from being a fluid when it's dropped into a pan to being a pillowy batch of scrambled eggs before heating the egg proteins are mostly suspended in liquid as you heat them you will denature some of the proteins after the proteins and coil they'll tangle a bit like a ball of yarn and thicken and gel it also allows the custard to set once cooked proteins in the egg denature at different temperatures the appearance of the egg begins to change around 140 degrees fahrenheit and fully sets around 180 degrees fahrenheit so there you have it three ways the egg is working behind the scenes to unlock the textures we know and love in our favorite dishes learn more about eggs and how to use them at chefsteps.com excellent let's talk about eggsthe common chicken egg is a complex organic structure the egg is made up of three basic components and it's what's inside these parts that make the egg amazing at three form altering functions that transform the foods we know and love chefs and home cooks alike often want to combine fat and water which naturally resists coming together a good way to temporarily overcome this resistance is through emulsification egg yolks have both protein and lecithin and are responsible for the egg's special emulsifying properties mayonnaise is probably the perfect example of how little yolk is required to hold a lot of oil with a small amount of vinegar one yolk can handle emulsifying 12 to 18 times its weight that's about a cup and a half of mayo the white or albumin is made up of nearly 90 water the other ten percent is primarily proteins minerals and vitamins compared to the yolk it has about thirty percent more protein this makes it great for trapping air and foam foam made from egg whites make the texture and rise in such things as souffle or mac or impossible like heating egg whites whipping them uncoils some of the protein some parts are more attracted to water and other parts are more attracted to the air that's being incorporated the dual nature is what allows the foam from egg whites to be so stable but even a small amount of fat will interfere with the foaming whites which is why egg whites are often whisked separate from the yolks in recipes that use whole eggs older egg whites are often easier to whip by hand than fresh ones that's because the older egg tends to be thinner and less viscous you can also lower the viscosity to the egg white by whipping them at room temperature or by diluting them with a small amount of water both white and yolks are useful in gelling foods gelling is basically the process that takes your egg from being a fluid when it's dropped into a pan to being a pillowy batch of scrambled eggs before heating the egg proteins are mostly suspended in liquid as you heat them you will denature some of the proteins after the proteins and coil they'll tangle a bit like a ball of yarn and thicken and gel it also allows the custard to set once cooked proteins in the egg denature at different temperatures the appearance of the egg begins to change around 140 degrees fahrenheit and fully sets around 180 degrees fahrenheit so there you have it three ways the egg is working behind the scenes to unlock the textures we know and love in our favorite dishes learn more about eggs and how to use them at chefsteps.com excellent let's talk about eggs\n"