Cooking From Scratch ~ Eggs and Common Cooking Terms

Here is a little primer about eggs and all the terminology that you might find if you start to cook with eggs in from-scratch recipes.

Beaten Eggs ~ are whole eggs that have been whipped until the whites and yolks are indistinguishable. they are used principally to give a light texture to batters and doughs and also as a binder in recipes such as mayonnaise.

Slightly Beaten Eggs ~ are whole eggs that have been beaten until the whites and yolks just mix. Slightly beaten eggs are used to thicken dishes like custards and to coat foods in before dredging in bread crumbs for frying or baking.

Well-beaten Eggs ~ These eggs are beaten until the yolks and whites are combined well and become thick and lemon-colored. Cakes like sponge cakes need well-beaten eggs.

Stiff-Beaten Egg Whites ~ Egg whites that are separated from the yolks and beaten until stiff but still moist and glossy are called Stiff-Beaten. In this stage, they will still hold air that is needed for things like angel food cakes and chiffon cakes.

If you at don’t beat eggs whites enough, they won’t hold enough air to make your cakes rise up high. If you beat them too much, and they become too stiff, they will be foamy and break down when you add more ingredients.

When you add sugar to egg whites, add it a little at a time. When you add it a little at a time, the air holding qualities of the beaten whites is increased. This is especially important for angel food cakes for their leavening is produced by by the expansion of air held in the egg whites and by steam during baking.