Post by Julia DreamWhat is it about the raw-ness of the egg (and is it a raw
whole egg, or just the raw yolk which is what my family has always used?)
that makes the salad for you?
My apologies for replying to my own post. What I meant say was that my
family *used* to use a raw egg yolk and then went to pouring boiling water
over the egg before separating the yolk (they've *always* used a yolk).
Either way, seems okay. My question really is why raw over slightly cooked,
or none at all, and whole egg over just yolk?
Becky
IMO the only reason to be afraid of eggs is if they are battery
produced. Free range, fertilized eggs with real shells have a minuscule
chance of imparting food poisoning, and if they are risky, will smell
bad when you open them. Battery eggs have much more porous shells, none
of the anti-bodies of a fertile egg and are produced in a shower of
chicken shit from unhealthy mobile chicken protoplasm. Then the eggs may
languish for two weeks before making to the store, resulting in an egg
that has begun to lose weight, experience protein breakdown and lose the
effectiveness of the systemic antibiotics imparted by the layer. When
the eggs lose a significant amount of weight, any change in temperature
may cause the shell to start absorbing moisture and the risk of
bacterial infection multiplies radically.
Statistical analysis suggests that brown and "specialty" (read free
range) eggs, spend longer in the sales environment than cheaper battery
eggs, but the shelf life and resistance to contamination of the free
range eggs is superior. To compensate for the battery egg's shorter
shelf life, many producers used to oil the shells to reduce porosity,
but economic necessity has almost eliminated the practice.
The best way to test eggs of any kind is to break them onto a flat
surface. When the proteins have begun to decompose, the albumen will
become runny and the yolk membrane will lose tension. An egg fit to eat
will have an almost hemispherical yolk and two distinct viscosities of
albumen; the first surrounding the yolk at an inch radius, the second an
inch to an inch and a half greater radius. Low grade or old eggs will
have a much flatter yolk, indistinct boundaries between the two grades
of albumen and probably try to run out to the edge of the surface. There
is a reason Denny's uses an egg ring to contain fried eggs during
cooking.
The question of raw over slightly cooked has nothing to do with health
issues, it is a reaction to the inferior quality of the yolk in factory
eggs and an attempt to stiffen the yolk slightly, resulting in better
adhesion in the dressing.
JJ
Thank you, Jeremy, for that scientific and slightly graphic ("a shower of
chicken shit", eeeew!) reply. lol I've thought about going back to using a
raw egg yolk, so will seek out free range, fertilized eggs. I saw some
Central Market organic eggs the other day at H.E.B., but don't know recall
if they were free range or fertilized. I imagine Whole Foods will have
them, though. Thanks again! :-)
Becky