Eggs in the kitchen, step by step
Interactive lesson: kinds of egg, safety, boiled eggs, the pan, baking and the surplus — how to turn a spring basket of eggs into meals.
Free sample Chapters 1 and 2 (8 steps) are free. The full lesson comes with the Eggs 30 ways module. Already bought? Unlock
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The whole lesson as text
1. Kinds and sizes
Recipes are based on a medium hen's egg, but the basket holds eggs of every size.
- A medium egg is 55 g — Recipes are based on a medium hen's egg of 55 g with the shell: roughly 33 g white, 17 g yolk and 5 g shell. That is a UK/EU size M or a US large. In baking, go by the weight without the shell.
- Duck and goose — A duck egg weighs 70–85 g and replaces 1.4 hen's eggs. A goose egg weighs 140–180 g and replaces 3 hen's eggs.
- Quail egg — A quail egg weighs 10–12 g: 5 quail eggs make one hen's egg. Boil quail eggs soft for 2 minutes, hard for 4 minutes.
- Duck eggs only cooked — Duck and goose eggs are eaten only well cooked or baked. Never soft, in custards or in mayonnaise.
Why: Young hens lay smaller eggs, old hens larger ones, and ducks and geese much bigger ones. In baking, where amounts must be exact, a few grams per egg changes the dough.
- Duck and goose eggs have more yolk and give batters a richer colour and a firmer texture.
- A guinea fowl egg has a very hard shell: 3 guinea fowl eggs = 2 hen's eggs.
2. Safety in the kitchen
Salmonella can be on the shell and, more rarely, inside the egg of a healthy hen.
- Vulnerable: firm yolk — Young children, pregnant women, older people and the sick eat only eggs with a firm yolk and dishes cooked right through.
- 71 °C in the centre — Scrambled eggs, frittata, pie, custard and pudding are cooked or baked to 71 °C (160 °F) in the centre. Scrambled eggs are done when no liquid remains.
- Hands and cracked eggs — After cracking eggs, wash your hands and utensils, and do not put shells back in the egg basket. A cracked or dirty egg goes only into a dish that is well baked or cooked, the same day.
- 2 hours on the table at most — Egg dishes do not stand on the table for more than 2 hours. In the fridge they keep 3–4 days.
Why: That is why egg dishes are baked and cooked right through, and vulnerable people do not eat soft or raw eggs. Do not taste raw batter or custard before cooking, children or adults.
- Mayonnaise, tiramisu and home-made eggnog are for healthy adults, made from fresh clean eggs, chilled at once and eaten within a day.
- For vulnerable people do not make them, or use pasteurised eggs from the shop. UK advice on runny British Lion eggs does not cover your own flock.
3. Boiled eggs · Locked
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4. From the pan · Locked
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5. Oven, batters and sweet things · Locked
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6. Surplus and stores · Locked
Buy the Eggs 30 ways module and you get the PDF to download and print, plus lifetime access to this interactive lesson: all 6 chapters, 24 steps.