Eggs

Eggs are inexpensive self-contained source of nourishment.  

An egg is the substance from which another animal of the same species grows. In our diet, the chicken egg is the most popular but duck, geese, quail, pheasant, pigeon, guinea fowl, gull, ostrich and emu eggs are also eaten.

Eggs are a main food source for protein and of vitamins and minerals. In fact, they contain every vitamin except vitamin C. They also contain moderate amount of fat, 10 grams per 100 grams and cholesterol. 

While eggs cholesterol content may be a problem for someone with high blood cholesterol most people can eat four eggs in one week without a problem. If the rest of your diet is low-fat, one egg a day is fine.

Eggs form an integral part of cookery, the egg white and egg yolk can be used combined or separated for many purposes within cooking.

Eggs are used in a wide variety of ways, either as full menu dishes such as omelettes and other breakfast dishes or as a binding, thickening, glazing, emulsifying, enriching, aerating or clarifying agents.

Storage and handling of eggs

Eggs are fragile so you need to be careful with handling and cooking.  Eggs can be purchased by the dozen or on trays containing 15-30 eggs. To ensure that the fresh eggs you buy remain fresh for as long as possible, follow these points of storage.

• Keep eggs cool, preferably in the refrigerator.
• To avoid breakages, store in the carton or in the special egg racks provided in some refrigerators.
• Stack broad and uppermost to protect the air cell and retain the quality of the egg.
• Store away from strong smelling foods, as odors penetrate the porous shell thus tainting the egg.
• Remove eggs from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking to prevent cracked shells when boiling and to give a greater volume to beaten eggs or egg whites. 

Brown, white or beige, large or small, the egg's main virtue is its freshness.  The shell color depends upon the breed of the hen and does not affect the flavor or nutritive value.

Eggs produced on commercial farms are not fertilised and will generally just dry out rather than go bad if they are stored correctly.  If kept in the  refrigerator they will retain their fresh flavor longer than at room temperature. 

Any damaged eggs need to be discarded as bacteria can enter through any cracks.