Egg (food) - Culinary Properties

Culinary Properties

Egg yolk coagulates, or solidifies, when it reaches temperatures between 150 and 158°F (65 and 70°C). Egg white coagulates at slightly higher temperatures, between 145 and 165°F (63 and 73°C).

Salmonella is killed instantly at 160 °F (71 °C), but is also killed at somewhat lower temperatures if held there for sufficiently long time periods.

If a boiled egg is overcooked, a greenish ring sometimes appears around egg yolk due to the iron and sulfur compounds in the egg. It can also occur with an abundance of iron in the cooking water. The green ring does not affect the egg's taste; overcooking, however, harms the quality of the protein. Chilling the egg for a few minutes in cold water until it is completely cooled may prevent the greenish ring from forming on the surface of the yolk.

Cooking also increases the risk of atherosclerosis due to increased oxidization of the cholesterol contained in the egg yolk.

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