OK, it sounds like some of you know the more technical end of WHY
certain ingredients react the way they do in cooking. So here's my
question.

What changes in an egg if you beat it for a long time? Specifically, I
made an upside-down cake the other day. The recipe stated, "Beat 2 egg
yolks for 5 minutes, until thick and lemon yellow." Thises then get
sugar, flour, juices, etc added for cake batter.

Also, I have a recipe for a non-baked creamy pie filling that states,
"Add 1 egg. Beat for 2 minutes. Add second egg. Beat for 2 minutes."
This is a filling that is made of butter, sugar, cocoa and instant
coffee flakes. No, the eggs never get cooked. Yes, I know about
salmonella risk. But thats not the point; it was grandma's recipe and
I'm gonna make it and eat the darn raw eggs.

What changes when you beat an egg for longer, rather than just a short
turn with the mixer to combine white and yolk, or froth it a bit? And
what happens that causes the yolks to look so thick and lemony after 5
minutes of beating?

Thanks for tellig me in plaing English. I'm not a pro chef, just a
curious home baker.

"Jude" > wrote in news:1140975171.440408.5840
@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

> OK, it sounds like some of you know the more technical end of WHY
> certain ingredients react the way they do in cooking. So here's my
> question.
>
> What changes in an egg if you beat it for a long time? Specifically, I
> made an upside-down cake the other day. The recipe stated, "Beat 2 egg
> yolks for 5 minutes, until thick and lemon yellow." Thises then get
> sugar, flour, juices, etc added for cake batter.
>
> Also, I have a recipe for a non-baked creamy pie filling that states,
> "Add 1 egg. Beat for 2 minutes. Add second egg. Beat for 2 minutes."
> This is a filling that is made of butter, sugar, cocoa and instant
> coffee flakes. No, the eggs never get cooked. Yes, I know about
> salmonella risk. But thats not the point; it was grandma's recipe and
> I'm gonna make it and eat the darn raw eggs.
>
> What changes when you beat an egg for longer, rather than just a short
> turn with the mixer to combine white and yolk, or froth it a bit? And
> what happens that causes the yolks to look so thick and lemony after 5
> minutes of beating?
>
> Thanks for tellig me in plaing English. I'm not a pro chef, just a
> curious home baker.

A slightly beaten egg is used to thicken or bind ingredients, and
increases volume when scrambling eggs or cooking omelets. One-half minute
of brisk beating with a fork or egg whisk is adequate for the purpose.
Test the results by lifting the fork with adhering egg. If the egg flows
from the fork easily and contains only a few air bubbles, it is slightly
beaten.

A well beaten egg used for leavening is best performed using a rotary
hand beater or electric mixer. Beat the egg until it is very frothy and
changes to a white or light cream color. Egg yolk is thoroughly beaten
when it becomes thick and has a uniform lemon color. A description of
various egg beating stages as indicated in recipes are as follows.

Slightly beaten white is used to clarify, emulsify, and thicken solutions
or in used in coating for meats and baked dishes. When beat for one-half
minute, the white is slightly foamy but is still transparent and flows
easily.

Stiff foam white is used in meringues that require a shiny, glossy and
moist albumen. When the beaters or whisk is withdrawn, the albumen
follows to form rounded peaks.

Stiff white is used in hard meringues, cakes, omelets, cooked frostings,
candies, and marshmallows. Properly beat stiff white is no longer foamy
and does not stick to the bowl when tipped, but remains glossy, smooth
and moist.

From http://www.msstate.edu/dept/poultry/4heggs.htm


--

Charles
The significant problems we face cannot be solved
at the same level of thinking we were at when we
created them. Albert Einstein

...Opps...Erratta
>If you beat it only slightly like scrambled eggs the fat in the egg
>yolk will tend to inhibit the formation of a water in oil emulsion
>(rather the reverse it will form a oil in water emulsion that is not
>prone to aeration )lessening the formation of air bubbles .

It should be
it will tend to inhibit the formation of oil in water emulsion but
rather the reverse, water in oil emulsiom which is not conducive to
foaming..
But when beaten more specially in the presence of sugar, the emulsion
will gradually stabilize as more moisture is bound by the sugar making
it viscous liquid that promote the protein to foam.
Further
The resulting emulsion will be more stable as the balance of water is
kept in check by the sugar and destabilization of the foam is reduced.
There is still the presence of the lipoprotein- glycoprotein solution
complex in the egg, sugar, water combinatikon that helps in the
stabilization.