EGG?

It’s easily the most versatile and useful ingredient in the

pantry. Just think of what you can do with eggs: You can
eat them fried, scrambled, soft-boiled, hard-boiled, poached,
baked, or turned into an omelet. They make the breading
stick to your chicken parm. Their proteins can be set into a
dense matrix that thickens custards or whipped into an airy
foam that leavens batters. They can bring together your
meat loaf without weighing it down, or act as culinary
ambassadors, helping turn oil and water into a stable,
creamy mayonnaise. All this, and they come in their own
convenient, easy-to-measure, easy-to-store packaging to
boot. They practically sell themselves.
Eggs are truly a marvel, and it’s no wonder that their
culinary uses are so varied. Just think: given fertilization and
enough time, an entire living, breathing creature can be
formed from the contents of an eggshell. The start of life,
the start of many recipes. I can’t think of a better subject
with which to start this book.