alternatively long-simmered in water, come
out with a stronger flavor and a striking, tan-
colored white. During prolonged heating in
alkaline conditions, the quarter-gram of
glucose sugar in the white reacts with
albumen protein to generate flavors and
pigments typical of browned foods (see the
explanation of the Maillard reaction on p.
778). The white will be very tender and the
yolk creamy if the cooking temperature is
kept in a very narrow range, between 160 and
165ºF/71–74ºC.
Eggs Cooked Out of the Shell
Baked, Shirred, en Cocotte There are several
ways of soft-cooking eggs that are broken out
of the shell and into a container, which might
be a dish or a hollowed-out fruit or vegetable.
As is true of in-shell soft-cooked eggs, timing
is of the essence to avoid overcoagulation of
the white and yolk proteins, and depends on