On Food and Cooking

eggs lose water in the form of steam and get
rubbery, while mixtures of eggs and other
liquids separate into two phases, the added
water and the solid lumps of protein.
The key to cooking egg dishes, then, is to
avoid overcooking them and carrying
coagulation too far. Above all, this means
temperature control. For tender, succulent
results, egg dishes should be cooked only just
to the temperature at which their proteins
coagulate, which is always well below the
boiling point, 212ºF/100ºC. The exact
temperature depends on the mixture of
ingredients, but is usually higher than the
temperature needed to kill bacteria and make
the dish safe. (Warm but still liquid yolk is
another story; see p. 91). Generally, plain
undiluted eggs coagulate at the lowest
temperatures. Egg white begins to thicken at
145ºF/63ºC and becomes a tender solid when
it reaches 150ºF/65ºC. This solidification is
due mainly to the most heat-sensitive protein,