The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 96

whites that will hold their shape much better during poaching or frying, as well as yolks that will remain better centered when boiled Because of the way their proteins break down, eggs become looser and looser as they age There’s another important change too: as eggs age, they become more and more alkaline This is particularly important in meringue-based dishes, as the pH of egg whites can greatly affect their foaming power Egg whites foam best in slightly acidic environments, which means that old eggs will produce looser, wetter foams To counteract this, a pinch of acidic cream of tartar will help your meringues stay stiff and weep-free Loose whites in older eggs Q: I’ve heard that older eggs are better for boiling because they are easier to peel Is this true? Is there any culinary advantage to using older eggs? I believed this for the longest time—until I actually tested it with a few cartons of eggs from different sources, comparing them with some eggs I got from my neighbor in Brooklyn’s backyard that were less than a week old Guess what? Whether the eggs were a week old or two and a half months old, they were just as likely to have shells that stuck to them when peeling On top of that, with older eggs, the yolks become uncentered, gravitating toward the egg wall, making for unattractive slices No matter how you plan on cooking them, fresh eggs are better than old ones  ... months old, they were just as likely to have shells that stuck to them when peeling On top of that, with older eggs, the yolks become uncentered, gravitating toward the egg wall, making for unattractive slices No matter how you plan on cooking them, fresh eggs are better than old ones... comparing them with some eggs I got from my neighbor in Brooklyn’s backyard that were less than a week old Guess what? Whether the eggs were a week old or two and a half months old, they were just as likely to have shells that stuck... Q: I’ve heard that older eggs are better for boiling because they are easier to peel Is this true? Is there any culinary advantage to using older eggs? I believed this for the longest time—until I actually tested it