Eggs Category

Compared to chicken eggs, these are larger, higher in fat and more colorful, though they have a slightly fishy flavor. They're sometimes contaminated with bacteria, so make sure you cook them thoroughly.

Higher in fat, but increasing the egg yolks in a baked good often makes it moister and more flavorful. Egg yolks make wonderful thickeners--imparting both a rich flavor and velvety smooth texture--but they're tricky to use. You can't just whisk them into a simmering sauce--they'd curdle on contact. Instead, you need to "temper" them by adding some of the hot liquid to the egg yolks, whisking the mixture together, and then adding it to the sauce. To prevent the yolks from coagulating, you need to keep the sauce below 190°, although this rule can be broken if the sauce has a lot of flour in it. Finally, never cook sauces with egg yolks in aluminum pans or they'll turn gray.

Look for this in stores that sell cake decorating supplies. Substitutes: powdered egg whites. For information on how to make meringues safely using raw egg whites, visit the Other Safety Factors section of the American Egg Board web site.

Look for this in stores that sell cake decorating supplies. Just Whites is a popular brand. For information on how to make meringues safely using raw egg whites, visit the Other Safety Factors section of the American Egg Board web site.

See the Recipesource.com recipe for Salted Eggs.