Dairy Foods and Eggs

Chapter 18

Choosing Dairy Foods

Section 18.1

Types of Milk

Whole milk – 8 g of fat per serving

Reduced-fat milk (2%) – 5 g fat per serving

Low-fat milk (1%) – 2.5 g fat per serving

Fat-free milk (skim) – only traces of fat

Processing of Milk

Pasteurized – heat treatment that kills enzymes and harmful bacteria

Homogenization – the process whereby fat is broken down and evenly distributed in the milk

Other types of Milk

Buttermilk – tart, buttery flavor with a smooth thick texture Cultured – fermented by a harmless bacteria added

after pasteurization

Kefir (kuh-FEER) – a cultured beverage similar in flavor to yogurt

Chocolate milk – has chocolate or cocoa and sweetener added

Fat-free dry milk – a powdered form of skim milk. When reconstituted, it should be handled like regular milk.

Other types of Milk

Evaporated milk – canned whole or fat-free milk containing half the water of regular milk

Sweetened condensed milk – a concentrated, sweetened form of milk

Lactose-free milk – for people with lactose intolerance silk

Other Dairy Foods

Yogurt – a thick, creamy, custard-like product with a tangy flavor made by adding harmless bacteria culture

to milk

Butter – made from milk, cream, or a combination of both FDA graded for quality

Grade A Grade B

Cheese

Cheese – made from milk curds with the whey drained off

Ripened Cheese (Aged Cheese) Made from curds to which ripening agents

have been added (mold, yeast, bacteria)

Unripened Cheese Made from curds that have not been aged

Cream

Cream – a liquid separated from milk

Heavy Cream – high in fat, whips easily

Light Cream – not as high in fat, often used in coffee

Half-and-half – half milk, half cream

Sour cream – made by adding lactic acid bacteria to cream

Frozen Dairy Desserts

Ice Cream – whipped frozen mixture of milk, cream, sweeteners, and flavorings

Frozen Yogurt – similar to ice cream but uses yogurt cultures

Sherbet – made from milk fat, sugar, water, and flavorings

Storing Dairy

Tightly close milk and cream containers. They can pick up other flavors.

Store milk away from light. Light destroys riboflavin.

Keep cheese tightly wrapped.

Storing Dairy

Hard cheese can be frozen, but the texture will change.

Refrigerate butter up to several weeks. For longer storage, freeze.

Store ice cream tightly covered in the freezer.

Preparing Dairy Foods

Section 18.2

Cooking with Milk

Forming a skin – protein solids clump together, forming a skin on the surface. The skin can trap steam causing the milk to bubble up and boil over

To prevent stir the mixture regularly

Scorching – when milk solids fall to the bottom of the pan, they stick and burn.

To prevent stir the mixture constantly

Cooking with Milk

Curdling – when milk separates into curds and whey. May occur when milk is heated with acidic foods, salt, or high heat. To prevent use low

temperatures, stir the mixture, and combine milk with acidic foods gradually

Scalded Milk – milk that is heated to just below the boiling point

Yogurt in Recipes

Yogurt can be cooked, baked, or frozen. The active bacteria cultures may not survive, but the nutrients will be the same.

Whey may separate from the curd in yogurt when it is stored. Stir the whey back into the yogurt before use.

Cook yogurt at moderate temperatures for only the time needed. If overcooked it will curdle.

Yogurt in Recipes

To keep yogurt from separating during cooking blend 1 Tbsp cornstarch with a small amount of yogurt. Combine with remaining yogurt and use as directed.

Yogurt can thicken by draining the whey off. If left long enough, yogurt will thicken into

cheese

Preparing Cheese

Heat cheese just long enough to melt it. If overcooked it will be greasy and stringy.

To speed up cooking time, shred, grate, or cut cheese into smaller pieces.

Preparing Cheese

When microwaving cheese use caution. The fat in it attracts microwaves resulting in cheese that is hotter than the rest of the food.

To lower the fat in recipes with cheese, choose sharp flavored varieties. They have more flavor so you can use less

cheese.

Egg Basics

Section 18.3

Structure of an Egg

Albumen – a thick, clear fluid commonly known as the egg white

Yolk – the round yellow portion

Chalazae (kuh-LAH-zuh) – twisted, cordlike strands of the albumen

Nutrients in Eggs

Eggs are an excellent source of: Protein Riboflavin Iodine Vitamin A Vitamin D Iron

The yolk contains fats and cholesterol

Buying Eggs

USDA grades eggs according to size and quality

Grades AA, A, and B No nutritive difference. The difference is in the

appearance after cooking AA and A are used when appearance is

important

Size – Jumbo, Extra Large, Large, Medium Egg size is determined by a minimum weight

for a dozen Most recipes are designed for large eggs

Storing Eggs

Eggs are highly perishable Refrigerate eggs in the original carton Eggs are porous and will pick up other

flavors if stored uncovered Do not wash eggs, it destroys the natural

coating Refrigerate leftover egg whites or yolks if

you plan to use them in 2 – 4 days

Preparing Eggs

Eggs are delicate and must be cooked at moderate temperature Egg whites shrink and turn rubbery when over

cooked Yolks toughen and turn gray-green on the

surface when overcooked

Egg whites coagulate (become firm) before yolks when cooked on the stove The opposite is true when cooked in the

microwave

Preparing Eggs

Eggs Cooked in Shell – hard or soft cooked Fried Eggs – over easy, medium, hard,

sunny side up Baked Eggs – a.k.a. shirred eggs Poached Eggs – cooked in a liquid Scrambled Eggs – beaten with milk or

water then cooked Omelets – may be filled with a variety of

ingredients

Egg Coloration

The only difference between white and brown eggs is the breed of chicken

White eggs = white feathered chickens

Brown eggs = red feathered chickens

Red feathered chickens tend to be bigger, requiring more feed, so brown eggs tend to be more expensive than white

Using Eggs in Recipes

Section 18.4

Custards

Custard – a tender blend of milk and eggs Base for dishes such as quiche (KEESH)

Stirred custard – cooked on top of the range and stirred constantly until thick enough to coat a spoon

Baked custard – baked in the oven. It has a firm, delicate consistency. Bain Marie = water bath

Separating Eggs

Separating the yolk from the whites

3 ways 1. Use an egg separator

2. Use the shell

3. Use your hands

Beating Egg Whites

Incorporating air into egg whites Done when preparing

dishes such as soufflé

Peaks Soft – the peaks bend

over slightly when the beaters are lifted

Stiff – peaks are glossy and hold their shape

Meringues

Meringue (muhr-ANG) – a foam of beaten egg whites and sugar

Hard – made by beating eggs to stiff peak stage If undercooked

they will be sticky & chewy

Meringues

Soft – made by beating eggs to soft peak stage Spread over hot

pre-cooked pie filling

Should touch crust all around to avoid shrinking during baking

Meringues

Weeping – when liquid accumulates between the filling and the meringue

Caused be not dissolving sugar completely or not beating to soft peak stage

Beading – golden droplets of moisture that form on the surface of the meringue

Caused be not dissolving sugar completely or oven set too high