robrambles.com
Default

Ingredient

egg

Also known as: Egg white, Eggs, soft boiled egg

A whole chicken egg, standard in cooking and baking to bind, leaven, thicken, enrich, or emulsify -- and eaten on its own scrambled, fried, boiled, or poached. Proteins in the white and yolk set with heat, and beaten eggs trap air, which is why gentle, gradual heat matters for custards and sauces, and vigorous beating matters for meringues and sponge cakes.

Buying guidance

"Large" is the standard size assumed whenever a quantity just says "egg" -- extra-large or small eggs shift moisture enough to matter in baking, so weigh them (about 50g out of the shell for large) if precision counts. Choose clean, uncracked eggs from a refrigerated case; a cracked shell is a contamination risk, not just a cosmetic flaw.

Substitutions

  • Flax or chia gel (1 tbsp ground seed plus 3 tbsp water, per egg) -- binds in baking but adds no leavening or richness.
  • Aquafaba, about 3 tbsp per egg -- whips and foams like egg white; useful for meringues, not for custards.
  • Commercial egg replacer -- follow the package ratio; works for binding in baked goods, not where egg is the main ingredient.

Tips & common mistakes

Eggs separate more cleanly straight from the fridge, since a cold yolk membrane is firmer and less likely to break, but whip to greater volume and blend more evenly into batters at room temperature -- separate them cold, then let the parts come to room temperature before using them where that matters.

Storage

Keep eggs refrigerated consistently rather than moving them between fridge and counter -- eggs kept cold from the start hold quality far longer than ones that repeatedly warm up and cool down, which is why store-bought eggs shouldn't go back to room-temperature storage even though some countries sell unwashed eggs unrefrigerated.

More specific

Used in 17 recipes