Eggs Dairy and Cheese Chapter 18 Objectives Define

Eggs, Dairy, and Cheese Chapter 18

Objectives • Define the terms eggs and dairy • Identify the parts of an egg • List egg sizes and the weight of the average egg • Identify the most commonly used dairy products

Objectives (cont’d. ) • Summarize the butterfat content of dairy products • Explain the process for making butter • List the main varieties of cheese • Review the proper procedures for purchasing and storing different egg and dairy products

Eggs • A culinary staple with many uses • Packed with protein • The standard to which other protein sources are measured • Combine with other staples or stand alone equally well

Parts of the Egg • Shell (porous covering protects egg) • Membranes – Thin layers of protein fibers that cling to shell and provide barrier against bacteria • Albumen – The egg “white”, composed mostly of water • Yolk (contains most of the protein)

18. 1 The composition of an egg

Buying and Storing • Eggs are inspected to determine quality • Graded as AA, A, B and C – Also classified as weight per dozen • Should be stored below 40° F • Make sure eggs are not cracked • Expiration dates are four to five weeks after packaging

Dairy • More than 30 main products are made from milk • The most commonly used dairy products include: – Milk, butter, casein (milk protein), yogurt, gelato, and ice cream – Other ethnic forms of dairy products

Buying and Storing • The U. S. has federal standards for butterfat content of dairy products • Nondairy milk includes soy milk, rice milk, and milk made from oat and coconut products • Nonbovine milk includes goat milk, sheep’s milk, and buffalo milk

Cultured Dairy Products • Buttermilk, sour cream, or yogurt – Milk or cream thickened by heat or sharpened by bacterial cultures – Can be used as the basis for dips and dressings – Can be used in cake batters or bread dough

Using Cultured Dairy Products in Cooking • Difficult to use in cooking because they curdle when overheated – Must never be boiled – Add them at the end of cooking time – Or, use one teaspoon of cornstarch to stabilize

Using Cultured Dairy Products in Cooking (cont’d. ) • Buttermilk – Liquid by-product of butter making – Today, a culture is added; gives acidic tang • Clotted cream – Slowly heating and cooling milk to thicken • Kaymak (Kaimaki, Eishta) – Middle eastern sheep’s milk cooked cream

Using Cultured Dairy Products in Cooking (cont’d. ) • Crème fraiche – Cultured cream with high fat content • Smatana – Sour cream mixed with sweet cream • Sour cream – Homogenized cream with bacterial culture • French-style yogurt (a “set” yogurt)

Using Cultured Dairy Products in Cooking (cont’d. ) • Greek sheep’s yogurt – Sweet flavor and higher fat content • Strained Yogurt – Concentrated yogurt with some of the watery whey removed • Ricotta – A neutral cheese made by cooking twice

Using Cultured Dairy Products in Cooking (cont’d. ) • Mascarpone – A very rich Italian cream cheese • Cottage cheese – Cheese curd product with mild flavor • Fromage frais – Unripened cheese beaten until it is smooth and creamy

Butter • Butter is the fat of the milk – Made by beating cream until it thickens and separates – Butter made from cow’s milk the norm in most countries • Heat alters the form and flavor of butter

Butter Production • Pasteurized cream placed in large vats and churned repeatedly – Fat particles pull together and solidify – Buttermilk is left over, then drawn off – Butter churned until it forms a solid mass • Butter flavor varies according to animal and time of year

Buying and Storing • Two types of butter – Sweet cream butter • Made from pasteurized cream that is placed in a tank at low temperature before churning – Lactic butter • Cream is combined with lactic acid culture • Both types may be salted or unsalted – Salted butter contains at least 3% salt

Cheese • It takes 11 pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese • More than 1, 500 varieties exist – France alone produces 500 varieties • Aging cheese more than 60 days destroys bacteria – Or, can be made from pasteurized milk

Cheese Production • Each cheese has unique procedure • Certain steps are common to most – Pasteurizing the milk – Adding starter cultures – Separating curds and whey – Salting and flavoring the curds – Processing into molds and curing

18. 13 c Taking the temperature of milk in a vat 18. 13 d Splitting the cheese curds in two while hanging in cheesecloth over whey, before being placed in their mold

Categories of Cheese • Firm (or hard) cheeses – Have been cooked and pressed • Soft cheeses – Surface-ripened soft cheeses – Interior-ripened soft cheeses • Semi-firm cheeses – Uncooked, pressed cheeses

Categories of Cheese (cont’d. ) • Pasta filata cheeses – Unripened, stretched-curd cheeses • Blue-veined (blue) cheeses • Process cheeses • Cheese substitutes – Made using the casein element in milk • Goat’s milk cheeses

Buying and Storing • Check expiration date and avoid cheese that has been stored at room temperature • Soft cheeses should have soft crust, without cracks • Semi-firm and firm cheese should be uniformly colored

Buying and Storing (cont’d. ) • Only firm cheeses are suitable for grating – Grated cheese remains fresh for a week in the refrigerator • Shelf-life of cheeses is determined by their moisture content • Store in warmest part of the refrigerator wrapped in wax paper or aluminum foil

Summary • Eggs are a high protein culinary staple • Eggs are inspected and graded • Cultured dairy products are very sensitive to heating • Butter is made by beating cream until it thickens and separates into fat (butter) and buttermilk

Summary (cont’d. ) • There are many varieties of cheese • Cheeses are categorized as firm (hard), soft, semi-firm, pasta filata, blue, process, goat’s milk, and cheese substitutes • The shelf life of cheeses varies according to their moisture content