Preparing Eggs. Recipes: Tomato and Cheese Strata and Cinnamon Twists

All About Eggs

Egg Nutrition
     Guido's Omelet and Bistro Broccoli Salad
Eggs and Food Safety
     Rotini Salad Alfredo and Baked Nordic Fondue
Handling Eggs
     Asparagus and Parmesan Frittata and Taco Pie
Preparing Eggs
     Tomato and Cheese Strata and Cinnamon Twists
Decorating Eggs
     Easiest Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Preparing Eggs

It is not necessary to cook eggs until hard or rubbery in order to kill any bacteria that may be present. Egg white coagulates between 144 degrees F and 149 degrees F, and the yolk between 149 degrees F and 158 degrees F. Therefore, whole eggs cooked until the white is set (completely coagulated and firm) and the yolk is beginning to thicken (no longer runny but not hard) are considered to have met necessary time and temperature requirements for safety. Scrambled eggs need to be cooked until firm throughout.

Use the following times as a guideline (Note: times listed are for individual servings.) Sufficient cooking times for different styles of eggs include (these times may have to be adjusted slightly as egg size and initial temperatures vary; heating at higher temperatures would require less cooking time):

Scrambled—1 minute at a cooking surface temperature of 250 degrees F

Poached—5 minutes in boiling water

Sunnyside—7 minutes at a cooking surface temperature of 250 degrees F or cook covered 4 minutes at 250 degrees F

Fried, over easy—3 minutes at a cooking surface temperature of 250 degrees F on one side, then turn the egg and fry for another 2 minutes on the other side

Soft-cooked—7 minutes in boiling water

A good rule of thumb is that whole eggs should be cooked until the white is completely coagulated (set) and the yolk begins to thicken.
Cook scrambled eggs in small batches (no larger than 3 quarts) until there is no visible liquid egg, according to the rate of service.
Pooling eggs, the practice of breaking large quantities of eggs together and holding before or after cooking greatly increases the risk of bacterial contamination.
Some foods are particularly difficult to prepare in quantity for optimum safety. In such cases it would be wise to consider using a pasteurized egg product.
Never leave egg or egg-containing dishes at room temperature more than one hour (including preparation and service).
Egg dishes for those who are pregnant, elderly, very young or ill should be thoroughly cooked. These groups at highest risk should avoid consuming raw or undercooked eggs. Pasteurized egg products are an alternative for these groups.
Hold cold egg dishes below 40 degrees F.
Hold hot egg dishes above 140 degrees F. Do not hold hot foods on buffet line for longer than 30 minutes.
Do not combine eggs that have been held in a steam table pan with a fresh batch of eggs. Always use a fresh steam table pan.
Do not add raw egg mixture to a batch of cooked scrambled eggs held on a steam table.
When refrigerating a large quantity of a hot egg-rich dish or leftover, divide into several shallow containers so it will cool quickly.

Provided by American Egg Board

Tomato and Cheese Strata

Servings: 4-6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 50-60 minutes

Ingredients

1 16 oz can Italian Style Diced Tomatoes, drained
12-16 slices white bread (or as needed)
2 cups milk
1 14 oz can tomato paste
12 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
4 eggs beaten
3/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Preparation

Butter 2 quart casserole or souffle dish.

In a shallow dish, place bread slices in milk until softened but not falling apart. Place a layer of bread slice in the buttered casserole dish.

Mix together diced tomatoes, tomato paste and salt. Place a layer of tomato mixture over bread slices.

Mix mozzarella and cheddar cheese together. Sprinkle a thin layer over tomato mixture.

Continue layering bread, tomatoes and cheese, reserving a small portion of the tomato mixture and cheese. Top with a layer of bread.

Poke several holes in casserole. Pour eggs over top, allowing them to absorb into the casserole.

Top with remaining tomato mixture and cheese. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes and serve immediately.

Provided by The Fremont Company

Cinnamon Twists

(Makes 24 rolls)

Ingredients

5-1/2 to 6 cups Bread Flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 packages RapidRise Yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup each: water and butter
2 eggs
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2/3 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted
Icing, recipe follows

Combine 1-1/2 cups flour, sugar, undissolved yeast and salt. Heat milk, water and 1/4 cup butter until warm (120 degrees to 130 degrees F). Add to dry ingredients; beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add eggs and 1/2 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. With spoon, stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

Roll dough to 24—x 12-inch rectangle. Melt remaining butter; brush on lengthwise half of dough, covering a 24—x 6-inch area. Sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon and walnuts. Fold dough in half, lengthwise, covering filling. Cut, crosswise, into 24 (1-inch) strips. Twist each strip twice in opposite directions. Place on 2 greased baking sheets. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes or until done. Remove from sheets; cool on wire racks. Drizzle with icing.

Icing: In small bowl, combine 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted; and 1-2 tablespoons milk. Stir until smooth.

Provided by Fleischmann

This page originally published as a FoodDay article in 1997.