Egg

Eggs thicken and bind when heated, thanks to protein coagulation.

Flavor

How to use it

Meatball Marvel. Heat the mix, and the ovalbumin and ovomucin proteins in eggs will work like culinary glue, holding everything together.

Meringue Mastery. Whipping disrupts egg proteins like ovalbumin, creating a foam that bakes into cloud-like peaks.

Common mistakes

• Overheated proteins turn rubbery. Avoid the texture of a super ball.
• If you skip the whisking, you'll miss that perfect, airy meringue foam.

What goes with egg

• Cheddar. Melted cheddar's fat and sharpness enrich eggs' smooth texture.
• Asparagus. A runny yolk acts as a sauce for asparagus, coating its grassy flavor in richness.
• Butter. Butter's milk fat makes scrambled eggs and sauces silky.
• Cream. Cream and egg set into custard because yolk proteins thicken as they heat.
• Mayonnaise. Mayonnaise is an emulsion of egg yolk and oil, so egg's own lecithin holds it together.
• Milk. Milk loosens egg into a soft custard or scramble.
• Kimchi. Fried or scrambled egg softens kimchi's sour heat, as in kimchi fried rice.
• Harissa. Eggs poached in harissa-spiced tomato sauce make shakshuka.

Try tonight

• Scrambled eggs with chives
• Egg drop soup
• Omelette with cheese

Storage

Refrigerated unwashed eggs can last up to 3 weeks.