The Freshman Cook: Eggs and Room Temperature

As a cook and a baker, there is no doubt that eggs are a staple of your pantry. I always have plenty of eggs, just in case. Besides, I am an egg eater. I love egg sandwiches, fried eggs, hard boiled eggs, omelets, and 2 minute eggs with bread. Anything with eggs. Besides, isn’t it amazing that one little egg can have so many uses?

I am a big cookie baker, so eggs and I are the best of friends. But sometimes, I do have to admit, I forget to take the eggs out of the refrigerator before I begin putting my recipe together. And I know that eggs should be at room temperature before using them to bake or cook. Right? Right! But why?

Because in most recipes you cream together the fat (butter) with the sugar, then you add the eggs. This is called emulsion. If the eggs are cold, the fat and the egg will not combine and are unmixable. Adding cold eggs to your butter & sugar mixture can curdle the egg and make your baked goods have little flavor, ending up grainy and flat.

So what to do? How about a simple 5 minute fix!! Put the eggs you need for your recipe in a bowl,