On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 228

copperbowloverawaterbath;themix
thickensatsuchalowtemperaturethatdirect
heatcanquicklyovercookit.Inprofessional
kitchens,whereexperienceislongandtimeis
short,zabaglioneandsabayonsaresometimes
cookedrightoveraflame.Theadvantageofa
copperbowlinmakingyolkfoamsisnot
chemical,butphysical:itsexcellentheat
conductivitymakesitquicklyresponsiveto
thecook’sadjustments.However,copperdoes
impartadistinctmetallicflavortothefoam,
andsomecookspreferstainlesssteelforthis
reason.
Theidealzabaglioneorsweetsabayonis
softandmeltinglyevanescent,yetstable
enoughthatitcanberefrigeratedandserved
cold.Savorysabayonsmaybecookedshortof
maximalfluffinesssothattheyremaineasily
pourable,butthelubricatingliquidinthe
bubblewallswilleventuallydrainoutand
separate.Fortunately,aseparatedsabayoncan
berebeatentoitsoriginalconsistency.


Pickledand
PreservedEggs

Untiltherecentdevelopmentsinbreedingand
artificiallighting,domesticatedbirds
producedeggsseasonally:theywouldbegin
layinginthespring,continuethroughthe

summer,andthenceaseinthefall.So,justas
theydidformilkandforfruitsand
vegetables,ourancestorsdevelopedmethods
forpreservingeggssothattheycouldbeeaten
year-round.Manyofthesemethodssimply
isolatedtheeggsfromtheairandleftthem
largelyunchanged.Watersaturatedwithlime,
orcalciumhydroxide,isalkalineenoughto
discouragebacteria,andcoatstheeggshell
withathinlayerofcalciumcarbonatethat
partlysealstheshellpores.Oilingwith
linseedoilapparentlybeganonDutchfarms
around1800.Theearly20thcenturybrought
theuseofwaterglass,orasolutionofsodium
silicate,whichagainsealstheshellporesand