[net.cooks] HB eggs, yeast, dogs

syn@uo-vax3.UUCP (syn) (04/17/85)

Fat reactions are not uncommon in dogs, and getting less uncommon in
humans--remember, that's where all the pesticides and superfluous
antibiotics wind up.  When the hard cooked egg white and plain rice
fails, try tofu and the soy milk they make for human babies who are
allergic to everything.

lpm@lanl.ARPA (04/19/85)

Sorry for the subject; I have a hodge podge and could not come up with
anything better.

HB eggs:
In her book Julia Child and Company, Mrs. Child describes several methods
for hard boiling eggs, and relates her experiences with them.  For ease
of peeling, and, I think ease of cooking, the method of choice seems to
be to use a pressure cooker. (Really!)  The method is as follows:

	Wash the eggs to remove any coating, etc., and to take the chill
		off them.

	Boil water in the pressure cooker, enough just to cover the
		eggs.  About 1" is sufficient for 12 eggs.

	GENTLY lower the eggs into the boiling water.

	Bring the cooker up to pressure (15 psi).

	Immediately remove the cooker from the heat, and let it sit for
		five minutes. (I think -- it might be 3 min.)

	Cool the cooker, remove the lid, and cool the eggs in cold water.

My experiences with this method have been excellent; I have not had a hard
to peel egg yet.  The main drawback is that a few of the eggs in any batch
always crack open.  That is no problem unless you want them to look really
nice in their shells; piercing the shell helps, as does making sure not
to rattle them around or drop them into the water.  Also, the time will
vary depending on the size of the egg (time given for large) and its
temperature.  Occasionally, the yolk will not be quite cooked, but it
will not be grey, either, unless you overcook it.


Yeast:
Also from Julia Child, I think from the book From Julia Child's Kitchen,
comes an interesting discussion about yeast.  She claims that a slow rise,
preferably in a tightly covered bowl (plastic wrap), will give more
flavorful, better textured bread.  I even let my bread rise the second time
in the refrigerator, and it has never failed, even with very old yeast.
I would suspect that if the yeast consistently fails, it is due to killing
it with heat.  Anyhow, the more flavorful part comes from the anaerobic
metabolism of the yeast; they produce alcohol, which is cooked out, but
leaves a rich, subtle flavor.  (That is why the bowl must not let in air.)


Dogs:
I notice that someone suggested that the dog would enjoy the chicken skins
from her soup recipe.  I read in the cookbook Laurel's Kitchen (excellent
nutritional information on vegetarian foods) that dogs are not bothered by
cholesterol.  Can anyone explain, confirm, or refute this claim?

lrd@drusd.UUCP (L. R. DuBroff) (04/22/85)

>	Dogs:
>	I notice that someone suggested that the dog would enjoy
>	the chicken skins from her soup recipe.

My dog enjoyed chicken skin from soup-making, but only once!
She must have reacted violently to the fat content, which
produced a terrible case of diarrhea that was very difficult
to stop.  The vet's recommendation of plain rice didn't do it;
into the second week, it took some shots to bring her back to
normal.  The vet said this was not that uncommon, and it wasn't
our dog in particular -- Dobermans don't have digestive systems
that are unusually sensitive.