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Cook until knife inserted near center comes out clean Baked custard mixtures are done when a metal knife inserted off center comes out clean. The very center still may not be quite done, but the heat retained in the mixture will continue to cook it after you remove it from the oven. Cooking longer may result in a curdled and/or weeping custard. Cooking less time may result in a thickened but not set custard.
Cook until just coats a metal spoon For stirred custard mixtures, the eggs are cooked to the proper doneness when a thin film adheres to a metal spoon dipped into the custard. The point of coating a metal spoon is 20 to 30 degrees below boiling. Stirred custards should not boil. The finished product should be soft and thickened but not set. Stirred custards will thicken slightly after refrigeration.
Slightly beaten Beat eggs with a fork or whisk just until the yolks and whites are blended.
Well beaten Beat eggs with a mixer, blender, beater or whisk until they are light, frothy and evenly colored.
Thick and lemon-colored Beat yolks with an electric mixer at high speed until they become a pastel yellow and form ribbons when you life the beater or drop the yolks from a spoon, about 3 to 5 minutes. Although yolks can’t incorporate as much air as whites, this beating does create a foam and is important to airy concoctions such as sponge cakes.
Add a small amount of hot mixture to eggs/egg yolks When you add eggs or egg yolks to a hot mixture all at once, they may begin to coagulate too rapidly and form lumps. So, stir a small amount of the hot mixture into the yolks to warm them and then stir the warmed egg yolk mixture into the remaining hot mixture. This is called tempering.
Room temperature Some recipes call for eggs to be at room temperature before you combine the eggs with a fat and sugar. Cold eggs could harden the fat in this type of recipe and the batter might become curdled. This could affect the texture of the finished product. To prevent the curdling, remove eggs from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you use them or put them in a bowl of warm water while you assemble other ingredients. For all other recipes, use eggs straight from the refrigerator.
– See Separated
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