Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
The presen-t invention relates to -the production of
deviled eggs, and more particularly to the production of cooked
egg white halves from blended egg whites.
The conventional method for ma~ing deviled eggs is
labor-intensive, involving boiling the eggs in the sheLl, remov-
ing the shell, splitting the eggs in half, separating -the yol]cs
from the whi-tes, blending the yolks with seasonings, and dis-
pensing the seasoned yolks back into the yolk cavity of the
whites. Because of the inordinate amount of labor required,
deviled eggs tend to be relatively expensive and indeed are
beyond the reach of certain food purveyors, e.g., school
cafeterias, where they might otherwise be consumed in large
quantities.
It is accordingly of interest to minimize the labor
cost involved in producing deviled eggs. This is achieved in
the present invention by separate bulk-processing of egg whites
and egg yolks according to techniques described hereinafter.
The invention provides in the production of deviled
eggs, the improvement which comprises pooling and blending
liquid egg whites, exposing the liquid egg whites to vacuum to
remove dissolved and entrained gases therefrom, dispensing the
de-gassed liquid egg whites into molds of the shape and size
of half an egg with a centrally disposed, removable insert
which forms a hemispherical cavity the size of half a yolk in
the egg white pool in each mold, and cooking the liquid egg
white in the molds, whereby cooked egg whi-te halves are obtained
suitable for filling with cooked, seasoned egg yolk to produce
deviled eggs.
The invention makes it possible to prepare deviled
eggs in a simpler and more economical manner than available
heretofore, and reduces the labor cost component in the pre-
paration of devi:Led eggs. Directly from blended liquid egg
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whites, a product is prepared having -the form and other
characteris-tics oE hard-cooked egg white halves. Hard-cooked
egg white halves prepared in this way can be -Erozen and thawed
without loss in quality.
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Other objects of the invention and its advantages
over the prior art will be apparen-t from the following
description.
In one embodiment of the invention, deviled eggs
are prepared according to the following procedure: Raw eggs
are broken and the yolks and whites are separated and
separately pooled. The egg whites are blended under vacuum
until homogeneous and until dissolved and entrained air and
other gases have been removed therefrom. The de-aerated egg
whites are dispensed into molds of the shape and size of half
an egg, with a centrally disposed, removable insert which
forms a hemispherical cavity the size of half a yolk in the
egg white pool in each mold. The egg whites are cooked,
e.g., with steam. The central insert is then removed, and
the cooked egg white halves are unloaded, or alternatively,
they are filled ln situ.
The filling for the egg white halves is prepared by
cooking the pooled egg yolks until solid and dry, and
blending the cooked yolks with appropriate seasonings. The
~0 yolk mix is dispensed into the cooked egg white halves to
form the completed deviled eggs.
The product thus obtained can be stored for a
limited time under refrigeration. For longer-term storage
and shipping, it can be subjected to quick freeæing in a
known manner -- for examplet in spaced trays in a freezer
with forced-draft circulation of chilled air. Quick freezing
is preferred in order to minimize any tendency of the product
to exude water on thawing and to prevent an unsatisfactory
appearance. Further protection for the froæen product can be
achieved if desired by incorporating a water-binding material
into the pooled egg whites before they are vacuum-~reated and
cooked, as described in Hawley U.S. Patent 3,510,315.
The water-binding materials include a varie~y of
starches, edible gums~ and food--grade water-soluble cellulose
derivatives which are capable, by virtue oE their polymeric
structure and hydrophilic nature, of absorbing and retaining
the water in the liquid egg whites through the cycle of
cooking~ freeæing~ and thawing. Particularly useful are
carbohydrates such as corn, tapîoca, rice, and potato
starches; edible gums such as gum arabic, gum acacia, gum
tragacanth, karaza gum, ghatti gum, locust bean gum~ guar
gum, and carrageenan, as well as ayar and algin; and
water-soluble, food-grade cellulose derivatives such as
methylcellulose, methylethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose,
hydroxypropylcellulose, methylhydroxyethylcelluose,
ethylhydroxyethylcellulose, methylhydroxypropyl cellulose,
sodium carboxymethylcellulose, and sodium
carboxymethylhydroxyethylcellulose; and the like. The
water-binding materials can be added to the liquid egg white
in an amount up to about 10% by weight based on the weight of
the liquid egg whi~e, preferably between about 2% and about
4% by weight for starches and between about 0.25~ and about
1% by weight for gums and cellulose derivatives.
The use of vacuum treatment in processing blended
egg materials has been carried out heretofore for a variety
of reasons. ~eynolds U.S. Patent 1,842,733, in mixing egg
white and/or yolk with a solid such as salt or sugar, carries
out the operation in vacuo to avoid incorporation of oxygen
into the mixture (which would cause deterioration of the
product) and t:o avoid formation of an objectionable layer of
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foam at the top of the mixture. Heuser U.S. Patent 1,g89,359
mixes whole egg with sugar and a salt, then applies high
vacuum to remove air~ thereby obtaining a clear liquid for
further processing~ Jones U.S. Patent 3,113,872 homogenizes
egg, pasteuri2es, then heats briefly under vacuum to remove
ob~ectionable odors and flavors. Ballas U.S~ Patent
3,404,008 also pasteurizes egg whites or other egg materials,
but applies vacuum to remove entrapped air before heating to
pasteuriæing temperature, thereby avoiding localized
overheating and coagulation~ In the present invention, the
removal of air helps in preventing the formation of air
bubblesl air holes, and a spongy texture in the cooked egg
white, and thereby substantially improves the quality of the
product.
The degree of vacuum employed is not critical,
since the goal is only to avoid any separation of gas bubbles
in subsequent processing. Ordinarily, an absolute pressure
of 50 to 100 mm Hg in the treating vessel is sufficient, with
gentle stirring over a period of 5 to 10 minutes, to
adequately remove the dissolved and entrained gases. The
higher the vacuum, of course, and the longer the treatment
time, the more fully will the gases be removed, but total
removal is unnecessary. The vacuum treatment can be carried
out either during the blending operation or as a subsequent
step as desired.
The present invention is described in the attached
drawings, as follows:
Fig. 1 is a process flow sheet illustrating a
detailed form of the invention which begins with separated
egg whites and egg yolks and ends with frozen deviled eggs;
554~Y
Fig. 2 is a simple apparatus for cooking egg whites
to form cooked egg white halves having centrally located
cavities of the size and shape of half a yolk;
~ ig. 3 illustrates a filler station for dispensing
a mixture of cooked yolk and seasonings into the cookecl
egg whi~e halves; and
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the deviled egg
product of the invention.
The process of Pig. 1 begins with separated egg
whites 10 and egg yolks 24t obtained in a known manner from
eggs of breaker quality.
Egg whites 10 and a water-binding carbohydrate 12
such as modified tapioca starch are thoroughly blended 14 in
a vessel to which vaccum 16 is applied to remove dissolved
and entrained air and other gases~ The blended and de-gassed
mixture is dispensed 18 into molds, for example as
illustrated in Fig. 2~ and cooked 20 in steam 21 until
completely solidified. The resulting egg white halves 22,
having centrally located cavities of the size and shape of
half a yolk, are removed from the molds.
In a separate operation, egg yolks 24 are
thoroughly blended 26, cooked 28 until solid and dry, and
blended 30 with seasonings 32 such as salt, pepper, mustard~
paprika, and mayonnaise or salad dressing to yield deviled
egg filling mixture 34. The latter is dispensed 36 (see Fig.
3) into egg-white halves 22, yielding the desired deviled egg
product 38 (see Fig. 4). The product can be frozen 40 if
desired, and when wrapped and stored in water-impervious
plastic~ retains its quality for a long time. It is restored
essentially to its original form upon thawing.
Fig. 2 is a drawing in cross section of a mold and
cooking assembly for use in the present invention. Into a
cavity 210 in conveyor belt 212 is placed mold 214, suitably
made of thin-gauge stainless steel. The mold, having the
six\ze and shape of half an egg, is retained by lip 216 upon
edge 218 of every cavity 210. Centrally positioned within mold 214
is a hemispherical insert 220, which forms the lower end of
cylindrical retainer 222. Means (indicated symbolically at
224) are provided for introducing and retracting insert 220.
With insert 220 in place, liquid egg white 226 is dispensed
into mold 214 to substantially fill the mold, which is then
moved upon conveyor belt 212 through a steam bath (surrounding
the entire assembly at such a rate as to allow the egg white
to become completely solidified before emerging from the
bath. When cooking is complete, insert 220 is retacted and
the cooked egg white (22 in Fig. 1) is removed from the mold.
The cooked egg white halves are then conveyed to
filler station 310 (Fig. 3), where deviled egg fillin
mixture 312 (34 in Fig. 1) is dispensed into them (36 in
Fig. 1), yielding the final deviled egg product 314 (38 in
Fig. 1) shown in Fig. 4.
The product, Fig. 4, is a typical develied egg,
having the seasoned yolk consumption 410 filled into the
cavity of the cooked egg white half 412, differing only in
that the yolk compostion is always centrally placed in the
product of the presr\ent invention.
While the invention has been described with
reference to certain specific embodiments thereof, it is to
be understood that numerous modifications may be made without
departing from the spirit of the invention. Such
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modifications are therefore to be understood as lying within
the scope of the invention.
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