When there is any doubt as to the freshness of eggs, they may be tested in various ways. Quite fresh eggs will sink in a strong brine, and as they become stale they remain suspended at different depths in the brine, until an absolutely stale egg will float. Successful preservation depends in a great measure upon the condition of the egg at the time of preserving. Different methods of preserving all aim at the same thing, namely, at coating the porous shell with some substance which will prevent the air entering and setting up decomposition. See page 30. When used as food, eggs should be cooked at a low temperature--about 160° F., or if in the shell at about 180° F. The time varies with the size of the egg, from two and a half minutes for poaching a medium-sized egg to four and a half minutes for boiling a large one. If too much cooked, or at too high a temperature, the white becomes tough, hard, and to many people, indigestible. When required for salads, garnishing, etc., the eggs must be boiled from ten to twenty minutes, and if the yolks are to be powdered for sprinkling, they must be cooked for a longer time, or the centers will be somewhat tough and elastic, and useless for the purpose. In beating eggs, a little salt added to the whites helps to bring them to a froth more quickly. When frothed whites are to be mixed with a heavier or more solid substance, great care must be taken not to break down the froth. The object of beating being to mix in air, rough handling afterwards would render the beating useless; the mixing must therefore be done very carefully. They should be folded or wrapped up in the other substance, but the mixing also must be thorough, for any pieces of white separated from the rest will toughen and taste leathery, besides failing in the special purpose of giving lightness to the mixture. After mixing lightly and perfectly all such preparations should be cooked at once. The white "speck" always should be removed from a broken egg, as it is easily distinguished after cooking, and in anything of a liquid nature, such as custards, sauces, etc., it would be hard and unpleasant. [Illustration] Baked Omelet 1 tablespoonful melted Crisco 4 eggs 8 tablespoonfuls milk 1/2 teaspoonful cornstarch 2 tablespoonfuls water Salt and pepper to taste Beat eggs well, add milk and beat again, add Crisco, seasonings, and cornstarch mixed with water. Turn into a Criscoed fireproof dish and bake in moderate oven fifteen minutes. Serve hot. Creole Eggs 3 tablespoonfuls Crisco 2 tablespoonfuls flour 8 hard-cooked eggs 2 cupfuls tomato pulp Salt, pepper, and paprika to taste 1 small chopped onion 1 bay leaf 1 blade mace 2 cloves 2 tablespoonfuls chopped parsley Pinch of powdered thyme Slices of cooked ham Breadcrumbs