Whole Eggs vs. Egg Whites for Breading

Raiden_270074

I was wondering what the consensus is on whether it's better to use a whole egg in the dredging process, or just the whites with a dash of milk whisked in.

I happened to try the latter last night, just because I had a few egg whites which needed using up, and I felt as though it produced a better result than when I'd used whole eggs in the past.

It got me thinking about the compounds in the yolk, and whether there's any scientific reasons why their presence or absence could have a positive or negative impact on the outcome of the breading.

So has anyone else noticed a difference, and what do you generally prefer?

wolfiegirl

I can't give you any scientific information but there are a few here that sure can! But I can tell you that I too have learned (by experience) that using just the whites can give a much lighter texture to the finished product. For example, when I make gnocchi I stopped using whole egg to bind and instead use just the whites, which created a much lighter gnocchi end product. Using just the white in a dredge process makes sense to me. It creates a 'glue' without adding any heavy protein.

And rest assured I will be trying just whites next time I'm breading something!

Have fun!!