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Egg Whites Turn Into Cloud Foam

5th grade nonfiction passage about whipping egg whites: 224 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

5th grade nonfiction whipping egg whites 224 words

Egg Whites Turn Into Cloud Foam

Crack an egg and the white looks like thin, clear jelly. Whip it with a whisk for a few minutes, and it changes into a bright white foam that can stand up in soft peaks. Cooks use this foam to make meringue, which bakes into a light and crispy treat.

The secret is in the egg white's proteins. A protein is a long chain of tiny parts, and in a raw egg white each chain is folded up into a tight ball. When you whisk, you pull air into the liquid and you also stretch the balls open. The loose chains then stick to each other and form a thin net around every air bubble. The net holds the bubbles in place, so the foam keeps its shape.

Cooks follow a few rules to get this right. The bowl must be very clean, because even a little fat or grease can get in the way of the proteins. That is why cooks take care not to let any yolk slip in, since a yolk holds fat. Many cooks add sugar slowly while they whip, which helps the foam stay smooth and steady.

When meringue goes into a warm oven, the heat sets the net so that it stays hard. The air bubbles stay trapped inside, and that is why a meringue feels so light.

Questions

  1. What do cooks make from whipped egg whites? in the text

  2. What are egg white proteins like before whisking? in the text

  3. What does the net of proteins do inside the foam? in the text

  4. Why must the bowl be very clean? in the text

  5. Why do cooks take care not to let any yolk slip into the whites? think about it

  6. Why does a baked meringue feel so light? think about it

Words to know

whisk
a kitchen tool made of wire loops, or to beat food with it
foam
a mass of tiny bubbles packed together
meringue
a sweet, light treat made from whipped egg whites and sugar
protein
a part of food made of long chains that helps build the body
yolk
the yellow center of an egg
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One passage, three levels

The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.

● Easier · 190 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 1.8

Crack an egg. The white looks like thin, clear jelly. Whip it with a whisk for a few minutes. It turns into a white foam that can stand up in peaks. Cooks use this foam to make meringue. Meringue bakes into a light, crispy treat.

The secret is the proteins in the egg white. A protein is a long chain. In a raw egg white, each chain is folded into a tight ball. When you whisk, you pull air into the egg white. You also stretch the balls open. The loose chains stick to each other. They make a thin net around every air bubble. The net holds the bubbles in place. That is why the foam keeps its shape.

Cooks follow some rules. The bowl must be very clean. Even a little grease can stop the proteins from working. A yolk has fat in it, so cooks keep yolk out. Many cooks add sugar slowly while they whip. The sugar helps the foam stay smooth.

Meringue goes into a warm oven. The heat makes the net hard. The air stays trapped inside. That is why meringue feels so light.

▲ This passage · 224 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.8

Crack an egg and the white looks like thin, clear jelly. Whip it with a whisk for a few minutes, and it changes into a bright white foam that can stand up in soft peaks. Cooks use this foam to make meringue, which bakes into a light and crispy treat.

The secret is in the egg white's proteins. A protein is a long chain of tiny parts, and in a raw egg white each chain is folded up into a tight ball. When you whisk, you pull air into the liquid and you also stretch the balls open. The loose chains then stick to each other and form a thin net around every air bubble. The net holds the bubbles in place, so the foam keeps its shape.

Cooks follow a few rules to get this right. The bowl must be very clean, because even a little fat or grease can get in the way of the proteins. That is why cooks take care not to let any yolk slip in, since a yolk holds fat. Many cooks add sugar slowly while they whip, which helps the foam stay smooth and steady.

When meringue goes into a warm oven, the heat sets the net so that it stays hard. The air bubbles stay trapped inside, and that is why a meringue feels so light.

■ Harder · 228 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.2

Crack open an egg and the white looks like thin, clear jelly. Whisk it vigorously for several minutes, however, and it transforms into a brilliant white foam that is stiff enough to stand in soft peaks. Cooks rely on this foam to prepare meringue, which bakes into a delicate, crispy treat.

The secret lies in the egg white's proteins. A protein is a long chain of microscopic parts, and in a raw egg white each chain is folded up into a tight ball. Whisking accomplishes two things at once: it pulls air into the liquid, and it stretches those balls open. The loosened chains then bond with one another and form a thin, flexible net around every single air bubble. Because the net holds the bubbles in place, the foam keeps its shape.

Cooks follow several rules to make this succeed. The bowl must be spotless, since even a trace of fat or grease can interfere with the proteins. For the same reason, careful cooks make sure no yolk slips into the whites, because a yolk contains fat. Many cooks also add sugar gradually as they whip, which helps the foam remain smooth and steady.

When meringue goes into a gently warm oven, the heat sets the net so that it stays rigid. The air bubbles remain trapped inside, which explains why a finished meringue feels almost weightless.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put whisk, foam, meringue, protein and yolk on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the text will be about.
  • Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 2 minutes to read aloud.
  • Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
  • Question 5 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
  • Ask students to write one question the passage did not answer, then look for the answer in a book or on a classroom screen.
  • Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "Egg Whites Turn Into Cloud Foam"?

It was written for 5th grade. It has 224 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 4.8. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.

What do the questions ask?

There are six. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 2 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.

How long does it take to read?

About 2 minutes read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.

Is this passage from a published book?

No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.

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