Eggs and the Science of Custards

The key to a successful custard is getting the eggs to thicken and set properly. In pursuit of that goal, it’s useful to understand a little of the science behind eggs and custards.

Custards are made possible by the coagulation of egg proteins. Egg proteins begin as folded chains of amino acids. As the proteins are heated, their increased motion breaks some bonds, and the chains unfold. The newly unfolded proteins bond with one another, resulting in a continuous meshwork of long molecules. This creates a moist but solid egg mass.