October 14

In the middle of the afternoon, I stand in the kitchen holding an egg and trying to determine if it’s been sitting out long enough to be considered room temperature. The egg has been out of the fridge for about an hour, sitting in a tiny blue bowl on the counter. In that time, I’ve wandered around the house looking for pockets of sunshine to warm my feet.

Now I stand in the kitchen with its tiny white shell in my hand. My hand is warm, and the egg feels cool, but I have no clue what that means. I intend to make apple cider donuts and it has become an all-day event because I didn’t read the instructions before getting started this morning.

I reduced the cider for over an hour, warming it until nearly a cup of liquid had evaporated. Then I pulled out the milk so it, too, could come down to room temperature. But I overlooked the egg, which rests quietly in my cupped palm.

I resist the urge to jostle it, but I want to. I want to toss it in the air and see if I can catch it without it breaking. Mostly, I want to know with assurance that it’s room temperature so I can get to work making these donuts.

I’m getting impatient.

I’m also running out of steam. Soon enough, it’ll be time to make dinner, then eat it, then clean up. Right now, that sounds like a lot of work. I wonder how long an egg and a cup of milk can sit out at room temperature beside a half cup of reduced cider. All afternoon? Overnight? I should look it up.

Instead, I place the egg back its tiny blue bowl. On the other side of the house, the living room is flooded with sunshine and all I want is lie on the couch where it’s sunny and warm. Why can’t I just loll around here until dinnertime, let everything fall away for a while?

If I stay here long enough, warm but at room temperature, maybe I’ll be more useful later on. I might get up at exactly the right time and exactly the right temperature to do exactly the right thing, which sounds practically perfect. A rest to warm my bones.

At room temperature, an egg mixes more easily and binds better to other ingredients. Especially when using melted butter, room temperature eggs make for better texture. They don’t curdle or create lumps. They make for better baking. So, there’s no rush, no hurry. For now, the egg and I are fine where we are.