There are three standards of eggs set by the USDA. AA quality, A quality and B quality which all have different characteristics. The major differences in the eggs are that the lower the quality of the egg is the more the contents of the egg spreads out. Also another major difference is that the whites of the eggs vary in the different qualities. A Quality AA egg has a firm and thick white surrounding the yolk. The white is surrounded by a small amount of thin white. A Quality A egg has a reasonably firm and thick white surrounded by a medium amount of thin white. And a Quality B egg has no thick white and has a large amount of watery thin white surrounding the enlarged and flattened yolk.
There are 6 weight classes of eggs starting with the Pee Wee class at 15 ounces per dozen eggs and goes up the largest weight class of Jumbo at 30 ounces per dozen eggs. One large egg contains about 70 calories and has 6 grams of protein.
How to know how fresh your eggs are?
Place an egg in a pan of cold water and if it sinks to the bottom and lies on its side it is fresh. Eggs that are 3-4 days old will sit slanted in the water. An egg that is about 10 days old will stand at attention (stands upright) in the pan. And if you have a floater then you have a really old egg and its not good eats so don’t use it!
Can eggs be frozen?
Yes, but not in the shells. Beat whole eggs until blended and then frozen. Yolks should always be broken before freezing. You can separate the whites and the yolks for freezing which make it easier when you just need egg whites for a recipe. Try freezing your eggs in ice cube trays and then transfer to a freezer bag or container. Then when you come across a recipe that calls for egg whites you can pull out a couple of cubes of frozen egg whites and know that each cube represents one egg white. Always place the frozen eggs in the refrigerator to thaw and use in dishes that call for fully cooked eggs.
Brown vs. White:
Brown eggs tend to me more expensive than white eggs however; there is no difference in the quality or nutritional value of brown and white eggs. The reason for the added expense is because hens that lay brown eggs are larger and need more feed so the cost of the eggs become higher than those of the smaller hens that lay the white eggs because they don’t eat as much. The only thing that changes the nutritional value of the egg is the size; a small egg has fewer calories than a larger egg.
Fun Facts:
- Eggs will clean off utensils and bowls with cold water rather than hot water.
- Eggs peel easier if salt is added to the water when cooking hard-boiled eggs.
- If an egg wobbles when it is spun on its side on a flat surface than it is raw otherwise it is a hard boiled egg.
- Eggshells that are shiny and bright are most likely older, look for eggshells that are dull.
- Digestive time of an egg yolk is about 30 minutes and a whole egg is about 45 minutes.
- Use a small amount of water instead of milk when making scrambled eggs or omelets and you will have a fluffier result.
- An easy way to separate your eggs is to crack the egg into your hand and let the whites slip through your fingers and you should be left with the yolk in your hand. Or crack the egg into a funnel and the whites will slip through the bottom.
