Egg Question

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Isn't Google evil fun? Can be a great time-waster, but fun. Anywho, re: eggs. I've never heard that "A" eggs have thinner shells but I'll have to make a point of seeing what grade goes into the water next time I do them. What I do remember reading in the difference between A and AA is that the yolks on the AA "stand up" nicer so you should use those if you want to make prettier sunny-side up ones.

I'm guessing CW will come strolling through here again soon, correcting our misconceptions and "cluck-cluck"ing her tongue at us like she does Myrtle and Company. ;) Not complaining CW - you know we all appreciate your help!
If the shells are thinner, they should be easier to peel. I have found that if you put plenty of salt in the water, they are less likely to crack. I have even seen slightly cracked eggs in the boiling water, but couldn't find any cracks when I went to peel them.

The yolks on fresher eggs stand up taller. The ratio between height and diameter is one of the ways used to calculate the freshness of eggs.
 
I don't know why parents do that Carol. You would think it would discourage a kid from eating. Obviously, if you look at me, you know my parents never used that trick. ;)

My Great Aunt and her husband owned a lunch counter in Cleveland in the 1930's and '40s. They would steam their sunny-side up eggs that way, adding a splash of icy cold water just before putting the lid on to generate more steam. That's the only way I ever knew. Then when Himself and I got married he said his Mom made "basted" eggs and proceeded to explain a Heart-Attack-on-a-Plate! :ohmy: Fry your bacon, take it out of the grease, crack your egg(s) into the fat, and spoon the drippings over the top until the whites are done. Yeah...he doesn't EVER get them that way anymore! :LOL:
 
A woman I worked with years back raised chickens and sold eggs. She said she would never eat an egg in a restaurant because she didn't know what the chickens were fed. What are chickens usually fed, and how is one feed more desireable than other?
I generally don't eat eggs in restaurants--they are downright gross. Chickens typically are fed what is called layer mash. It is a combination of corn and other grains. My chickens also eat bananas, beans, bread, peaches, tomatoes, greens, bugs, snakes, worms, cheese, sour milk, buttermilk, oatmeal--just about anything they can find or I offer them. They love it when I clean out the fridge--there is usually some cheese or yogurt or other goodie in there that is "chicken feed." Battery-farm hens only get commercial feed. We picked up a flock of 10 birds from a commercial farm last summer. It took about 3 weeks for their eggs to "taste right." The yolks were pale and tasteless.
 
I don't know why parents do that Carol. You would think it would discourage a kid from eating. Obviously, if you look at me, you know my parents never used that trick. ;)

My Great Aunt and her husband owned a lunch counter in Cleveland in the 1930's and '40s. They would steam their sunny-side up eggs that way, adding a splash of icy cold water just before putting the lid on to generate more steam. That's the only way I ever knew. Then when Himself and I got married he said his Mom made "basted" eggs and proceeded to explain a Heart-Attack-on-a-Plate! :ohmy: Fry your bacon, take it out of the grease, crack your egg(s) into the fat, and spoon the drippings over the top until the whites are done. Yeah...he doesn't EVER get them that way anymore! :LOL:


My mother did that too! She kept a little cup on the counter by the stove for bacon grease and cooked most everything in it. Could that be the cause of my heart disease? I'll admit, they are really good that way.
 
I generally don't eat eggs in restaurants--they are downright gross. Chickens typically are fed what is called layer mash. It is a combination of corn and other grains. My chickens also eat bananas, beans, bread, peaches, tomatoes, greens, bugs, snakes, worms, cheese, sour milk, buttermilk, oatmeal--just about anything they can find or I offer them. They love it when I clean out the fridge--there is usually some cheese or yogurt or other goodie in there that is "chicken feed." Battery-farm hens only get commercial feed. We picked up a flock of 10 birds from a commercial farm last summer. It took about 3 weeks for their eggs to "taste right." The yolks were pale and tasteless.


I have noticed that some egg yolks are bright orange and some are very pale. I only get store bought eggs, no farm eggs.

This will be my last egg question, I promise! What is the correct way to hard boil an egg and get the shell to come off easily? There are so many ideas out there. I put the eggs in cold water to cover. When the water starts to boil I set my timer for 10 minutes. When done, I pour off the boiling water and fill the pot with cold water and let set for about 15 minutes. Sometimes they peel easily and sometimes not. I have heard that older eggs will peel easier than fresh eggs.
 
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My mother did that too! She kept a little cup on the counter by the stove for bacon grease and cooked most everything in it. Could that be the cause of my heart disease? I'll admit, they are really good that way.

Not likely. High cholesterol and heart disease are due more to genetics. Pork fat actually has less saturated fat than butter.
 
Here in SW PA you rarely see brown eggs. We do pass a farm that advertises brown eggs for sale. People around here seem to think they are deficient in some way. I remember my mother buying them once in a while when I was a kid.

I was googling to read up on eggs, and one thing I saw said that Grade AA eggs should be used for hard boiling, but not Grade A as the shells are thinner. But I have boiled Grade A eggs and they turned out fine. I would think they would peel better because the air space is bigger, so they say.

There is no difference in the nutritional value of the eggs. They are just from the different type of hens. The nutritional value depends on the chickens health, age, nutrition, etc. the older the egg the easier it is to peel. A fresh egg will be much harder to peel when hard boiled. AA eggs and A eggs don't have a difference for hard boiling. The difference between AA, A and B is the tightness of the egg white and height of the egg yolk. AA is good for over easy, poached, sunny side. Anything where the presentation of the eggs form is necessary. A and B can be used for hard boil, scrambled, omelets, etc.
 
I have noticed that some egg yolks are bright orange and some are very pale. I only get store bought eggs, no farm eggs.

This will be my last egg question, I promise! What is the correct way to hard boil an egg and get the shell to come off easily? There are so many ideas out there. I put the eggs in cold water to cover. When the water starts to boil I set my timer for 10 minutes. When done, I pour off the boiling water and fill the pot with cold water and let set for about 15 minutes. Sometimes they peel easily and sometimes not. I have heard that older eggs will peel easier than fresh eggs.

Older eggs will peel easier than fresh eggs. The reason is that the shell is porous and some of the white has evaporated (that's why you get an air pocket in hb eggs). To determine if your eggs are "older," put them in a bowl of water. Fresh eggs sink and are horizontal. Older eggs will bob/stand upright in the water. I have had no success boiling fresh eggs (the shell does not come off clean). However, I have had great success baking fresh eggs. I use a mini-muffin tin and lay the eggs horizontally across the tin. I generally do 3-4 dozen at a time (I make pickled eggs).

Kitchen Tip: Baked Hard-Cooked Eggs - Alaska from ScratchAlaska from Scratch

FWIW, adding salt or vinegar to the water does nothing because you would need to boil the eggs for about an hour to change the ph level of the water sufficiently to make a difference.
 
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Older eggs will peel easier than fresh eggs. The reason is that the shell is porous and some of the white has evaporated (that's why you get an air pocket in hb eggs). To determine if your eggs are "older," put them in a bowl of water. Fresh eggs sink and are horizontal. Older eggs will bob/stand upright in the water. I have had no success boiling fresh eggs (the shell does not come off clean). However, I have had great success baking fresh eggs. I use a mini-muffin tin and lay the eggs horizontally across the tin. I generally do 3-4 dozen at a time (I make pickled eggs).

Kitchen Tip: Baked Hard-Cooked Eggs - Alaska from ScratchAlaska from Scratch

FWIW, adding salt or vinegar to the water does nothing because you would need to boil the eggs for about an hour to change the ph level of the water sufficiently to make a difference.


I never heard of baking the eggs. I will have to try that. Thanks!
 
I never heard of baking the eggs. I will have to try that. Thanks!
My theory as to why I can peel fresh "baked" hb eggs is that as the eggs bake, the heat of the oven causes some evaporation. When I peel "baked" hb eggs, there is an air pocket. When submerged in water to cook, there is no evaporation and I end up with a lot of the white sticking to the shell.
 
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My theory as to why I can peel fresh "baked" hb eggs is that as the eggs bake, the heat of the oven causes some evaporation. When I peel "baked" hb eggs, there is an air pocket. When submerged in water to cook, there is no evaporation and I end up with a lot of the white sticking to the shell.

Are you baking it in a water bath? If not its not a hard boiled egg.
 
Well sorry, proper terminology and technique is important in cooking. Otherwise any creamy rice is a risotto or anything thrown in a pan is pan fried.
 
Well sorry, proper terminology and technique is important in cooking. Otherwise any creamy rice is a risotto or anything thrown in a pan is pan fried.

Well what we are talking about results in the same product regardless of cooking technique, what you are describing doesn't.

Describing it as a hard boiled egg helps others picture what the finished product actually is. Calling it a baked egg describes a completely different dish all together.
 
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Not to split fine hairs (usage determines definition), but according the the American Egg Board, the terms hard boiled and soft boiled are misnomers. If the eggs were boiled, they would be tough and rubbery. The AEB prefers the terms hard cooked or soft cooked, so baking the eggs instead of cooking them in water achieves the same end result, a hard cooked egg. And, according to the AEB, adding salt to the water raises the boiling point when starting the eggs and this contributes to a rubbery white as well. Supposedly eggs should be 3-5 days old. I find mine have to be between 2-3 weeks old to peel nicely if cooked on the stove. I love baking the eggs, so have stopped hard cooking them on the stove.

The freshness difference probably accounts for the time it takes for commercial eggs to get from the farm to the store (if the eggs are being shipped to one of the three locations that pasteurize eggs in the US before they reach the store. Eggs marked with a pink "P" in a circle are pasteurized).

Now, if you want to make a poached egg, the fresher the better because the white clings to the yolk and you don't end up with a mess of egg white in the pan.
 
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My experience with hard boiling/cooking eggs is that they peel much more easily if I wash them and then store them in the fridge, in a cardboard carton, for at least 2 weeks. I will have to try baking them--sounds like a great idea. Store eggs peel easier because they are washed as part of the process, and because they are likely to be several days or weeks old when you buy them.

C-dub, one small correction about blood spots. The blood comes from the beginning of the reproductive tract, and is the result of a small injury deep inside the hen. If the chicken had trouble laying the egg, the blood would be on the shell.

A note about grading: USDA graded eggs will have a shield on the box, with the letter grade inside. Companies can grade their own eggs, to their own standards, and can call them 'grade A' or 'grade AAA' but they can't use the shield. Grading is mostly cosmetic, both in eggs and in poultry products. The eggs or chicken parts look right. Inspection for disease or sanitation is different.
 
C-dub, one small correction about blood spots. The blood comes from the beginning of the reproductive tract, and is the result of a small injury deep inside the hen. If the chicken had trouble laying the egg, the blood would be on the shell.
Often the eggs that have a blood spot also have some spots on the shell. I did have one egg that was all blood once. This is the reason I always crack the egg in a small cup and not directly in the pan. I generally only store washed eggs in the fridge. Speaking of which, my soft cooked eggs should be done! Baking the fresh ones in the oven works really well. In the winter, I put snow in the sink with water to get the water really, really cold.
 
I have no way of knowing how old my eggs are when I buy them, but I always check the sell-by date on the carton. Other than that, I would never have eggs 2 to 3 weeks old. I usually buy eggs once a week. For day to day hard cooked eggs I will probably continue to boil since it's usually only 1 or 2 eggs, but for Easter and if I'm making deviled eggs, I will definately be trying the baking procedure. That's when I usually have the most trouble with the shells not coming off nicely. For egg salad or potato salad, I don't care as much.

I know I said I was finished asking questions, but I guess I lied! LOL Why is it when you make pickled eggs they become rubbery?
 
I have no way of knowing how old my eggs are when I buy them, but I always check the sell-by date on the carton. Other than that, I would never have eggs 2 to 3 weeks old. I usually buy eggs once a week. For day to day hard cooked eggs I will probably continue to boil since it's usually only 1 or 2 eggs, but for Easter and if I'm making deviled eggs, I will definately be trying the baking procedure. That's when I usually have the most trouble with the shells not coming off nicely. For egg salad or potato salad, I don't care as much.

I know I said I was finished asking questions, but I guess I lied! LOL Why is it when you make pickled eggs they become rubbery?
It depends on the recipe. Some call for equal parts water to vinegar, others call for more vinegar than water. Some recipes include sugar, others don't. I'm guessing it is the vinegar that causes that to happen and the ratio of water:vinegar.

And, you don't want to know how long eggs can sit in a warehouse before they make it to the store. To check the freshness of your eggs, submerge them in water (I use one of those plastic tubs when I wash eggs). The freshest ones will stay on the bottom, horizontal. It is not unusual to get some really fresh eggs and some older eggs in the same carton.
 
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