Free Range Eggs vs. Non-Free Range

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abjcooking

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I was just wondering which you choose and prefer to eat. Back in America I use to just by the typical Grade A refrigerated eggs, but my local grocery store here in London only sells free range.

I have noticed some differences. The free range are darker in color and in my opinion taste much better, but they are much harder to crack (I never had a problem with shells, but now I do) as well as very hard to peel after they are hard boiled.

What's your opinion?
 
Supermarket eggs for us.

The color of the yolk is determined by the chicken's diet.

They are harder to peel because they are fresh. Older eggs peel easier.
 
The darker shell doesn't mean the chicken is free range either - only that the chicken was a different breed than one that lays white eggs. My mom used to have different breeds of chickens and her eggs varied by whatever type they were. Some eggs were white, some brown, some colored.
 
Yep, what Andy said. Fresh eggs peel harder when they are hard cooked. There are some tricks to cooking them, adding vinegar, different things to help them out.
I just had someone bring me some fresh eggs the other week. Unbelievable the difference. I noticed that on the first burp :ohmy: when I didn't have that egg taste in my mouth. Excellent taste! Both ways! :LOL:
Depending on what the chickens are free ranging on can affect the taste, too. Don't want them getting into a garlic patch! But I couldn't really tell any difference myself between the cheap store bought eggs and the more expensive ones.

I've got about thirteen more weeks before I start enjoying fresh eggs all the time :)

checkinoutthegrit.jpg


but I'm going to monitor what they eat for egg consistency
 
pacanis, thanks for the tip about the vinegar. I'm going to give that a try next time. Do you just put it in the boiling water with the whole egg, boil, and then peel?
 
I always buy an extra dozen of jumbo eggs and keep them in the fridge for 2 weeks. These are the eggs I hard boil for salads or whatever. They peel very easily when they're not fresh.
 
i'll see if i can find the old posts, but there was a thread where one of the members, who worked or owned an egg producing farm, mentioned that "free range" chickens can be labelled as that, even though they may never get outdoors. so long as the door in the huge barn with thousands of birds is left open so that a few can get outside to a poop covered patio, they can be called free range.

it does conjure up a nice image of chickens running around, playing their chicken games in a sunny, wildflower covered yard, doesn't it?

organic, however, is another story. it is more strict, having to do with their diet and treatment of disease.
 
I believe federal regs say that chickens have to have acess to the great outdoors for five minutes a day.

If you're buying from a giant supplier, it doesn't much matter what the label says unless it's certified organic. Don't expect bucky's image of fields of wildflowers to be anywhere near reality. The only way you are going to get that is with local farms.
 
Andy M. said:
That would be free range weeping.

Oh Boy!!! lolol....that is good at 2am!:)

Free range eggs just HAVE to be better than battery hen eggs even if they only get 5 minutes AWOL per day. And lets all make sure hens get much more than 5 minutes free time by not buying
regular eggs. Read the carton label well and decide.

I was very lucky and brought up with our own chook eggs and I remember well how they were fed cos' I fed them!! And collecting those gorgeous orbs of sunshine each day was such a pleasure, even to a 5 year old.
Our eggs then had yolks so bright that you sneered at the boiled egg and toast soldiers at your Townie friends houses. The word ' anaemia' now comes to mind thinking of those bought eggs.

I live on organic/totally free range eggs. In moderation as cholesterol has gone AWOL, never mind some itinerant chookies!! ;)
Try anything organic you can lay your hands on. The flavours are as they used to be. ie: as they should be.
 
Yep, that was me. Free range, in the US, is just a marketing ploy, not a sign that the chickens are treated any better. I personally WON'T buy them, because I don't see any sense in paying more money to chicken factories for the same eggs/chicken.

My girls are in a pen--gardening with loose chickens around is a waste of time. They do get lots of weeds and garden discards, and all the kitchen waste, so their eggs are flavorful.
 
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