lmw80
Cook
Are these eggs really better - superior to other eggs? I keep seeing commercials for them,
"Egglands Best" eggs
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Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
I haven't noticed a difference.
Lori - if they really told the truth (that there wasn't really any significant difference between their eggs and any other eggs on the shelf) - would you be willing to pay the extra price?
Ironically - true free range eggs have a greater chance of containing the H5N1 "bird flu" virus than chickens producing eggs in cages in a highly controlled environment. Chickens out running amuck in the free open spaces will be exposed to the wild birds that carry the virus - the chicken in the controlled areas are not.
But - the free range egg/chicken guys don't tell your that, do they?
You might find this article by John Robbins (author of The Food Revolution) interesting.
Ironically - true free range eggs have a greater chance of containing the H5N1 "bird flu" virus than chickens producing eggs in cages in a highly controlled environment. Chickens out running amuck in the free open spaces will be exposed to the wild birds that carry the virus - the chicken in the controlled areas are not.
But - the free range egg/chicken guys don't tell your that, do they?
You might find this article by John Robbins (author of The Food Revolution) interesting.
I think this last post is a bit misleading. We have had no bird flu in this country so it is a bit of a moot point. Properly cooked chicken and eggs are perfectly safe to eat--just as would be required for safeguarding against salmonella. This is true even where the bird flu has been identified.
The part that is true that where the bird flu has been transmitted to domestic poultry it is in places in Europe and Africa that have been exposed to migrating birds from the east.
I think the only cases of bird flu in humans have come from people actually handling the birds--not from eating the meat or eggs.
The part that is true that where the bird flu has been transmitted to domestic poultry it is in places in Europe and Africa that have been exposed to migrating birds from the east.
I think the only cases of bird flu in humans have come from people actually handling the birds--not from eating the meat or eggs.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
Gretchen:
Michael didn't say anything about EATING the free range birds. Consider the poor farm hands that have to gather and process them.
Michael didn't say anything about EATING the free range birds. Consider the poor farm hands that have to gather and process them.
OP
OP
lmw80
Cook
When I said better and superior, I meant, that in their commercials they say that they are healthier and higher in protein....I actually wasn't even aware that they were free range eggs.
As a UK citizen, I have no knowledge of the adverts! But, I have only eaten organic, free-range eggs for the past ten years. More from a position of unhappiness at the unnatural way that battery-farmed chicks and eggs are raised and for the fact that they are much, much tastier than the insipid, pallid eggs with additives that are raised by battery farms. 
As with any premium product, there is a noticeable difference in side by side usuage and examination.
However, there are people out there who can't tell the difference between butter and margarine, so why buy the costlier product. Or are on a tight budget, or only use eggs in pancakes and brownie mix. To each his/her own.
I like pepper on strawberries.
However, there are people out there who can't tell the difference between butter and margarine, so why buy the costlier product. Or are on a tight budget, or only use eggs in pancakes and brownie mix. To each his/her own.
I like pepper on strawberries.
jennyema
Chef Extraordinaire
I think they definitely taste better.
I was wondering about their protein claim, too. ???
I used to buy them regularly until they got to be 3 times more expensive than store-brand eggs. Now I buy the cheaper eggs.
Eggland's Best has a brand that is not cage-free and one that is. I am referring to the former.
I was wondering about their protein claim, too. ???
I used to buy them regularly until they got to be 3 times more expensive than store-brand eggs. Now I buy the cheaper eggs.
Eggland's Best has a brand that is not cage-free and one that is. I am referring to the former.
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I use Egglands Best and I like them. BTW I am not sure why people assumed these are free range. I don't see any claims like that on it's box. The claim they make is that it has 33% or so lower cholestrol than regular eggs. I am not sure how. I just like the packaging since I buy 18 of them at a time and I have never run into a single cracked egg yet.
I have also bought free range and ones that claim that the feed given to chicken was vegetarian. I found the yolks to be brighter and richer but nothing more from a flavor perspective.
I still miss eggs I use to eat back in India. They were warm and fresh and we bought them and made them the same day. There were no large or jumbo just small little eggs that were full of flavor.
I have also bought free range and ones that claim that the feed given to chicken was vegetarian. I found the yolks to be brighter and richer but nothing more from a flavor perspective.
I still miss eggs I use to eat back in India. They were warm and fresh and we bought them and made them the same day. There were no large or jumbo just small little eggs that were full of flavor.
Michael didn't say anything about EATING the free range birds. Consider the poor farm hands that have to gather and process them
BUT the subject is eating eggs--and there is no bird flu in the US. This is one way that erroneous information gets disseminated--"You know, I read on the internet the other day that US free range chickens transmit bird flu". That is the reason I said it was misleading. We do not have bird flu. So the "poor farm hands" are also not at risk.
BUT the subject is eating eggs--and there is no bird flu in the US. This is one way that erroneous information gets disseminated--"You know, I read on the internet the other day that US free range chickens transmit bird flu". That is the reason I said it was misleading. We do not have bird flu. So the "poor farm hands" are also not at risk.
jennyema
Chef Extraordinaire
Yakuta said:
They sell cage-free eggs as well as non. AT least in my store they do. Next time I am going to see how much the cage-free eggs are. Their non cage-free eggs are about 3.29 a dozen
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
i have tried them, but haven't found any appreciable difference with other eggs.
in fact, my family doesn't seem to like them, so it's an easy decision for me.
the last few times i've bought free range eggs, which were also labelled organic, several had little blood spots in them. after everyone stopped freaking out, i promised not to buy them again.
oh, and just to help be a little more clear, you don't get bird flu from eating any kind of chickens or eggs. it has mostly been contracted from direct contact with domesticated fowl. the worry is that it will mutate to become severely infectious, human to human. i'm not sure if it would then be by contact, or is airborne, but it has nothing to do with eating chickens or eggs.
in fact, my family doesn't seem to like them, so it's an easy decision for me.
the last few times i've bought free range eggs, which were also labelled organic, several had little blood spots in them. after everyone stopped freaking out, i promised not to buy them again.
oh, and just to help be a little more clear, you don't get bird flu from eating any kind of chickens or eggs. it has mostly been contracted from direct contact with domesticated fowl. the worry is that it will mutate to become severely infectious, human to human. i'm not sure if it would then be by contact, or is airborne, but it has nothing to do with eating chickens or eggs.
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Hi Jennyema yes I pay about that much at SAMS for the 18 count. I did not know they had a cage free version. I am sure SAMS does not carry that one.
Buckytom yes the blood spots in those organic eggs. They did turn me off as well and it was in about 1/2 of my egg yolks and that's when I switched back to Egglands.
Buckytom yes the blood spots in those organic eggs. They did turn me off as well and it was in about 1/2 of my egg yolks and that's when I switched back to Egglands.
sparrowgrass
Head Chef
All righty--a topic I know something about. I was a poultry inspector for USDA for a mercifully brief period of time, and learned quite a bit about egg and poultry production. Now, I have my own chickens, so the learning continues.
Eggland eggs have less cholesterol because of what the chickens eat. They are also graded to a slightly higher standard than regular grade a eggs--especially in regard to blood and meat spots.
A certain percentage of all eggs have blood or "meat" spots in them. The blood and the bits of flesh that make the meat spots come from injuries in the bird's oviduct--the reproductive system. These spots might gross you out, but they certainly won't hurt you. And they are not indications that the egg is fertilized--commercial hens never see a rooster.
Commercial eggs are candled over a bright light that illuminates the inside of the egg, making blood or meat spots visible. Either electronically or by human hands, those are are pulled and either sold as a lower grade or broken and sold as liquid eggs to bakeries and other food production places.
You are more likely to see bloodspots in brown eggs, because the shell color makes the eggs harder to candle.
If you buy farm eggs, they may or may not be candled, so you have a higher instance of blood spots than you do in commercial eggs.
"Cage Free" and, in general, "Free Range" are advertising terms. Cage free hens are raised in conditions almost as crowded as battery hens--thousands in long metal buildings. Instead of being in individual cages, they are loose on the floor.
The only requirement for "Free Range" chickens is that the building they are kept in has to have a door to the outside, which is only opened after the chickens are 4 or 5 weeks old (small chickens have to be kept warm.)
Because the chickens are crowded together, only the ones closest to the door can go out--out to a small, probably feces covered cement area. The chickens are slaughtered at 8 weeks of age, so by the time they get used to finding the door, they only have a few weeks in which to go outdoors anyhow.
Pasture raised is a bit different--there, chickens are kept on grass, in portable cages that are moved around, so they can eat grass and bugs. THAT makes a difference in how eggs and chicken meat taste.
I wouldn't pay extra for free range commercial chickens or for cage free eggs. As I said, they are marketing terms, designed to get you to pay more money.
Eggland eggs have less cholesterol because of what the chickens eat. They are also graded to a slightly higher standard than regular grade a eggs--especially in regard to blood and meat spots.
A certain percentage of all eggs have blood or "meat" spots in them. The blood and the bits of flesh that make the meat spots come from injuries in the bird's oviduct--the reproductive system. These spots might gross you out, but they certainly won't hurt you. And they are not indications that the egg is fertilized--commercial hens never see a rooster.
Commercial eggs are candled over a bright light that illuminates the inside of the egg, making blood or meat spots visible. Either electronically or by human hands, those are are pulled and either sold as a lower grade or broken and sold as liquid eggs to bakeries and other food production places.
You are more likely to see bloodspots in brown eggs, because the shell color makes the eggs harder to candle.
If you buy farm eggs, they may or may not be candled, so you have a higher instance of blood spots than you do in commercial eggs.
"Cage Free" and, in general, "Free Range" are advertising terms. Cage free hens are raised in conditions almost as crowded as battery hens--thousands in long metal buildings. Instead of being in individual cages, they are loose on the floor.
The only requirement for "Free Range" chickens is that the building they are kept in has to have a door to the outside, which is only opened after the chickens are 4 or 5 weeks old (small chickens have to be kept warm.)
Because the chickens are crowded together, only the ones closest to the door can go out--out to a small, probably feces covered cement area. The chickens are slaughtered at 8 weeks of age, so by the time they get used to finding the door, they only have a few weeks in which to go outdoors anyhow.
Pasture raised is a bit different--there, chickens are kept on grass, in portable cages that are moved around, so they can eat grass and bugs. THAT makes a difference in how eggs and chicken meat taste.
I wouldn't pay extra for free range commercial chickens or for cage free eggs. As I said, they are marketing terms, designed to get you to pay more money.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
Thanks for the good info.
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
so, you're saying (in a future life) try to get a seat by the door...
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
buckytom said:
Only if you're eager to walk on a, "feces covered cement area..."
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
hey, the poop is always greener...
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