Eggs and more eggs

 Good morning, and welcome back!

      

I am starting to become overwhelmed with eggs, and the only way I know how to use them up other than selling them is to eat them.  So today I pulled out the good old cook book my Mom made us so we could always have our favorites long after she is gone.  And no my Mom is still around and I still call her when I start baking cause it's nicer to hear her tell me how to, than read it and guess what question she chooses to laugh at today..... 

    Today the question was... I needed 2 cups of milk and well I only had 1 3/4 cups, what do I do?? And it was simple, just add a little water when I was only that short.  So now I have everything all mixed up and popped into the oven.  Can't wait to taste it. 

    Bryan (my loving partner) will eat anything he says, until I started the duck thing lol.  Can you believe that I can't get him to eat duck eggs.  Well that was until I started baking with them.  He always says that "I have chickens and I will eat those eggs, you can sell the duck eggs." 

    He ate duck egg custard today and he loved it. He said there is no way those were duck eggs, it tastes the same as it normally does. Well that proved my point to him, and I guess to anyone else that has ever had a doubt.  They are creamier, and they make your baking lighter and fluffy.  

    Some nutritional facts about duck eggs vs chicken eggs - 

                    Duck Eggs       Chicken Eggs

                    130 Calories                                78 Calories

                                      9 gm protein                                5 gm protein

                                      9.6 gm fat                                   5 gm fat

                                      2.5 gm saturated fat                   1.6 gm saturated fat

                                  higher in essential vitamins

                                  and minerals   

Washed vs Unwashed Eggs

Washed eggs need to be refrigerated or eaten within 2 hours. If refrigerated they are good for 3 months

Unwashed eggs are good for 3 weeks left at room temperature. Or 3 months if refrigerated. 

Washed or not, once the eggs have been refrigerated they should not be kept out of the fridge for more than 2 hours. The reason being is that a cold egg left out at room temperature will sweat and increase the growth of bacteria.

So when a hen is laying her eggs her body deposits a protective coating on the egg shell. This is call the egg bloom. The bloom seals the egg shell pores to prevent bacteria from getting inside the egg shell. It also helps reduce moisture loss so the egg last longer and remains fresh. When washing the eggs this then removes the bloom.

Some say that due to removing the bloom when washed makes the egg taste not as fresh as an unwashed egg even if they are the same age.

And lastly I would like to share how to know if you have fresh eggs. The best way to test this, and it works for all kinds of eggs - is the water test.  How this is done is fill a glass with water. Place an egg in and watch it drop to the bottom - this is a fresh egg. If your egg floats in the middle of the glass its 2-3 weeks old and they make great hard boiled eggs. Now if your egg floats to the top - toss that baby out! That is an egg past its prime and should not be eaten.

Well this concludes my post about eggs. I hope it helps you and is a guide to helping you choose they type of eggs you prefer and how to store and test your eggs at home. 

Callie, Izzy, Alex, Phoebe, and Rachel hope you have a great day and enjoy a duck egg today!!