Egg-O-Nomics

Hi,

A conversation I had with a friend in high school still ticks in my mind to this day. This person moved to Highland Park from Naperville (back when its population was 15,000). His former neighbor was Janie Armstrong (1934-2019), a home economist who offered helpful hints in the weekly Jewel ad pages. In one of Janie's tips circa mid-1970's was related to purchasing eggs. If there was a price difference of 10-cents between large and extra-large eggs, then she favored buying extra-large eggs.

In general, I don't especially like buying anything but standard large eggs. Most baking recipes are geared to large eggs. It is a pain to adjust accurately any deviation from large eggs. I will buy medium eggs, if I intend to make deviled eggs, because it is a convenient portion.

My main motivation to shop is related to low stock in eggs and/or milk. A few weeks ago, I bought large eggs at Aldi for 89 cents a dozen. I took the two dozen allotted. A fellow customer pointed out there is a shortage of eggs with an expected price increase. I stopped at Woodman's that same day to find large eggs at $2-plus price level.

A few days ago, Woodman's large eggs were $2.19 and their medium eggs 99-cents per dozen. I bought two-dozen large eggs and a dozen medium eggs, reasoning I could make some egg salad with those.

When I got home, I looked up the relative volume of each size eggs. I realized at this time, those medium eggs are a good deal. Perhaps use large eggs for baking purposes, then rely on medium eggs for general purpose use of scrambled or fried eggs, pancakes, where the loss of a quarter ounce does not matter or add an extra egg if it does.

Size: Minimum mass per egg
Jumbo: 70.9 g 2.5 oz.
Very Large or Extra-Large (XL): 63.8 g 2.25 oz.
Large (L): 56.7 g 2 oz.
Medium (M): 49.6 g 1.75 oz.

This person has long gone to heaven, though is still vividly remembered for this conversation on egg-o-nomics.

Regards,
Cathy2

I forgot to add this last night: America's Test Kitchen had a discussion on old eggs. I guess they hunted through their fridge (or their workers volunteered), they inspected and cooked eggs up to four months past their freshness date.

The four month past egg had a runnier egg white and it smelled like the refrigerator. Yet it cooked up just fine. However the older the egg, the less useful they may be for baking.

My normal stock of eggs is usually two cartons. Whichever is oldest is used first, so it is rotated. I don't really get old eggs.

Another family member who lives alone will occasionally drop off eggs past their freshness date. I usually use them for egg salad and never detected any issue.

Plus I use Jumbo eggs, and add 1 more than the recipe calls for, when I make matzo balls. I have found that adding extra egg material makes the balls really, really fluffy. Like the way I like them. Also I use Seltzer water for the mixing. For some reason, I found this combination works.

This has been my contribution to egg-o-nomics today.

Eggs can certainly be used past their date. The biggest problem with older eggs is that the shell is somewhat air permeable. So older eggs will dry out and take on odors from the environment. In the 70’s I moved aboard a boat and sailed in the Pacific. We got a lot of fresh eggs before we left and coated each egg in vasoline to prevent any air transfer. The eggs were kept unrefrigerated. We used the last of the eggs up about 6 months later. I don’t recall having any eggs go bad.

Indianbadger wrote:Plus I use Jumbo eggs, and add 1 more than the recipe calls for, when I make matzo balls. I have found that adding extra egg material makes the balls really, really fluffy. Like the way I like them. Also I use Seltzer water for the mixing. For some reason, I found this combination works.

This has been my contribution to egg-o-nomics today.

When you bake, you are dealing with chemistry and adding more or less egg can change the outcome of your bake.

Cooking is far more forgiving. Probably matzo balls have a lot more leeway. I have made plenty of matzo balls with still water, though sometime I will give seltzer a try.

Regards,
Cathy2

I picked up a couple of cartons of liquid egg at Restaurant Depot. Good for baking when one is out of regular eggs. Just for the hell of it I made an onion/potato/cheese omelet with the liquid egg that was ~fine~

Long shelf life, handy in the same way as a can of Goya Vienna mini wieners or Spam.

Gary,

How much did you pay for these liquid eggs?

Thanks!

Regards,
CAthy2

Cathy2 wrote:How much did you pay for these liquid eggs?

I have no idea.
Receipt is long gone and Restaurant Depot does not give prices over the phone.

Cathy2 wrote:Gary,

How much did you pay for these liquid eggs?

Found on Gordon Food Service website : Liquid Scrambled Egg Mix

Eggs, Liquid, Scrambled, with Milk, Pasteurized, Refrigerated, 2 Lb Carton
ITEM CODE: 762861
LOCATION: Cooler Windows
each: $2.99 Carton

Artie wrote:Eggs, Liquid, Scrambled, with Milk, Pasteurized, Refrigerated, 2 Lb Carton

Good find, though these have milk added.

Slightly shamed I did a google search of my own, Food Service Direct offers a case of Papettis liquid whole eggs $77.95 for a case of 15-32oz cartons, $5.20 per carton. I imagine this is close to Restaurant Depot pricing.

There is, unsurprisingly, a gillion forms of ready to go food service egg products.
Link

Cathy2 wrote:How much did you pay for these liquid eggs?

G Wiv wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:How much did you pay for these liquid eggs?

$3.21 Restaurant Depot, Pulaski. 5.2.20 (Old picture, current price)

Eh, are they any good at all? They seem kind of like a last resort sort of item (and yeah, we're there) but since the picture is old, maybe you bought them before the lovely coronavirus entered our lives?

=R=

Ronnie, I bought the liquid eggs twice, once when I posted on April 18th, well in to social distance shopping, and again today. As mentioned upthread "Good for baking when one is out of regular eggs. Just for the hell of it I made an onion/potato/cheese omelet with the liquid egg that was ~fine~

Long shelf life, handy in the same way as a can of Goya Vienna mini wieners or Spam."

Fine to have on hand, nothing I'd substitute actual eggs for, aside from, maybe baking.

ronnie_suburban wrote:

G Wiv wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:How much did you pay for these liquid eggs?

$3.21 Restaurant Depot, Pulaski. 5.2.20 (Old picture, current price)

Eh, are they any good at all? They seem kind of like a last resort sort of item (and yeah, we're there) but since the picture is old, maybe you bought them before the lovely coronavirus entered our lives?

=R=

G Wiv wrote:Ronnie, I bought the liquid eggs twice, once when I posted on April 18th, well in to social distance shopping, and again today. As mentioned upthread "Good for baking when one is out of regular eggs. Just for the hell of it I made an onion/potato/cheese omelet with the liquid egg that was ~fine~

Long shelf life, handy in the same way as a can of Goya Vienna mini wieners or Spam."

Fine to have on hand, nothing I'd substitute actual eggs for, aside from, maybe baking.

A Goya Vienna mini wiener and liquid egg omelet sounds like the perfect, I've-nearly-hit-bottom breakfast. If you end up there, give me a call!

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:A Goya Vienna mini wiener and liquid egg omelet sounds like the perfect, I've-nearly-hit-bottom breakfast.

I have a few cans of Goya mini wieners and a carton of liquid eggs. Tempted to omelet them just to make you laugh.

My first career position was in a hospital kitchen that made in excess of 3000 meals a day between patients and a large cafeteria that was open to the community (and actively marketed as such).

We used a lot of liquid eggs as they were pasteurized. As the company I worked for had large operations in New York State and New Jersey which strongly encouraged their use in mass feeders, we used them also. It is labor saving and reduced the risk of contamination. (Back in those days, a lot of the large kitchens were using egg centrifuges. You would literally throw whole eggs into the machine and the shell would be removed. NY and NJ health laws outlawed that practice in the early 80s.)

I have never experienced any problems with them. You can also buy egg whites and egg yolks in cartons. Watch out for the egg yolk product as many of them contain added sugar for baking.

Occasionally, I will buy these products as 99 Only, our local dollar store, will carry them at $1 per quart.

HI,

Large eggs at Jewel and Woodman's are 99 cents this week. I bought two dozen, then bought a dozen medium eggs costing around 70 cents at Woodman's.

As much as I appreciate the economy of medium eggs, I prefer the convenience of large eggs. I don't have to do as much mental gymnastics to make a recipe work when sticking to the standard size.

Regards,
CAthy2

Periodically, if you go into a Krogers affiliated store, you will see eggs being sold in a brown tinted carton. On the packaging, you will see USDA Grade B eggs. They are generally about half the price of normal eggs.

These are generally eggs that have been repackaged at the store when some of the eggs come in broken. The last time I purchased one of these, all the eggs looked like Grade A large or extra-large eggs.

FWIW.

I never saw repackaged eggs before.

Eggs is one of the few items you need to open the carton to double-check their condition. Grabbing on faith is not a good practice.

Regards,
CAthy2

But do you stand there and look at the underbody of each egg? I simply open the lid and glance at the tops of the eggs. I'm almost never burned by this method and it is much easier.

lougord99 wrote:But do you stand there and look at the underbody of each egg? I simply open the lid and glance at the tops of the eggs. I'm almost never burned by this method and it is much easier.

That's about all I do, if I see something off then it back to the pile.

Sorry, but

When life gives you broken eggs........make omelets.

lougord99 wrote:But do you stand there and look at the underbody of each egg? I simply open the lid and glance at the tops of the eggs. I'm almost never burned by this method and it is much easier.

I lightly touch the eggs 2 at a time and move them back and forth. If any the eggs don't move it's a good bet they are broken or cracked on the bottom.

I’m not above pulling out each egg to check the bottom, but this is where those wasteful translucent plastic Eggland’s Best egg cartons really shine

Reading the last few posts of this thread, I'm soooo glad I don't buy eggs commercially any more

boudreaulicious wrote:Reading the last few posts of this thread, I'm soooo glad I don't buy eggs commercially any more

Yeah, the best thing to come out of my initial foray into CSA's was that our farmer also offered eggs. We tried them once and have never looked back. Their flavor is so superior, it's like an entirely different food. I haven't purchased "commercial" eggs in years.

=R=

Yes, I too have been buying local farmers eggs. Just go tired of tasteless eggs. Back to enjoying my eggs again.

The taste is the number one reason but seeing how many people are actually handling the eggs in carton, even now, I’m pretty damn thankful I made the switch. I always washed produce and fruit, but never thought to decontaminate eggs!

HI,

I use eggs more often as an ingredient. I really cannot taste it's presence though I do appreciate its contribution to the structure.

Regards,
CAthy2

Same here about eggs as an ingredient; I rarely eat eggs alone, except hard-boiled eggs, for which I don't know how much difference if any source and freshness make.

I find myself being more careful lately not to touch things more than necessary in the grocery store---for example, not to pick things up and put them back on the shelf if I can avoid it, not for my own sake but for that of others who might worry about it more than I do. Under normal circumstances and even under the current circumstances, I open cartons of eggs to make sure I don't see any that are broken, but I do not touch them.

At the IGA in the small town downstate that my family is from, the cashiers always open egg cartons to check that none are broken --- just in case the customer didn't check. They don't want you going home with a bad egg. I like that.