Good eggs

Cracking the quality code to help shoppers pick a dozen

Creating and laying a single egg can take a hen between 24 and 26 hours. A commercial hen can produce about 260 eggs per year.

Kaw Valley farm tour

The Blossom Trail Bee Ranch is one of several stops on the 2007 Kaw Valley Farm Tour, which will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 6-7.

Cost is $10 per car, with tickets available at the farms.

For more information, visit www.visitlawrence.com/ farmtour.

Through the years, nutritionists’ opinions on eggs have flip-flopped more than a spatula at IHOP.

Sometimes knocked for having too much cholesterol, eggs also are a good source of protein – hence the dilemma.

But, at least at the moment, opinions are swaying toward the good egg.

“It’s on a good level,” says Karen Blakeslee, an extension associate for K-State Research & Extension in Manhattan. “A few years ago, they were saying, ‘Don’t eat so many eggs because of the cholesterol.’ Now they say, ‘One egg a day is fine.’ I don’t see any big problem with eating eggs.”

The problem might come when trying to figure out which eggs to buy – especially considering they’re all packaged basically the same in the supermarket case, and most eggs look exactly the same peeking out of the cartons.

Blakeslee says the USDA rates eggs with three grades, with the grades determined by individual inspectors who look at the inside of each egg by shining a light into it:

¢ Grade AA eggs are the best. Their whites are thick and firm when fried, and the yolks stand high. They have no defects or broken shells.

¢ Grade A eggs have less firm whites, and their yolks cook flatter than those of AA eggs.

¢ Grade B eggs, which aren’t typically found in the store, have thinner whites, even flatter yolks and may be stained on the outside.

If you’re into scrambled eggs, Blakeslee says, the differences are less important – especially the differences between A and AA.

“Probably the only time you’d be able to tell the difference is when you fry an egg,” she says.

As far as size goes, that’s determined by the entire weight of a dozen eggs. Jumbo eggs weigh a minimum of 30 ounces per dozen, extra large is 27 ounces, large is 24, and medium is 21.

Safety

Eggs keep well for up to five weeks after they’re purchased, Blakeslee says, and they’re best kept in the coldest part of the refrigerator – which isn’t the door. But she doesn’t recommend keeping them longer than a week after their “best by” date.

Blakeslee recommends washing your hands any time you’ve touched any part of an uncooked egg – insides or shell. And for those of you who are fans of runny yolks, she has some bad news.

“Cook them until they’re firm,” she says. “They don’t recommend people eating runny eggs anymore.”

Local option

Of course, if you want to avoid the seemingly homogenous look – and perhaps taste – of store-bought eggs, you could buy from a local farmer.

Richard Bean, owner of Blossom Trail Bee Ranch, is among those who have laying chicken flocks in the area. He has about 70 chickens on his farm southeast of Lawrence, and he sells the eggs at the Lawrence Farmers Market.

Because they’re older birds, he gets about three dozen eggs per day.

His chickens exercise outdoors, which Bean says makes the eggs taste better.

“I certainly hear from a lot of customers about the quality of the eggs they get,” Bean says. “They’re definitely a little ‘eggier’ – there’s more flavor than what you’d get out of a regular commercial production.”

The eggs are a little more interesting to look at, too – a bucket of the day’s bounty shows different shades of brown, green and off-white eggs, in addition to white ones. The different colors come from different breeds of chickens, though they all taste about the same.

Bean says he knows several families in Lawrence who have decided they like local eggs enough they bought their own chickens.

“It’s pretty easy,” Bean says, “if somebody in town wanted to sell eggs.”

Recipes involving eggs:

Denver quiche

4 ounces (about 2 cups) fine egg noodles, cooked and drained

1 cup chopped green peppers

3 tablespoons chopped onion

1 tablespoon water

1 cup chopped cooked lean ham

6 eggs

1 cup nonfat or low-fat (1 percent) milk

2 teaspoons prepared mustard

To form crust, press noodles over bottom and up sides of lightly greased deep 9-inch quiche dish or pie plate.

In small covered saucepan over medium heat, cook peppers and onion in water until peppers are crisp-tender. Stir in ham. Sprinkle evenly over noodle crust. Beat together eggs, milk and mustard until thoroughly blended. Carefully pour over vegetables and ham.

Bake in preheated 375 degrees oven until puffed in center and knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 30 to 40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

source: American Egg Board

Orange French toast

6 eggs

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup skim or low-fat milk

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

8 slices day-old raisin bread

Butter

Confectioner’s sugar, optional

Orange peel curls, optional

Bacon roses, optional

Orange slices, optional

In medium bowl, beat together eggs, juice, milk, sugar, peel, vanilla and nutmeg until well blended. Place bread in single layer in 13-by-9-by-2-inch pan. Pour egg mixture over bread. Let soak, turning once, until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Place bread slices in single layer on buttered baking sheets.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven 12 to 15 minutes. Turn slices. Continue baking until browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and top with orange curls, bacon roses and orange slices, if desired.

source: American Egg Board

Cuban eggs

8 hard-cooked eggs

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

3 tablespoons non-fat milk

1/2 teaspoon salt, optional

Dash pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped sweet green pepper

1 tablespoon butter

2 cans (8 ounces each) no-salt-added tomato sauce

Hot cooked rice, optional

Parsley sprigs, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks and set whites aside. In small bowl, mash yolks with fork. Stir in 1/2 cup of cheese, milk, salt, and pepper until well blended. Fill each white with one heaping tablespoon yolk mixture. Place in 8-by-8-by-2-inch baking dish.

In medium saucepan over medium heat, cook onion and pepper in butter until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce and bring to boiling. Pour over eggs. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until hot and bubbly and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Serve over rice and garnish with parsley, if desired.

source: American Egg Board

Egg and vegetable casserole

12 eggs

2 cups non-fat cottage cheese

2 tablespoons seasoning blend

1 cup reduced fat shredded marble jack or cheddar cheese

2 cups freshly sliced veggies (onions, red pepper, broccoli)

Salt and pepper, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place vegetables in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and cook on high for 3 minutes. Set aside. Mix eggs, cottage cheese, seasoning, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Pour half of the mixture in a greased 9-by-13 inch pan. Top with well-drained vegetables and shredded cheese. Pour remaining egg mixture over vegetables.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Eggs should be set and top very lightly browned. Serves 8.

source: Iowa Egg Council

Lemon dill egg salad

6 hard cooked eggs, chopped

2 green onions, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 strips bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled

1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

3/4 cup reduced fat ranch salad dressing

Toss all ingredients together and chill for at least 1 hour. Good with sliced tomatoes and lettuce leaves on a French roll.

source: Iowa Egg Council