Choosing the Best Eggs

Posted on July 20, 2009 in Consumer Goods, Health & Medicine

Eggs are inexpensive, versatile, and one of the most perfect proteins on the market. They even come in their own individual organic containers. So why is there a veritable wall of choices at the grocery store when it comes to eggs? There are some differences in production to correspond with the differences in price.

For example, free range and cage free eggs seem to be about the same thing, right? It’s not so simple. Cage free hens are allowed to roam around inside a barn, while free-range hens are raised outside. While one would hope that most hens are raised outdoors, very few are. Pasture raised is the most misleading term; it actually means that the hens are kept in a pen which is moved around a pasture.

And what is the difference in brown eggs? Brown hens lay brown eggs, white hens lay white eggs. There’s no difference in flavor or nutrients. However, brown eggs may cost more because brown hens consume more feed.

Nutrient enhanced eggs boast a higher content of vitamins such as omega-3 fatty acid, vitamin E, or other nutrients because of extra additives to the feed. These may actually have an edge since omega-3 content is boosted by the addition of algae, fish oil, or flax to the hen’s feed. Organic eggs mean that the hens that laid them ate a diet free (or with minimal traces) of pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals. All eggs are free of hormones.

And finally, pasteurized eggs claim to have lower levels of bacteria since they are treated with warm water before distribution. The shells are also coated in a thin layer of wax as an added preventative measure against contamination. These are the eggs you want to choose when you’re following a recipe that uses raw eggs, such as meringue.