Fresh eggs from Pet Chickens, Huge difference from store eggs

[BurnItDwn]

I would like chickens, but currently my county has them banned from my zone. That said, there are people who ignore the zoning laws ....

 

[Howard]

This thread needs a blind taste test because my BS meter is going off.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/08/...mega-3s-grocery-store-brand-the-food-lab.html

Not quite so much about the age of the eggs, but enough to whet your appetite, I hope.

 

[kami333]

This thread needs a blind taste test because my BS meter is going off.

One hour, two yolk-stained shirtfronts and eight exhausted palates later, we were all coming to grips with the idea that, tastewise, there was very little to distinguish between the eggs from the factory chickens and the eggs from the overindulged hens who were marauding in our window boxes and peering into the kitchen, observing the proceedings. Every egg got both good and bad comments, and the votes for the best-tasting were split almost evenly.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...6/01/AR2010060100792.html?sid=ST2010060101402

Half of the tasters remarked that there was almost no difference at all in the flavor of the eggs. The remaining tasters noted that there were indeed differences: The pastured eggs and the eggs with 325mg of omega-3's per serving sat squarely at the top of their lists, described as having richer flavor, creamier texture, and just being overall "eggier". Next were the 200mg and 100mg omega-3 eggs, with the standard factory and regular organic eggs at the bottom.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/08/...mega-3s-grocery-store-brand-the-food-lab.html


Not saying that there aren't advantages to farm eggs, like needing the freshest eggs for making a meringue, but that's a separate issue from the taste.

 

[waggy]

Sunny side up, Little bit of olive oil to fry and you get to really taste what an egg is supposed to be. Very rich, very yellow and big yolk. And it is a thick yolk not runny either. Tastes Amazing.

Get yourself a Pet Chicken and Enjoy the best eggs ever.

Just make sure you have a good sized plot so they can free roam and hang around and a good coop so they can lay them eggs.

/agreed.

a family friend has about 15-20 chickens. she gets far more eggs then she can ever eat. we usually get about 2 dozen a week free (she gets like 20 dozen a week).

they are just fucking amazing. they are so much better then store bought.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...6/01/AR2010060100792.html?sid=ST2010060101402



http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/08/...mega-3s-grocery-store-brand-the-food-lab.html


Not saying that there aren't advantages to farm eggs, like needing the freshest eggs for making a meringue, but that's a separate issue from the taste.

I fucking knew it. As soon as the OP said they tasted better, BS mters started going off in my head.

There is no reason they would taste better.

 

[vi edit]

Couple things I notice with farm egss vs. the store eggs...

1) Farm eggs crack open a lot easier and cleaner
2) The egg whites don't seem as...slimy? It pours out of the egg easier
3) Doesn't affect the taste to me...but the yolks are much, much darker and make things like pancakes, sauces, mixes, ect darker or more yellow

That said I can't really notice the difference in taste. But if given the choice costs being equal I'd go for the farm eggs because of the first two reasons I gave. Oh...and they are just more interesting looking than the boring white ones from the store.

 

[NetWareHead]

Those test results are full of shit. Ive tasted the difference and it is remarkable. Fresh eggs from healthy hens leave store brought eggs in the dust. Anytime I get the opportunity to have fresh eggs I always jump at the opportunity.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Those test results are full of shit. Ive tasted the difference and it is remarkable. Fresh eggs from healthy hens leave store brought eggs in the dust. Anytime I get the opportunity to have fresh eggs I always jump at the opportunity.

Anecdotal evidence vs blind taste test.

I think I know which is going to be more accurate.

 

[silverpig]

I get duck eggs from a local farm. Fantastic

 

[Train]

Anecdotal evidence vs blind taste test.

I think I know which is going to be more accurate.

well theres fresh vs store bought, and free range vs grain fed.

theres a lot of different variables to take into account. If the "fresh" eggs are from chickens who have grown up on a lifetime of the same fortified cornmeal as the large poultry farms, then yeah, you probably wont notice a difference.

But if they are from chickens who eat a varied diet of grains, live bugs, and whatever else free range chickens eat, along with actually getting a little excercise, you will notice a difference.

<--- has worked on both a 1 million chicken farm, and a 12 chicken free range coop.

 

[mikeymikec]

This thread needs a blind taste test because my BS meter is going off.

It tends to apply to most organic food products that they taste better as fresh as possible, so I don't see why it shouldn't apply to eggs.

Of course, some foods taste better when they have decomposed a bit more

 

[NikolaeVarius]

It tends to apply to most organic food products that they taste better as fresh as possible, so I don't see why it shouldn't apply to eggs.

Of course, some foods taste better when they have decomposed a bit more

Many foods taste better when fresher, organic foods are not any more "real" than normal food. They undergo the same chemical breakdown processes.

 

[Cyco]

Dont I need eggs before I get a chicken?

Which came first?

 

[jupiter57]

I'm not a fan of cooking eggs with olive oil. Real butter has a much better taste imho and its only a small pat so calories are negligible.

Bacon drippings are best!

how do they do with ticks? we got a bigtime tick problem around here so im wondering would the chickens peck them off each other or would the ticks be a big problemf or them?

Chickens eat ticks.
The more chickens you have,the less ticks you'll see in their feeding area.

 

[theknight571]

Where do Cadbury Eggs fit in?

 

[shopbruin]

Many foods taste better when fresher, organic foods are not any more "real" than normal food. They undergo the same chemical breakdown processes.

They taste different, based on the diets. If you had a hen that was truly a free range bird, eating whatever it could forage, the eggs will taste different compared to one that's fed regular old feed. The eggs will look different too.

So to some people, they think it tastes better.

I've bought the whole range of eggs - free range, organic, omega-3 enhanced. I haven't had a truly free range hen that forages for it's foods, all I've ever noticed is the difference in yolk color. (and price.) I just like it when I know my eggs are from local farms - I'm willing to pay that extra markup for that. If others aren't, so be it.

I haven't had fresh eggs in ages though - I'd love to try those again.

 

[waggy]

They taste different, based on the diets. If you had a hen that was truly a free range bird, eating whatever it could forage, the eggs will taste different compared to one that's fed regular old feed. The eggs will look different too.

So to some people, they think it tastes better.

I've bought the whole range of eggs - free range, organic, omega-3 enhanced. I haven't had a truly free range hen that forages for it's foods, all I've ever noticed is the difference in yolk color. (and price.) I just like it when I know my eggs are from local farms - I'm willing to pay that extra markup for that. If others aren't, so be it.

I haven't had fresh eggs in ages though - I'd love to try those again.

yeah the color of the yolk depends on what they eat. The chickens had eaten a few pumpkins and he yolk came out orange. lol

 

[sjwaste]

I'm not sure that I care if they taste different. I do like the idea of the animals that I eat (or lay eggs and the like) having a good life. For that, I try to buy as much as I can from the farmers markets. There is one every day of the week here, either in this town or on my way home from work, so it's not even a question of convenience anymore.

It's hard to avoid the supermarket for many staples, or if you have a craving for something out of season, but otherwise I like the farmers market for both ethical and culinary reasons. I've found my diet has much more variety when I eat predominantly seasonal foods. Being in Maine, that's a lot easier from April-October when it comes to produce, but the winter markets have a good variety too.

That said, there's a time and a place for everything. Tonight's dinner is going to be sea scallops (dry, labeled USA, so very likely from nearby waters this time of year), asparagus (peru) and organic shiitake mushrooms (cultivated in PA). It's really nice out, so those will all be hitting the grill in about an hour with some applewood chips.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Grandparents have eggs and I usually have fresh eggs on hand. I don't taste a huge difference personally, but I do prefer them as I know where they came from and they are healthier/more humanely raised animals.

Now, on the other hand... homemade pasta>>>>>>>>>>>>store pasta

 

[mikeymikec]

Many foods taste better when fresher, organic foods are not any more "real" than normal food. They undergo the same chemical breakdown processes.

And? An egg that's just been laid is fresher than one in a supermarket. And there's a question of diet.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

And? An egg that's just been laid is fresher than one in a supermarket. And there's a question of diet.

My cafeteria gets its eggs weekly from a local small farm less than 50 miles away. Eggs on Monday taste exactly the same as eggs on Saturday and they don't taste any different from "mass market" eggs I buy from the store.

 

[MetalMat]

heh, no thanks.. i'd choke that cock if it woke me up at night.

 

[Harrod]

As a kid we had several chickens that were allowed to pretty much do whatever they wanted, we would let the roam on about 100 acres of land. The eggs they laid seemed to vary in taste depending on what they had been eating.

But I'm not sure if that is due to the breed of chicken that lays the store bought eggs, or what the chickens have been eating. We would feed ours a little every now and then, but they got the majority of their food from scavenging.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Food/diet has the biggest impact
Next is the breed

Also, a Large egg from the store used to be a medium from the farm. I do not know if this is a result of breeding and/or marketing.

A decent hen will give 5-6 eggs a week. Continually.

And as much as Sand Eagle might like the cocks; no cock is going to provide him with an egg. However, if he were to paste some feathers on his rear ....

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Anecdotal evidence vs blind taste test.

I think I know which is going to be more accurate.

Food quality is a very complex issue. The problem I have with blind taste tests is they all are performed with average consumers. Average consumers also like fast food and national chains. The average consumer is a moron. How about we do a blind taste test with a panel of Chefs? I know which eggs I'll be picking.