Channeling Julia

Egg laying creatures have been around for millions of years. Today's chicken is descended from the dinosaurs.

Clockwise from top: red, green, white, brown chicken egg

A cooked egg contains almost twice as much edible protein as a raw egg. The color of the eggshell has no effect on the quality of the contents. Color varies by breed and diet. Yolk color is diet dependent. Sizes of eggs are important in recipes, as a medium egg is 3 tablespoons, whereas a extra large egg is 4 tablespoons, so a recipe calling for 4 medium eggs would only need 3 extra large eggs. Most recipes are based on large eggs (3-1/4 tablespoons).

In the US, eggs are also graded by condition of eggshell, viscosity and quality of white and yolk. Grade A is most commonly sold in the grocery store. The shell thickness must be sufficient to protect the egg on the way to the kitchen. This emerged as an issue several years ago when feed mixtures were changed in an attempt to make thinner shells that were thought to be more consumer friendly, so always open the carton and check for broken eggs before purchasing.

An egg marked as fertile indicates that a rooster was present in the flock.

Handling precautions: it's a good idea to wash off the shell before cracking, and is especially important when the eggs are gathered by hand in a traditional hen house, as fecal matter may be present. This is the primary means of salmonella transmission. Raw egg consumption is not as high a risk when the shells have been properly sanitized.

Eggs should be promptly refrigerated and used within two weeks. Work surfaces and utensils used with raw eggs should be kept away from the final product to minimize cross contamination, especially if a considerable period of time has elapsed (time to breed bacteria).

Caution: egg allergy is one of the most common of food allergies