Egg Taste Challenge - Blind Taste Test

[aoxa]

There are a few people I'd love to do various blind taste tests on but I won't bring it up. What if you are right? They are mad at you forever for showing them up. What if you are wrong? They are even more obnoxious.
I see no advantage in willingly going into a lose-lose situation where a victory is a loss.

If they are right, lie

Some people are just so stuck in their ways.. My grandparents wouldn't be made if they were wrong, but my fiancée's grandparents would be.

 

[Island Roo]

I'll subscribe too so I can see the results.
These blind taste tests are interesting and you usually don't get the results you expect. Part of that is that we all have different tastes and likes. Some people might find that strong scent a plus, not a negative. Or some may put a lot more emphasis on the dark yolk.
Another thing with this test is that you are just using one of each. Any one egg can be unusual or not representative. A different hen in your flock may lay a totally different egg on a different day. For example, a couple of days back my wife cracked a couple of our eggs. One had a reaal dark yolk, the other was fairly light. It could be that different hens laid them about the same time or it could even be the same hen laid them, just one before I fed those red and orange sweet peppers to them and one after.
Age may play a big factor too. I know they are all fresh from the supplier but there could easily be many weeks difference in the actual age.
I'll quit picking apart your test. It is always easy to find fault with anyone that actually tries something. It is a lot harder to do something. I commend you for attempting it and publishing the results fairly.

The "picking apart the test" is part of the reason for posting this. Your right - one test with 4 eggs is far from conclusive.

I'm sure some of my hens have different preferences too - one might just eat the fermented feed while the other is out looking for bugs and greens.

This is the second time I've done a taste test but the first time was not blind. At that time I thought the store bought eggs smelled unpleasant when cooking and had a chemical after taste. I'm guessing egg #3 above is store bought.

The yolk colors in my test are just relative to each - none of them were actually pale.

I'll find out who is who shortly....

 

[aoxa]

The "picking apart the test" is part of the reason for posting this. Your right - one test with 4 eggs is far from conclusive.

I'm sure some of my hens have different preferences too - one might just eat the fermented feed while the other is out looking for bugs and greens.

This is the second time I've done a taste test but the first time was not blind. At that time I thought the store bought eggs smelled unpleasant when cooking and had a chemical after taste. I'm guessing egg #3 above is store bought.

The yolk colors in my test are just relative to each - none of them were actually pale.

I'll find out who is who shortly....

I've never had a gritty yolk - even store bought eggs

 

[Island Roo]

.........

Egg #1) Light orange yolk is gritty, Second best smell, white has good texture. Overall flavour - third place

Egg #2) Dark yellow yolk is a bit dry, stongest scent (not a positive), white is not firm (almost mushy) but has nice flavour - second best

Egg #3) Dark orange yolk is dry, second strongest smell, the white is rubbery, least favourite flavour, Last place

Egg #4) Light yellow yolk has richest texture, the white is firm with clean flavour - Gold Medal

..............

Egg 1: Store bought – Free Range (supposed to mean they have access to an outside area)
Egg 2: Jo-Anne’s (backyard city chicken)
Egg 3: Wal-mart’s – Free Run (ie not caged)
Egg 4: Yours (ie mine)

 

[Island Roo]

I've never had a gritty yolk - even store bought eggs

I wasn't sure how to describe the texture, but it was different from the others.
Hard boiled egg - it kinda fell apart into tiny granular pieces. Still soft pieces but not a rich texture.

 

[Jenny1]

We only have one laying hen (the other two arent laying yet) she is a white leghorn. I honestly cannot tell the difference between her eggs and the storebought ones, except that hers are usually found in the nesting box. Once it is in the fridge... indistinguishable. She has access to pellets, but also "free ranges" in my backyard part of the day and has kitchen scraps.

 

[aoxa]

We only have one laying hen (the other two arent laying yet) she is a white leghorn. I honestly cannot tell the difference between her  eggs and the storebought ones, except that hers are usually found in the nesting box. Once it is in the fridge... indistinguishable. She has access to pellets, but also "free ranges" in my backyard part of the day and has kitchen scraps.

I can tell the difference between my eggs and store bought eggs for sure. I do not refrigerate. Therefore, they are very fluffy compared to refrigerated eggs.

Did you know we are the only continent in the world that refrigerates eggs?

Any world traveler has probably noticed that in most countries outside of the US and Canada, eggs aren't stored under refrigeration. Whether you are wandering in an outdoor market, shopping in a grocery store or visiting a home, you will find eggs sitting on the counter, at room temperature. Why is that?

The answer appears to be that US regulations require that eggs be power-washed, which removes all organic matter (and any harmful bacteria) but also strips the egg's shell of its protective coating, thus rendering it more porous and open to contamination. A synthetic coating is often applied in commercial operations to combat this but the eggs are still refrigerated. The USDA also requires that eggs be sold under refrigeration, regardless of how they are washed, so even your super-crunchy health food stores are going to keep their eggs in the refrigerator or risk being shut down.

The question is also connected to the health of egg-laying chicken. The commercial chicken and egg industry in the US, as well as the average US consumer, has accepted a certain level of contamination (such as salmonella) in their chickens and have for the most part responded by super-sanitizing the end product (such as pasteurized eggs) rather than addressing the conditions that cause the contamination in the first place. For many people, the idea of not refrigerating eggs just seems to risky.

Which brings us to the cultural component at play. Americans are much more fastidious about their food and have the luxury of easily available refrigeration and the resources to produce the energy to run it. We've grown more accustomed to a germ-free environment and in general can be more sensitive to germs and other tummy-upsetting beasties.

Of course, people who raise their own chickens and have complete quality control over the product from start to finish may feel more comfortable deciding not to refrigerate their eggs. I know that in my case I refrigerate my eggs, despite the fact that I purchase eggs from pasture-raised chickens and have complete trust in the farmer who sells them. I don't feel I have to rush home to get them in the refrigerator, but I still feel a little funny just leaving them out on the counter. Old habits are powerful.

 

[aoxa]

I wasn't sure how to describe the texture, but it was different from the others.
Hard boiled egg - it kinda fell apart into tiny granular pieces. Still soft pieces but not a rich texture.

Interesting.. Hmm..

 

[Mavrk]

My friend's daughter will not eat store bought eggs after eating the eggs from the chicken she raised. I tasted them and the flavor to me was the same. The yolk color might have been a little more orange. The egg white was definitely more firm though. That is really an age thing (plus maybe refrigeration). I did not try hard boiling them though. That may make a difference. But most of the time I eat fried eggs, so trying to remove any "other flavors" didn't make sense to me.

One problem with the so-called "blind" taste test was that you could see the egg. Tasting the egg before seeing the color of the yolk would make more sense to me. You could probably pick out your egg by the color of the yolk. Also, I wonder what it would have been like to test a non-cagefree store bought egg. My chickens should start laying in February or March and I will have to try this experiment myself.

Glad you won though.

 

[nova022]

I agree with Mavrk about being influenced by the color of the yolk, but that being said my husband will not eat walmart eggs. I have blind tested him and he can tell every time. He said they just do not taste right. He likes store bought eggs from publix and always comments how good the eggs are when I serve Publix' eggs. He has not had the pleasure of fresh eggs from our flock because they have not started laying yet, but I think I will blind test him on those before I tell him it is from our flock