freezing eggs???

[sumi]

Yes, they'll be fine. Just defrost them slowly and check for shell damage.

 

[VintageLilFarm]

Sumi, re: how to make Heart Shaped boiled eggs http://www.annathered.com/2010/09/29/how-to-make-a-heart-shaped-egg/

I did like Donnavee, but got lazy and put 4 eggs into the ziplock, then shook the bag to scramble them. I've been eating the frozen/thawed eggs and i don't notice a difference in taste or texture. Before i froze them in the ziplock bags, I tried the icecube tray thing and couldn't get the eggs out of the tray.

CG

I posted this earlier but the thread is getting large, so thought I'd mention it here. The ice cube tray thing didn't work for me either, both because of difficulty in removing and because I like freezing them in one egg increments for recipes. My solution is to whisk a dozen eggs (or desired amount) one egg at a time. As each egg is whisked, pour it into a lightly sprayed muffin tin cup. When frozen, remove from freezer and let sit in cold water for a minute or two, then they more easily pop out of the tins. You can also use a butter knife to pry gently around the edges if you have any problem removing them from the tin. Then store in a jar, Ziploc, or other freezer container. Just pull out the number called for in your recipe and thaw. Easy-peasy

 

[sumi]

Thanks

Sorry I gave you such a short and sour answer! Temperatures below 30* can kill the embryo, which is just a tiny little possibility in fertile eggs, waiting for the right temperature to start developing. I've heard of people hatching eggs from the fridge, with mixed results, but not from frozen.

 

[snowflake]

I haven't read all the posts so I am most likely repeating, But I have frozen extra eggs and used them in baking... the best way to do this is to slightly scramble raw egg with a 1/4 ts. of sugar or salt. depending on how you plan to use them. I usually put 2 in a baggie as most recipes call for 2 or more eggs

 

[RoyalPayne]

Just read this post about boiling fresh eggs....never, never boil anything less than 2 weeks old. Steam them. I boil water, place a metal sifter in the pot, cover with the pots' lid, and steam for...well, depends on the number of eggs. For 6, I steam for 10-12 minutes. For 12, I'd steam for 20. If not sure, take out one, plunge in cold water, peel and judge yolk that way. This method comes from an old farmer in Maine, and it has never failed me. The lid does not have to be tight, and the yolks have not had that green 'overdone' ring since I started this 5 or 6 years ago.

 

[Sydney Acres]

I boiled eggs for thanksgiving lastnight. I have Rhode Island Red hens and we let our eggs stay out of the fridge at room temp. Theese eggs had only been sitting out for appx. 3 days. When we peeled them the egg whites were tinted brown and the yoke was very dark and able to be seen underneath. We are new to brown eggs so is this normal for fresh brown eggs ?

No, brown eggs are only brown on the outside. What's inside should be no different than white eggs. Also, leaving them out of the refrigerator for 3 days shouldn't cause that either. I'm not sure what is going on with your eggs. The only thing that comes to mind regarding the yolk is that it will be darker if they are free range eggs and the chickens are eating lots of grass (mine have yolks that are dark pumpkin orange), or that maybe the yolk was close to the shell in one area (not perfectly centered in the egg, which is common) so there was less white on the side you were looking at, so it could easily be seen. Regarding the egg whites being tinted brown, was it just the outside perimeter of the egg white, like the brown color leached through the membrane and tinted the white while boiling? Or was it brown all the way through, affecting all of the white? Did it occur with every egg, or just some of them? Was the water that you boiled them in tinted brown after boiling? Do you find that the white of the egg is tinted when you break open the egg and fry it, or only with boiling? I guess it is possible for the brown color to leach through with boiling and tint the white, but I've never had it happen with mine, and have never heard of it happening. But every line of hens, or individual hen, is different, so maybe the color components from your hens leaches out?? Anyone else have a better theory?

 

[Sydney Acres]

Why would I wash my eggs before selling when they are perfectly clean? Washing a clean looking egg only removes the bloom & makes it more likely to absorb other bacteria.

Agreed, BUT...

We live in a very litigious world. It is the "industry standard" that eggs be washed before they are sold to the public. Since washing is standard practice, if you bypass such a basic step and someone gets sick from your eggs, or even just claims that it is from your eggs without proof, you are going to lose the lawsuit, especially if it is a jury trial because everyone knows you ALWAYS need to wash everything. If you are lucky it will just be reimbursement for a doctor's visit or a trip to the ER. If you are unlucky you will be held responsible for someone's prolonged hospitalization or death.

Most people do not need unwashed eggs. They are going to use their eggs within a reasonable amount of time. I don't wash my eggs because I want them to last more than 6 months, I know how to avoid getting sick while using "unsanitized" food, and I don't plan on suing myself. But I would never sell unwashed eggs to the public. It's just not worth the risk.

 

[aart]

Unless your sure of the cleanliness of its environs, I'd be cautious. That siad, cooking to 165 will kill many germs, but not all. Some of our most feared germs can survive that temp. I myself would not eat cracked eggs from the hen house, I know what those sweet girls do in there, and their digestive bacteria are not our friend.

I would not either, but if you home freeze and they crack, or freeze in the coop and don't crack, I would eat it. Like I said, they were a little watery, but apart from that they were fine. It's a good way to store eggs for baking etc. I suspect our freezer was too cold for the eggs, that's why they cracked so bad

So I would recommend freezing them in a container.

I'm with Sumi, I would feel no qualms about eggs that cracked in my own freezer (and I'm thinking many will - egg whites have lots of water to expand) or I found frozen but not cracked in my hen house.

I'd not put unwashed eggs in freezer, more likely for bacteria to get inside while thawing.
I don't put unwashed eggs in fridge either, just to keep it clean in there.
They are either on the counter... or if filthy, they get washed and go into fridge and eaten soonest.

@sumi Great experiment with cooking the frozen in shell eggs!

@Marty1876 Great chemistry lesson!




Using supplemental lighting so am usually not short on eggs in winter and have more customers with summer folk(tourist belt here) during the peak laying season.
I have frozen some, and may do more in the future, I sure did glean some great tips from this thread!

 

[RonP]

I think if I were to sell eggs, I would simply conform to regulations depending on my location.
Minimizes litigation.

Best long term storage, don't wash and refrigerate.

European standards, don't wash and don't refrigerate.

USA standards, wash and refrigerate.

Personally, they sit in the laundry room, wash before gifting. I don't sell...I gift all within 2 weeks, or hard boil for the dog.

 

[aart]

Even washing eggs might not do much good if litigation is someone's goal....you washed 'em, but not good enough....you knew they were contaminated, blahblahblah.