Odd question: substituting egg "parts" in recipes

[swordgeek]

I'm not sure this ought to be in this section, but it certainly is egg-related!

One of my favorite things to make is creme brulee. Been doing it for years and years, and it always comes out absolutely perfect. Until... A few months ago, I made my favorite recipe (ginger-vanilla bean) using eggs from my birds for the very first time. It came out just dreadful.

I figured I could just substitute one for one. It never occurred to me that the yolks of fresh eggs are THAT much larger than store eggs, so of course it set too hard. It was sooooo custardy! As custard goes, it was yummy. As creme brulee goes, it was a train wreck, and of course, I made it for friends I rarely see. They still tease me about my custard.,

I have a great book that tells me how to sub out entire eggs (i.e., how many ounces equals a standard egg size) - but it makes no mention of yolk or white alone. So how do you do the math on this? I can't find anything that tells me how to translate "5 large egg yolks" into "x yolks from a partridge cochin" or "y from a redcap" or something. I'd rather not waste my precious eggs on experimenting if there's an easier way.

 

[Chick CJ]

Okay, I found this on an egg info web site. It looks like a large egg should weigh 2-oz and the yolk should equal 1 tablespoon, while the white should equal 2 tablespoons. As far as weight goes, 2 ounces is 56.6990 grams, if you break it up into thirds, 1 tbl would be approx 18.9 grams, 2 tbls would be approx 37.8 grams. What do you think?



These approximations are based on a large (2-oz) egg.


Whole Eggs
3 whole eggs = 1/2 cup
1 whole egg = 3 tablespoons
1/2 whole egg = 4 teaspoons

Yolks
6 to 7 egg yolks = 1/2 cup
1 egg yolk = 1 tablespoon

Whites
4 to 6 egg whites = 1/2 cup
1 egg white = 2 tablespoons

 

[TanithT]

Some of the issue may be that different species have different proteins, fat content and coagulation times, so cooking isn't always going to be an equal by volume thing if you're dealing with eggs from ducks, emus, quail, etc, versus chicken eggs. Within the same genus (all chicken breeds), the protein/fat structure is reasonably homogenous with more limited variation, but there may still be enough variation to throw off some kinds of recipes. One factor in the basic biochemistry of egg composition is likely to be diet, and most modern recipes are written on the assumption that you are using battery fed eggs.

Creme brulee can also get buggered up for a lot of reasons, particularly cooking temperatures, so it may not actually have been your eggs at all. You will find most commercial recipes go by weight rather than volume or quantity of ingredients, so try professional recipe sources.

 

[Chick CJ]

In my experience the two factors involved with creme brulee that would make it set too hard would be:
cooking too long in the oven, it should just cook until the edges are set but the rest "jiggles" and
too much yolk to cream ratio.

I suppose if your oven temp were off you might not realize you were overcooking it either.
CJ

 

[JMPE]

I have not had this problem with my eggs, but I would suggest just being a little heavy handed with your cream next time. I make loads of creme brulee to use up my yolks after making angel food cake.

 

[swordgeek]

Thanks for the tips on measurement - it's exactly what I've been looking for. Now I just need to measure the contents of each of my girls' eggs before I attempt this again! I don't mind losing store eggs to experimentation, but I really only have two hens laying at the moment, and they're precious. I'll try it when I'm starting an omelette or something like that.

I honestly don't think it was the cooking temp or time - I actually checked it a lot earlier than I usually do with store eggs, and by then, it was all over. I've used the same oven for 13 years, and know it's off by about 25 degrees (which I adjust for). And I've made creme brulee since then with store eggs (booo!) with no issues. While I've suspected it's the size of the yolks in the fresh eggs that made it set like that, it could well have been the breed and diet they're fed. They eat better than I do.

 

[Dingleberry]

Quote:
oh ty for figuring this out!!!

 

[Chick CJ]

swordgeek: Your welcome for the information, I have been wondering the same thing myself! I do believe eggs yolks in my fresh eggs are larger than store bought eggs. I have one bantam barred rock who's yolk is as big as a regular size egg, thus the white in her eggs is less.

JMPE: Great advice on the cream, I am going to keep this in mind. Also, I wish I was at your house when you are making Angel Food Cake and Creme Brulee! Two of my favorite desserts!