The supermarket is a very confusing place these days, even when it comes to the most basic ingredients. Take eggs for example. What could be more simple, right? Well these days, even the simplest of foods turn out to hold many complex issues. There is a dizzying array of options when it comes to buying eggs. My take on which eggs to buy is simple: what is healthy and best for the hen is healthiest and tastiest for us. That means buying the freshest eggs that come from hens that are treated well and fed a diet that is as natural as possible. It’s pretty easy to tell if an egg is fresh but there are so many labels being slapped on to egg cartons these days, such as “Natural” and “United Egg Producers Certified”, that are loosely regulated and mean very little when it comes to evaluating the conditions in which eggs were laid. I feel the most comfortable with eggs are labeled “USDA Organic.” This label is strictly regulated and third-party audited. I see it as a catch-all label for many of the conditions that I think are important for raising healthy hens and producing good eggs: the hens live un-caged in barns or warehouse with at least minimal access to the outdoors and they are fed an all-vegetarian and organic diet free of antibiotics, hormones and pesticides. To learn more about eggs and the egg industry visit the links below. I’ve also included some of the questions I had about eggs and the answers that I found to them.

• Agricultural Marketing Service (www.ams.usda.gov/) - the arm of the USDA responsible for grading and labeling eggs that carry the USDA shield
• Food Safety and Inspection Service (www.fsis.usda.gov) - a department of the USDA that has lots of good information on eggs
• USDA National Agricultural Library (www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/ofp/ofp.shtml) - lots of good information and links related to organic product
• The Humane Society (www.hsus.org/) - to learn more about healthy and humane treatment of farm animals
• Local Harvest (www.localharvest.org/) - to find out how to buy fresh, local ingredients
• Certified Humane Raised & Handled (www.certifiedhumane.org/) - another good label to learn about and look out for
• Egg Song (www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNndX9qua1o) - who knew eggs could give such a good laugh! Check it out!
• The American Egg Board (www.aeb.org/) - lots of general information about eggs

1. Is an older egg better for hard-boiling?
2. What is the difference between brown and white eggs?
3. What are the differences between grades of eggs?
4. How real is the risk of Salmonella?
5. How can you avoid Salmonella?
6. How Can you tell a fresh egg?
7. What’s the deal with an egg that floats?
8. How long can I keep an egg?
9. Do hard-boiled eggs spoil faster?

Q1. Is an older egg better for hard-boiling?

Yes, old eggs are easier to peel because the air cell of old eggs is larger.

Q2. What is the difference between brown and white eggs?

Different breeds of hens lay different color eggs.  Typically, hens with white feathers lay white eggs while hens with dark feathers lay brown eggs.

Q3. What are the differences between grades of eggs?

Egg grading is based on the quality of an egg’s white, yolk and shell. The higher the grade, the higher and rounder the egg yolk, the thicker and higher the white and the more perfect the shell. Grades are AA, A and B. A being the most common.

Q4. How real is the risk of Salmonella?

It exists but is very unlikely – something on the order of 1 out of every 20-30,000 eggs is contaminated.

Q5. How can you avoid Salmonella?

Refrigeration and complete cooking

Q6. How Can you tell a fresh egg?

Cloudiness of the raw white is due to the presence of carbon dioxide which has not had time to escape through the shell and thus indicates a very fresh egg. And of course there’s always expiration date on the carton.

Q7. What’s the deal with an egg that floats?

This means that the egg is old but it could still be perfectly fine to eat. It is a result of the contraction of the egg inside the shell increasing the size of the egg’s air cell. To tell whether the egg is bad you have to open it and see if it smells bad.

Q8. How long can I keep an egg?

No more than 5 weeks after the date of purchase.

Q9. Do hard-boiled eggs spoil faster?

Yes, once an egg is boiled the protective coating on the outside of the egg is dissolved leaving the egg more vulnerable to spoilage and should be refrigerated after cooking and can be kept up to one week.

Chive and Cheddar Omelet

3 eggs
Pinch of salt
Few grinds fresh cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped chives, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup grated white cheddar cheese

Whisk together the eggs with the salt, pepper and chives. Heat the butter in a non-stick omelet over medium heat until the butter melts, bubbles and the bubbles start to subside. Add the whisked eggs and let sit 45 seconds or so. Then use a small rubber spatula to move the cooked outer portions inward while simultaneously tiling the pan in a circular motion to move any un-cooked liquid egg to take its position. As soon as the liquid egg has pretty much set, sprinkle with the top of the omelet with cheese and use the spatula to fold the omelet in half. Cook 30 seconds then flip and cook another 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and let the omelet sit a minute to make sure all the cheese melts. Slide the omelet onto a serving plate and top with more chives for garnish.

Other good filling ideas:

Red Bell peppers, diced
Tomatoes, chopped
Blanched baby spinach
Other good melting cheeses such as goat, Gruyere, and Fontina
Sauteed mushrooms
Bacon, crisped and roughly chopped

Grandma Bernice's Chopped Almond Sponge-Cake

9 extra-large eggs (separated into two mixing bowls fitted for a stand mixer)
1 1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup room-temperature water
Zest and juice of 1 ½ lemons
1/2 cup cake flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped almonds

Preheat oven to 325 – 350 degrees

With a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the yolks and sugar.  Gradually ad water and lemon juice. Mix in  flour,  potato starch alternateing between the two. Mix in the salt, lemon zest and nuts. Reserve mixture and fit stand mixer with a whisk attachment and beat the egg whites until stiff and peaked.
Gently fold the yolk batter into whites. Pour mixture into a tube pan and bake 55 – 60 minutes.

After baking, invert tube pan and let cool. When cool, slide knife blade around outside of tube pan and remove from outer portion of  pan; slide knife blade around bottom of tube to release cake.

Popular variation: substitute juice of an orange and orange rind; and instead of nuts, use ½ cup chopped chocolate (chill/freeze chocolate bar prior to processing)

Tarragon-Corianer Egg-Salad with gherkins on Pumpernickle

10 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 small bunch fresh tarragon, leaves finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 lemon,  zested and juiced
1/2 teaspoon salt
About 15 grinds fresh black pepper
1 large shallot, minced
1 teaspoon grainy Dijon mustard
1 package party pumpernickle
10 gherkins, thinly slice lengthwise

In a large mixing bowl, use a fork to coarsely crumble the hard-boiled eggs. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the bread and the gherkins) and stir together well. Put a bunch of  bread slices on a baking sheet and toast in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for about five minutes. Put a spoonful of egg salad in the middle of each slice of bread and top with a couple slices of gherkin and a strand or two of lemon zest.