How to Freeze Eggs
Andrea Chesman, author of Kitchen Know-How shares her advice on how to freeze eggs. Legally an egg can be laid as many as 30 days before it must be packaged. Its’ sell-by date is another 30 days after that. The egg is still considered fresh for another 3 to 5 weeks after that, so there’s no real hurry for getting eggs into the freezer. However, there is such a thing as too many eggs in the finite space of a refrigerator. In that case, freezing is a good option.
See also:
Selling Your Surplus Eggs How to Pickle Quail Eggs Why Chickens Lay Coloured Eggs Eggs should be removed from their shells for freezing. They can be kept frozen for up to a year, and they should be thawed in the refrigerator the day before you intend to use them. There are textural changes: the yolks get rather gummy, and it is noticeable in omelets and scrambled eggs. They should be used only in dishes that will be completely cooked and combined with other ingredients, such as in custards and baked goods such as cookies and cakes. Cakes will not rise quite as high with frozen and thawed eggs, but the difference may not be that dramatic.
Whole Eggs
To freeze whole eggs, crack the eggs into a bowl and gently stir to break up the yolk, but do not beat them; you want to avoid incorporating air into the eggs. Egg yolks, gelatinize when frozen, becoming so thick and solid they are impossible to use. To prevent this and maintain the best texture, stir in ½ teaspoon salt per cup of eggs. Label the container with the date and the number of eggs.Egg Yolks
The problem with egg yolks gelatinizing when freezing is even greater when you freeze yolks alone. To prevent this a much as possible, stir in either ⅛ teaspoon salt or 1½ teaspoons sugar per ¼ cup of egg yolks (about 4 yolks). Label the container with the date and the number of egg yolks and whether salt or sugar was added.Egg Whites
Raw egg whites do not gelatinize when frozen, so no added salt or sugar is needed. Label the container with the date and the number of egg whites. Once thawed, whites will beat to a better volume if allowed to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.Frozen Eggs – The Maths
You’ll want to freeze eggs in convenient sizes for defrosting relatively small amounts at a time. Some people like to use ice cube trays for freezing the eggs, then transfer the eggs into freezer bags. (if you use plastic ice cube trays, be scrupulous about removing any egg residue before reusing the ice cube trays for ice!)1 whole egg = 2 cubes 2 egg yolks = 1 cube 1 egg white = 1 cube 2 cubes = ¼ cup 4 cubes = ½ cup 6 cubes = ¾ cup 8 cubes = 1 cup 1 tablespoon thawed egg yolk = 1 large fresh egg yolk 2 tablespoons thawed egg white = 1 large fresh egg white 3 tablespoons thawed whole egg = 1 large fresh egg
Fresh vs Older Eggs
Fresh eggs generally taste better than older eggs, but there are two instances where older eggs are more desirable than fresh eggs:- When you are beating egg whites separately – to make meringues and mousses, for example, or to lighten a batter – the whites will achieve a greater volume if they are slightly older.
- When you are hear-boiling eggs, the older eggs will release their shells and peel more readily than fresher eggs.
This useful egg wisdom was from Kitchen Know-How
by Andrea Chesman, published by Storey as part of their The Backyard
Homestead range. Packed full of information and little gems of advice
and myriad tips for the homesteader/home farmer and smallholder this is
an extremely comprehensive guide giving plenty of ideas for making the
most out of everything you grow and raise.The book is split into 3 chunky sections: Getting the Most from Fresh Food, Food Preservation and Homestead cooking and is great for dipping in and dipping out for advice as well as ‘I didn’t know that’ nuggets making it a worth while read indeed.
www.homefarmer.co.uk