Monday, February 1, 2016

Farm kid woes

Younger Daughter was baking something the other day when she made an exclamation of annoyance.

"I love how they specify one egg in the recipe," she groused, "but they never specify what size egg. Are they talking a Jersey Giant egg? A pullet egg? What?"


I doubt the recipe-writers ever think of such things, those inconsiderate simpletons.

20 comments:

  1. Unless specified, I believe most recipes assume "large" eggs.

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    1. But there are large eggs and there are LARGE eggs. Most I see in the store now are not what my mother would not have considered as large
      JW M

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  2. Unless otherwise specified, I believe most recipes assume you're using large eggs.

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  3. Actually I saw this problem addressed on a Julia Child PBS program once. MOST recipe writers assume a grocery store large egg. But my favorite cookbook author, Ina Garten, uses extra large eggs. I've seen some recipes use a liquid measure of eggs because medium eggs are so much cheaper, yet so small.

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  4. Got curious and found this chart from the egg board.
    http://www.incredibleegg.org/cooking-school/tips-tricks/egg-sizes-equivalents-and-substitutions/

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  5. Most recipes never specify the bird that the egg should come from either.

    Duck eggs have a different taste to chicken eggs, and are slightly larger (on average).

    Heaven forfend that you might have a non-chicken egg source (one ostrich egg, perhaps?)

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  6. The standard in recipes is a large egg. This is an egg, with shell, that weighs 2 ounces (24 ounces per dozen according to the USDA standard)and has a liquid volume out of the shell of 3 tablespoons. All the best with your baking Younger Daughter!

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  7. I can relate! I have the same problem. At one end of the spectrum--Egyptian Fayoumi pullet eggs that would fit in a teaspoon. At the other--enormous duck eggs that create extra rise in baked goods. I do a lot of recipe tweaking!

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  8. Most recipes assume you're using large eggs.

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  9. Then of course there are the double-yoked and very large eggs from an average sized hen.

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  10. With kids face the same issue. Eggs are available in large and medium size in supermarkets, as I remember. If you buy medium eggs how do you adjust for a recipe calling for large? I'm sure there are internet resources available which tell you how to adjust your recipe and when you need to add or take away an egg to make the recipe come out. Experience helps as well; in some recipes you can generalize, others you must be more exact. She'll learn as she goes along.

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  11. Hmmm . . I think all my chickens seemed to lay large eggs (lack of creativity on their part?) . . We are going to be getting back into chickens/farming in general and will have to choose breeds of hens again . . I live in Chicagoland ~ do any of you have suggestions? I'd love to have ornamentals just for the county fair (and then supper the following week) . . But need meat and seriously good laying /brooding hens primarily, as well as a good rooster. Our rooster was huge and thoroughly in charge of his harem and that was a nice quality.

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    1. what if we all cared,
      look at 'confessions of a crazed cattlewoman'.
      they have a lot of fowls and she is writing critiques of each type.

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  12. All this recipe stuff is giving me a headache. I'm going to take 2 aspirin. You know, the same dose as someone twice my size.
    Montana Guy

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  13. My daughter had some quails and my 12 year old granddaughter made deviled quail eggs. They are so tiny, a little (very little) larger than a thimble but they sure were tasty.

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  14. for allot of recipes you can't hardly put too much egg in. there are some exceptions but don't be afraid to use BIG eggs or a couple of small eggs, and of course they are referring to chicken eggs.BUT you can't hardly ruin any recipe' with too much egg, within reason!

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  15. lol. We have everything from banty eggs to turkey eggs what shall we do!

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  16. How many chickens do you have layig?

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  17. I usually think a little extra egg might be a good thing. For the occasional pickier recipe crack my eggs into a measuring cup and use the 3 tbsp per egg rule.

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