FOOD FACTS: THE HUMBLE EGG

 

• THE US PRODUCES ROUGHLY 75 BILLION EGGS A YEAR WITH THE HELP OF SOME 280 MILLION BIRDS.
• THE AVERAGE BIRD CAN LAY 250 – 300 EGGS A YEAR.
• IF A RECIPE DOES NOT SPECIFY WHAT SIZE EGG IS NEEDED, GO WITH THE LARGE EGG, AS ALL BAKING RECIPES ARE BASED ON THEIR USE.
• THE CHEF’S HAT, OR TOQUE, IS SAID THE HAVE AS MANY PLEATS AS THERE ARE USES FOR EGGS.
• THE MODERN HENHOUSE HAS CONTROLLED LIGHTING, TRIGGERING THE HENS TO LAY AN EGG EVERY 24 – 26 HOURS, WITH A HALF HOUR REST BEFORE STARTING THE PROCESS OVER AGAIN.  INCIDENTLY, MOST EGGS ARE LAID BETWEEN 7 AND 11 A.M.
• THERE IS NO RELATION BETWEEN THE SIZE OF THE EGG AND THE GRADE OF THE EGG.  SIZE IS DETERMINE BY THE WEIGHT OF AN EGG PER DOZEN EGGS, WHILE GRADE IS A MEASURE OF QUALITY OF SHELL, WHITE AND YOLK, AND THE SIZE OF THE AIR CELL.  ALSO, LAYING EGGS DOESN’T GET EASIER WITH PRACTICE.  THE YOUNGER THE HEN, THE SMALLER THE EGG; THE OLDER THE HEN, THE LARGER THE EGG.
• A REFRIGERATED EGG LEFT IN ITS CARTON WILL LAST UP TO THREE WEEKS AFTER BOUGHT FROM THE STORE.  YOU CAN TELL A BAD EGG WHEN IT HAS DRIED UP ON THE INSIDE. 
• THE YOLK AND WHITES OF AN EGG WILL YIELD 3 TABLESPOONS.  IF YOU WANT TO SEPERATE THEM OUT, THE YOLK WILL GIVE YOU 1 TABLESPOON AND THE WHITE 2 TABLESOONS.

 

FOR MORE FACTS, VISIT THE AMERICAN EGG BOARD WEBSITE BY CLICKING ON THE PHOTO ABOVE.