Types of Eggs

Standard Eggs

Standard or commercially produced chicken eggs are used more often than any other type of chicken egg and are the eggs most commonly found in food stores. Chicken eggs with white shells make up the bulk of the eggs sold in food stores, but sometimes eggs with brown shells are available, especially in farmers markets. The color of the shell is determined by the breed of the hen. The only difference between white and brown eggs is the color - there is no difference in flavor or nutritional value.

Fertile Eggs

Fertile eggs are simply eggs that can be incubated and developed into chicks. They have often been thought of as being more nutritious than non-fertile eggs, but this is not the case. There is no difference in the nutrient value between the two. Fertile eggs have higher production costs so they are more expensive for the consumer and they also spoil more quickly than non-fertile eggs.

Organic Eggs

Organic eggs are produced from hens that have been given feed in which all of the ingredients were grown without the aid of commercial fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. This makes the cost of production more expensive which makes the price of organic eggs higher than non-organic. As far as nutrition is concerned, organic eggs are no different than non-organic eggs.

Free-range Eggs

Free-range is the name given to eggs produced by hens that have been raised outdoors, however, because of climate, most hens are not raised entirely in the open. For this reason, eggs may be called free-range if the hens have daily access to the outdoors, but may not actually spend that much time outdoors. The nutrient content is the same for free-range eggs as it is with eggs produced from confined hens. The cost of a free-range egg is higher because of additional costs encountered by free-range egg producers.

Quail Eggs

Quail Eggs are much smaller than chicken eggs, but the flavor is similar. Five quail eggs are equal to one chicken egg. The shells are speckled and range in color from dark brown to blue or white. Quail eggs are often hard-boiled and served as an hors d'oeuvre, garnish, or accompaniment for salads.

Duck Eggs

Duck Eggs are slightly larger than chicken eggs. The chalaza in a duck egg is not as noticeable as it is in a chicken egg and the white is more transparent with less yellow coloring. They have more flavor than chicken eggs, but they also have a higher fat content and more cholesterol. The egg white has a greater level of albumen (the protein of the egg white) than a chicken egg. Because of their richness and gelatinous properties, duck eggs are well suited for dessert recipes. The duck eggs that are usually available to consumers are quite large, but producers sell duck eggs in sizes ranging from very small to jumbo.

Goose Eggs

Goose Eggs are much larger than chicken or duck eggs. They have more flavor than chicken eggs, are very rich, and like duck eggs, are best used in dessert dishes. Goose eggs are extremely high in cholesterol (over 1200 mg. per egg) and fat, so they should be used sparingly.

Turkey Eggs

Turkey Eggs are similar to chicken eggs, but are larger and have white to cream colored shells with brown speckles. They are approximately 1½ times larger than a jumbo chicken egg and are very high in cholesterol and fat, but the flavor is very similar. Turkey eggs are rarely available to the consumer because most of the eggs are used for hatching more turkeys, but they are sometimes available in specialty markets.

Ostrich Eggs

Ostrich Eggs are hard to find, but one egg goes a long way. One ostrich egg is equal to 20 to 24 large chicken eggs. They are mainly sold for novelty value and one egg can be made into several large omelets or it can be scrambled.