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Why are some egg yolks so orange?

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Re: Why are some egg yolks so orange?

#121
post #98

I got five chickens last year and now have more eggs then I know what to do with (so we give a lot away). Everyone that has them says they are so much better and I have wondered if that is just due to them being able to see the chickens and their home. It is near impossible to hard boil the eggs they lay because the “membrane” (layer between the shell and egg-stuff) is so thick. The yolk is a darker yellow as well. I…

I recently started using a pressure cooker (instant pot brand) to make hard cooked eggs. I use a 4 minute cooking time, instant release the pressure, then plunge the eggs right away into cold water to stop their cooking. Even fresh eggs peel perfectly.

Thanks! I'm going to have to try that.

Re: Why are some egg yolks so orange?

#122

I'm a sucker for premium orange yolk eggs. My partner is sucker for buying eggs from a guy who grows them in his backyard. Sometimes, especially when making creamy scrambled eggs I can almost taste fishy or shellfish flavour (not something I like). We are based in NZ and I've heard people use sea shells as a source of calcium for hens, but I find hard to believe that it could be it.

Give fresh eggs a couple of days to a week to mellow. The flavour of a just-layed egg from a backyard chicken with a rich diet can be pretty intense.

Re: Why are some egg yolks so orange?

#123

I got five chickens last year and now have more eggs then I know what to do with (so we give a lot away). Everyone that has them says they are so much better and I have wondered if that is just due to them being able to see the chickens and their home. It is near impossible to hard boil the eggs they lay because the “membrane” (layer between the shell and egg-stuff) is so thick. The yolk is a darker yellow as well. I…

I finally found a full proof way of making any egg easy to peel. I wonder if it would work with eggs like these. I pressure steam then in an instant pot for about three minutes.

Re: Why are some egg yolks so orange?

#124

Not too long ago in China, consumers preferred duck eggs with red tinted yolks. Market vendors would crack off the top half of an egg and display its yolk, and consumers thought the redder the better. So, of course, farmers started feeding a carcinogenic dye called Sudan Red directly to the ducks. * http://www.china.org.cn/english/health/189567.htm

> Not too long ago in China... And still happening in Europe and the United States today. Canthaxanthin is very commonly added to farmed Salmon, to change its natural colour from grey to pink. Known to cause eye diseases in humans, it is also linked to several types of cancer in humans, but not proven as a carcinogen. And though Europe has banned the Azo food colourings, they are still perfectly legal to add to food…

>Known to cause eye diseases in humans

... when taken in massive doses as a skin-tanning supplement. As far as I know, there's no evidence whatsoever of side-effects in humans when eaten in the quantities typical to those involved in produce like salmon/eggs.

Re: Why are some egg yolks so orange?

#125
post #18

A brand in the UK called Clarence Court started producing a range of eggs (maybe a decade ago?) that have an intensely orange yolk [1] and this became a real differentiator, in some ways an indicator of quality. I know when an egg is Clarence Court in a restaurant for instance (and have confirmed numerous times). They are also delicious eating. The effect is so profound that supermarket own brands have now also start…

In the US there is a brand called Happy Egg with a dark orange yolk. They are my preferred brand now, because who wants to buy unhappy eggs? They are the only one I can find with dark orange yolk.

Happy egg are my favorite as well. I have to say though, I tried their organic line and the yolks are indeed not as orange and a bit more runny. I actually buy the standard line for this reason

Re: Why are some egg yolks so orange?

#126
post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I recently started using a pressure cooker (instant pot brand) to make hard cooked eggs. I use a 4 minute cooking time, instant release the pressure, then plunge the eggs right away into cold water to stop their cooking. Even fresh eggs peel perfectly.

Thanks! I'm going to have to try that.

Hmm, seems serious eats doesn't agree, but I've tried everything over the years and the instant pot has worked best for me.

https://www.seriouseats.com/the-secrets-to-peeling-hard-boil...

Re: Why are some egg yolks so orange?

#128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The "fishy" taste is likely indicative of a higher omega 3 content, you get the same taste from 100% grass fed and finished beef and buffalo due to the higher omega 3 content.

Omega-3 doesn't taste like fish unless it's literally fish oil, which is often an additive to improve the 3-6 ratio of foods. Flax seed doesn't taste like fish... Grass fed beef tasting "fishy"? I've never experienced that and can't imagine how it would work.

In my experience cheaper grass fed beef in the US commonly tastes gamey which can be interpreted as fishy.

More expensive grass fed doesn't have this problem, so it likely has to do with diet or the cut.

Re: Why are some egg yolks so orange?

#129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you do this, it's vital that you do not wash the bloom off. Once you wash eggs you have to refrigerate them.

No one does that except the egg processors

I've seen many amateurs do it. There's been a big uptick over the past decade of people raising chickens in their back yards without having any experience or guidance. Not that you need a lot; just important to do some research.

Re: Why are some egg yolks so orange?

#130

Not too long ago in China, consumers preferred duck eggs with red tinted yolks. Market vendors would crack off the top half of an egg and display its yolk, and consumers thought the redder the better. So, of course, farmers started feeding a carcinogenic dye called Sudan Red directly to the ducks. * http://www.china.org.cn/english/health/189567.htm

Turmeric has had similar issues, with some individuals adding industrial lead chromate to improve the colors (and add to the weight, as it is sold by weight) https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/09/28/turmeric-...

And if it was sold by volume they'd just be using some other type of filler. Outside of rigorous regulation it's hard to figure out how to fix this sort of thing. But then you end can also end up with massive factory farms or meat processing plants etc that can min/max the penalties against the profits, not to mention corrupt inspections.
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