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Eggs Not Always What They're Cracked Up to Be

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Re: Eggs Not Always What They're Cracked Up to Be

#71

Post by debacle »

ashark wrote: post #58
tiglionabbit wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I went to whole foods and bought a bunch of different brands of eggs and cracked them at home to inspect them. I noticed a big difference between the ones that said "pastured" from all of the others. These were usually the orangest and firmest. The yellowest and weakest were the "omega 3 flax fed" ones. Words like "cage free" and "free range" didn't seem to make a difference.

If various articles I've seen on the topic are to be believed, eggs from pastured hens don't just look and taste different—they're far more nutritious than the rest[1]. I forget which nutrient (and I'm not certain it's even one of the ones listed at that link) but IIRC there's one that's very difficult to come by in the recommended quantities unless you 1) eat lots of insects, or 2) eat eggs and/or meat from birds th…

In general, animals that eat grass and things that eat grass (insects, mostly) will have a much higher amount of Omega 3s than those that eat mostly corn and ground up animal byproducts.

Re: Eggs Not Always What They're Cracked Up to Be

#72

Post by ceejayoz »

gd1 wrote: post #60
ceejayoz wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Oooh, industrial barns... Yes, as in "not the red family farm barn they have on the packaging". > You mean we give them more freedom, and they kill each other? I thought 'natural' was meant to mean all rainbows and happiness and shit. Imagine a prison where you've replaced all the individual cells with one big cramped holding cell. Violence will break out.

Do you think the chickens give a shit what colour the barn is?

No, but if you do a GIS for "barn" you'll find virtually every top result to be a red barn. Here's a screen shot: http://cl.ly/image/3G2w3N2a3d1e/Screen%20Shot%202014-12-23%2...

I'm saying chicken/dairy/etc. producers will happily use this stereotypical image in their marketing, but the reality of how they're raising the animals is very different.

Re: Eggs Not Always What They're Cracked Up to Be

#73

Post by gd1 »

pyre wrote: post #68
gd1 wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't think I was 'arguing' anything really. Just commenting on the irony. Nature tends to be brutish and nasty, quite the opposite to the picture that your typical urban-living organic food enthusiast has.

> your typical urban-living organic food enthusiast has. I somehow doubt that you've actually talked to many vs. just holding some gross generalization of an idea about what "those people" think.

My wife is one, so I somehow doubt you have a clue.

Re: Eggs Not Always What They're Cracked Up to Be

#74

Post by kvb »

debacle wrote: post #23
heydenberk wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you support banning GMOs? I don't mean to be snarky, but I don't know of any good scientific case for doing so. In my estimation, GMOs are one of the most promising technologies for increasing quality of life around the world.

There are logical reasons for being against GMOs. Many of them have nothing to do with the fact that the product is GMO: * GMOs tend to promote monoculture and pesticide use. * Studies have shown that the same developments that make GMOs more insect resistant can also make them more difficult to digest. * When it comes to animals, GMOs tend to have much poorer quality of life and tend to be completely incapable of su…

Increased pesticide use can be a bit misleading, since an increased amount of something like Roundup could still be better for the environment than the typical amount of alternative pesticides.

Re: Eggs Not Always What They're Cracked Up to Be

#75

Post by DanBC »

archagon wrote: post #21

The description in "The Omnivore's Dilemma" of egg yolks from idyllically pasture-raised chickens is forever stuck in my memory. "Between stops, Art mentioned that Joel’s eggs usually gave him his foot in the door when trying to land a new account. We stopped in at one such prospect, a newly opened restaurant called the Filling Station. Art introduced himself and presented the chef with a brochure and a dozen eggs. T…

The colour of an egg yolk can be selected by the farmer from charts of colours, much as you'd chose paint.

Some people like deep rich orange colour; others prefer bright pale yellow.

The "standing tall in the pan" is just a fresh egg.

Re: Eggs Not Always What They're Cracked Up to Be

#76

Post by gd1 »

ceejayoz wrote: post #72
gd1 wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you think the chickens give a shit what colour the barn is?

No, but if you do a GIS for "barn" you'll find virtually every top result to be a red barn. Here's a screen shot: http://cl.ly/image/3G2w3N2a3d1e/Screen%20Shot%202014-12-23%2... I'm saying chicken/dairy/etc. producers will happily use this stereotypical image in their marketing, but the reality of how they're raising the animals is very different.

True enough, but the positive response you feel to a red barn is just as illogical as the negative response you feel towards the word 'industrial' as applied to barns or fans. Do you see the irony in an article debunking these feel good labels applied to the eggs, by applying negative labels instead to evoke pictures of industrial factories, etc.? Do you really think the chickens are bothered by the colour and style of their barns?

Re: Eggs Not Always What They're Cracked Up to Be

#77

Post by [deleted] »

gd1 wrote: post #60
ceejayoz wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Oooh, industrial barns... Yes, as in "not the red family farm barn they have on the packaging". > You mean we give them more freedom, and they kill each other? I thought 'natural' was meant to mean all rainbows and happiness and shit. Imagine a prison where you've replaced all the individual cells with one big cramped holding cell. Violence will break out.

Do you think the chickens give a shit what colour the barn is?

[deleted]

Re: Eggs Not Always What They're Cracked Up to Be

#78

Post by atourgates »

The article somewhat pans Certified Humane, but apart from raising your own chickens or buying from a farmer you trust, it's far and away the best alternative that you can find at many grocery stores.

Their comparison chart gives a good overview of the program[1], but here are a few key facts:

* It's a completely independent organization, that maintains that independence very intentionally.

* It has rigorous compliance and inspection requirements, and everything about the program is transparent and available online.

* The birds are required to be out of doors at least 6-hours per day, every day, year round, with 108 sq. ft. per bird.

Animal Welfare Approved is another good, independent and transparent program, but I've never actually seen them in a grocery store.

[1] http://certifiedhumane.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Laying...

Re: Eggs Not Always What They're Cracked Up to Be

#79

Post by maybeButThen »

archagon wrote: post #31
Aloisius wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The color of an egg yolk is based on what the chicken ate and has no bearing on how idyllic their lives were. There are plenty of pasture raised chickens without the deep orange color because the plant material around them (you can get nearly white colored yolks from a hen that has literally miles of pasture around them). If there a lot of capsicum peppers around for instance, the yolks will turn almost red. How firm…

Well, yeah, but I imagine "what the chicken ate" and "how idyllic their lives were" are pretty closely related. In any case, I've never once found a firm orange yolk in my eggs — supermarket, farmer's market, or otherwise. Joel is probably doing something right here. (Or maybe his eggs are just really fresh, I don't know.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foie_gras#Controversy

Re: Eggs Not Always What They're Cracked Up to Be

#80

Post by eggman47 »

Most of the time we use eggs, it is just needed as "glue" to make things stick together, or for leavening, moisture etc. This can easily be replaced by tapioca flour and water, flax and water, or some other substitute. It'probably cheaper as well. Save the eggs for your quiches, omeletes and the like where it actually makes a difference.

http://www.wikihow.com/Replace-Eggs-in-Your-Cooking

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