Egg Education

I was watching Worst Cook in America where the contestants were tasked to make different ways to cook egg. Scrambled egg, poached egg, sunny side up and boiled egg. Then I remember my conversation with a college friend where she suggested I write about eggs in my blog.  Why not? We eat egg almost everyday. Almost all fridge in a household have eggs in them. It is eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even snack. It is used for cooking and baking. People have different preferences on the way they want their eggs. Most common egg eaten is chicken egg, although duck egg is also popular in some countries especially in Asia. Quail egg is also sold in the store, although it is hard to find them. Gull egg is common in England and Norway. While guinefowl egg is eaten in Africa.

There are a lot of breeds of chicken used for laying hens. They are called 'Layers' or 'layer chicken'.  Some breed (with white earlobes) lay white eggs, some  breed (with red earlobes) lay brown eggs. Layers produce egg almost everyday, average of 300 eggs a year. Egg, once bought, can be stored for up to 3-5 weeks in the coldest part of the refrigerator, preferably in its original packaging so you can still check the expiration date. It is not advisable to store egg on the fridge door because it is the warmest part of the fridge. How do we know if egg is still safe to eat?  By doing a simple test.  Put egg in a bowl or glass full of water. It it floats, then it is not safe to eat. It is old and has accumulated gas in the air space located at the edge of the egg. If it sinks, then it is still good to eat.

There are several kinds of eggs sold in the store today. There is the commercial white egg, vegetarian egg, free range egg and organic egg. The last three eggs usually has brown shell. There is a difference between free range and organic egg. Free range eggs are eggs produced by layers that are not 'caged' and are free to roam around the farm. It can have antibiotic on its feed. Organic eggs are eggs produced by free range layers that are fed organic feeds. Organic feeds are free of antibiotic and genetically modified products. Vegetarian eggs are produced by layers that are fed vegetarian feeds. Make sure to read the label before you buy.

Egg is considered 'meat' due to its high protein and choline (Vitamin B4) content. It also has the rest of vitamin B complex and minerals like iodine and selenium.  There was a debate on how many eggs one can eat a day due to its high cholesterol level, which is mainly concentrated in the yolk. Clinical studies show that it is safe to eat one whole egg a day. But one can eat as many eggwhite, as long as you are not allergic to it.

Egg allergy is the most common allergy in children, second to milk. The protein that causes allergy is usually in the white part of the egg, the albumen. Some children are also allergic to protein present in the egg yolk. Most common sign of egg allergy is wheezing, coughing, troubled breathing, stomachache, vomiting, diarrhea, hives, itching and anaphylaxis.

Of course I will not let the opportunity pass by asking the question that causes debate for centuries, since the time of Aristotle. Which comes first, chicken or the egg?