Pasture raised. Cage free. Factory farm. What does it all mean? Author Lisa Steele of Maine detailed some of the myths surrounding eggs and what not to do at the grocery store.
Lisa Steele, author of “Fresh Eggs Daily,” addresses five common myths about eggs.
Based in Maine, Steele has raised chickens for years and also has ducks and geese on her farm. (See the video at the top of this article.)
Read on to find out what matters when it comes to choosing eggs – and some tips on making the best-ever egg dishes for the whole family.
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Eggs don’t have more or less nutritional value depending on their shell color, Steele told Fox News Digital.
“The shell color is dictated by the breed of the chicken that lays it,” she said. “Different chickens have different pigments that they apply on the eggshell.”
The actual eggs themselves, she said, are “pretty much the same” nutritionally.
While eggs that are purchased at a grocery store in the United States do have to be refrigerated, eggs have a natural defense against bacteria and moisture, Steele said.
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“Just before an egg is laid, the hen puts an invisible covering on it called the bloom,” she said.
This “bloom” protects the egg but, by law, commercial farmers in the U.S. have to wash it off.
“So now, at this point, the egg is vulnerable, and now it needs to be refrigerated … In Europe and a lot of other parts of the world, they just collect the eggs and leave them, and then they don’t need to be refrigerated,” Steele said.
Unwashed eggs, like ones from backyard chickens or small, non-commercial farms, do not have to be refrigerated, she said.
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It is easy to tell if an egg is still fresh, Steele said.
Simply pour a glass of water and drop in the egg.
Eggs that sink to the bottom and stay there are still good — but any “floaters” should probably be tossed, she said.
It’s a myth that older eggs are necessary when making deviled eggs, Steele said.
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While older eggs can be easier to peel, older eggs also contain much more air than newer eggs – which leads to a misshapen hard-boiled egg.
Using older eggs for deviled eggs is “the worst advice,” Steele said, “because you do want a nice, egg-shaped egg.”
Instead of hard-boiling eggs for deviled eggs, steam them, Steele said.
“I steam them in a steamer basket over simmering water. Same amount of time. Then put them in ice water,” she said. “That makes the shell come off.”
This will make the peeling process much easier, Steele said, even for brand-new eggs.
“I’ve collected eggs, gone inside and cooked them, and they peel perfectly,” she said.
“Cage-free” and “pasture-raised” are not the same thing.
“When you’re at the grocery store, if you look for pasture-raised eggs, that’s really the gold standard,” she said. “Cage-free has kind of become a buzzword that everybody looks for.”
Just because a chicken is not raised in a cage does not mean it is being treated well, Steele said.
“They’re still in a huge warehouse,” she said. “So you want ‘pasture-raised.’ You know that the chickens are out in the sun. They’re enjoying life and the eggs are more nutritious.”
Chickens in a pasture, she said, are “rummaging around in the dirt and the grass and eating weeds.”
The eggs from pasture-raised chickens have less cholesterol and more nutrients, Steele said.
Eggs are not only for breakfast. They can be eaten at any time of day, Steele said.
“Eggs are really good for you. They’re a complete protein. They contain tons of nutrients – every nutrient needed for life, except for vitamin C,” she said.
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Eggs, added Steele, are “still relatively inexpensive compared to other types of protein.”
“So for dinner, instead of cooking a chicken or whatever, cooking eggs is really quicker,” she said.
“Clean out the fridge, throw in extra vegetables that you’ve cooked from the night before or different types of meat and cheese,” Steele said.
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“And it’s a really great way to clean up the fridge and have a pretty well-rounded dinner on the table pretty fast.”
