To try them out, I defrosted seven. Six for scrambled eggs for lunch, and one for a cake. Freezing them in the ice cube tray and then bagging them by the dozen proved pretty convenient. Each cube equals about a small egg's worth.
When defrosted they looked just like fresh. And they cooked like fresh too.
 |
| Scrambled eggs, scrapple, & buttered whole wheat toast |
Did they pass muster? Judge for yourself. Here's a snippet of our lunchtime conversation.
Me: Well?
DH: Well what?
Me: How are they?
DH: How are what?
Me: The eggs! How do they taste?
DH: Like eggs.My only negative comment is that I thought they were too salty, scrambled. The directions for freezing called for 1/2 teaspoon salt per cup beaten eggs, to maintain texture of the yolk. I did not add any additional salt when I scrambled them, but even that much was too salty for my taste. It's not that I'm particularly low salt in my use of it, I just use it according to taste. Next year I'll try using a little less and see how well we like those.
The single egg I used to make a sourdough applesauce spice cake.
The cake was perfect if I do say so myself.
Conclusion? I would not hesitate to freeze eggs again, and in fact I will. It's a great way to deal with a surplus, and it's great to still have healthy pasture produced eggs on hand even when the hens aren't laying. I also learned that I can adapt my egg usage more easily than I thought. An unexpected but welcome bonus. :)
UPDATE - NOV. 2011 - I didn't use many of my frozen eggs that first winter. My chickens laid less, but adequately so that I didn't need them. This winter however, I have started to use them. They've held up well in the freezer, with no sign of freezer burn. They have dehydrated somewhat however, so that I add a dash of milk to them after they defrost; just enough to get the consistency of fresh beaten eggs.
Cooking With My Frozen Eggs © January 2011
Cool! I have been looking forward to this post! Thank you (bunches) for letting us know how they worked out. Good things going on here always!! I wonder if cutting back the salt will change the texture then? I would imagine a small amount wouldn't really, but I am totally guessing.
ReplyDeleteExcellent information! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteVery cool - I never thought about freezing eggs, but we *always* run low in the winter and I have to go out and buy (yuck) store bought eggs for all the baking I do - I will definitely consider this come fall...
ReplyDelete(thanks for conducting the taste test for us! lol)
Interesting. I was wondering how they would turn out when used.
ReplyDeleteWe get sufficient eggs in the winter but because we blow out goose eggs we also have a lot in the freezer! They work out fine without salt, so far as we can tell. If they go two years they are all diverted to baking.
ReplyDeleteSweet! So nice to know! Loved that you posted your conversations with Dan. (Guys are funny. You'd think they wouldn't need to be prodded to give us a opinion.) Geez...
ReplyDeleteGreat tip...I was hesitant last summer when the girls were laying so well, but if they are as good as you say, then next summer I will have to.
ReplyDeleteAPG, apparently not! See Risa's comment below. (This is one of the reasons I love blogging, because we can share our experience and collective wisdom!)
ReplyDeleteHeidi, you're welcome!
Farmgirl_dk, I can honestly recommend freezing for extra eggs. Right now I'm using the frozen for baking and the fresh for scrambled and omelets.
Robin, you honestly can't tell the difference.
Risa, thank you for that! I will try the next ones without any salt at all. The instructions to add salt were in reference to freezing yolks, but didn't mention freezing whole eggs. I thought it was better to be safe than sorry.
Tami, I thought our conversation was pretty funny too. On the other hand, if something tasted odd about them, I'm sure he would have let me know without hesitation!
City Sister, do give it a try. Even if you only freeze some test batches, I think you'll be glad.
Brilliant - glad it works:-) The sourdough applesauce spice cake looks delicious - any left?
ReplyDeleteI will have to remember this when our chickens start laying alot of eggs this spring and summer. I do have a question about egg production - I recently had one layer start laying now when the temps still reach freezing overnight, two nights ago she must have laid real late in the afternoon before roosting and we missed the egg until the morning, so it froze over night. How much of a problem is that? Haven't actually cracked the egg yet.
ReplyDeleteBlessings
Diane
Dani, any left? It didn't last long, LOL. Actually, it freezes well too. :)
ReplyDeleteDiane, personally, I would still use the egg as long as it wasn't cracked. If it had cracked, I would still feed it to the cats. They got all of the "rubber" eggs I found, at least the unbroken ones that I didn't break in the meantime. :)
Good to know about the frozen eggs. I actually don't salt my eggs at all when I eat them, so I can't imagine even 1/2 tsp per cup tasting good! It would be good to know how less salt works. We've been okay for eggs this winter as this year as the chooks are still young. We've gotten at least 2 a day on the darkest few days and now we're getting 3-6 a day. Enough for us and a few others to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteNow I know why my frozen eggs were rubbery! Years ago, I froze a bunch of eggs in ice cube trays but didn't add any salt. The rubbery texture was not a hit and I never did it again.
ReplyDeleteYour eggs look beautiful. Thanks for the post. I look forward to freezing the summer surplus this year.
You learn something everyday. I never knew you could do this. Cool.
ReplyDeleteWonderful! Nice to know that they do indeed freeze well. Thank you for all your great experiments. I certainly learn a ton over here.:)
ReplyDeleteHaven't had scrapple in YEARS!
So glad the frozen eggs worked out. Your cake looks good. Thanks for the heads up on the salt.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information, Leigh. I will have to give this a try. We have alot of eggs on hand right now. But then, we will probably have alot on hand this summer, too... but thanks for the info, I wondered how frozen eggs would taste.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update on your eggs. I have read a ton on this matter and some ideas are to freeze eggs one way for baking and another for using for making things like scrambled eggs. I am happy to stick to one way. Or I would be lost in using them. Love the pics too, thanks for posting them.
ReplyDeleteMelissa
So you add a little salt before you freeze or after? I froze just a dozen a couple weeks ago and didn't put anything in them.. now I'm curious how they'll turn out, lol. It's good that they taste the same though.. that is a GREAT way of getting rid of the extras too!
ReplyDeleteHow interesting - I wonder if my friends who raise chickens for eggs freeze them...I'll have to ask her...
ReplyDeleteNina, I'm definitely going to try less salt next time. Starlighthill didn't add any and said her eggs were rubbery. So, I'll experiment and see how it goes. I'll let you know!
ReplyDeleteStarlighthill, thank you for that input. According to the link I gave, sugar or corn syrup works as well, but neither of those sounded appealing for scrambled eggs or omlets! Risa had success with no salt, so surely it can be done!
I don't even remember how I heard of it. It just seemed like something to try. I'm happy it was a success.
Theresa, actually I have a hard time finding scrapple. The more popular choice around here is liver mush or liver pudding. Dan grew up in South Jersey though, so when I can find scrapple, scrapple it is.
Toodie, I hope you have many, many eggs to freeze!
Lynn, right now I'm using the frozen ones for cooking and the fresh for egg dishes. Not so sure I'll have laying going on next winter. Unless of course one of my hens goes broody this summer and we can hatch some of our own. :)
Melissa, that's me too. I have enough trouble keeping track of things in the freezer as it is, so doing them all the same is easiest. If I can get the salt adjusted, they'll be perfect for cooking as a meal.
Mandy, I added the salt as I beat them before putting in the ice cube trays. It has to do with the texture, though it seems from the comments, that different folks are having good results with a variety of ways. You're right, it's a great way to deal with extras!
Sara, we hit "publish your comment" at the same time! Do ask. You may get some more useful input about the topic.
ReplyDeleteI have always frozen extra egg whites with no problems - some recipes only call for the yolk. I wonder if eggs would do alright frozen in the shell?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that freezing the eggs worked out for you. I wish I had a supplier of eggs...other than the grocery store.
ReplyDeletebut knowing about freezing them is good in that it seems that my daughter runs hot and cold on her egg consumption...when I don't have any she seems to want tons and if I buy a lot, she doesn't want any.
This is great information. I always end up with a lot more eggs than I can eat or sell. I've pickled them but now I will freeze some too. And I'm glad that they freeze well without salt - I am not used to a lot of salt in cooking. Thanks for the great post!
ReplyDeleteHa; isn't that just like a man? Loved your breakfast conversation!
ReplyDeleteThanks for trying this out for the rest of us. This spring I will be getting extra eggs again, and although I'm not using many now because of Rick's heart attack and cholesterol, it would be nice to have those frozen lumps for when I need to whip up something for potluck or homeschool co-op treats.
Evelyn, the only thing I'd wonder about is whether or not the egg shells would bust during freezing, like trying to freeze soup in a glass jar. I reckon if I did a lot of cooking with either egg whites or yolks, I'd freeze them separately too.
ReplyDeleteRenee, that would be a good thing to do with leftover eggs. Do you have a farmer's market near you? That might be a good source of eggs.
Susan, I've never tried pickled eggs. How are they? Can you recommend a recipe?
Michelle, it would also be nice to have some extras around for company! I'm glad Rick is doing so well.
Very interesting! What a good post! I would have never known you could freeze eggs!
ReplyDeleteDing! Ding! Ding! Ding!
ReplyDeleteWe have a winner, here, folks!
Woohoo!!!
Megan, I'm glad you think so. It certainly is a handy thing to know.
ReplyDeleteLOL Benita. It's a winner in my book. :)
WOW! This is so cool, I am still just in awe that you can freeze eggs, I had honestly never thought of it before. Good to know that they worked well for baking!!! You and your hubbies morning breakfast conversation gave me a laugh!!! :)
ReplyDeleteJust like everyone else, I'm glad to hear this was a success.
ReplyDeleteNow, if I can only convince my hens to start laying again :-)
Very happy to hear your results on this, too. Seeing as how we just went from 3 hens to 16 we BETTER be having a surplus this spring!!! Will definitely give this a try. -Carrie
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you, Leigh, for this follow-up post. I'm DEFINITELY going to freeze eggs this fall. We are still just barely squeaking by with an egg or so a day. Not nearly enough for our needs so I would LOVE to have frozen some of our abundance this summer/fall. Live and learn. Next year!
ReplyDeleteMaries Cottage, I don't even recall how I first heard about freezing eggs. Sure comes in handy!
ReplyDeleteToni, yes. It does help if the hens cooperate. :)
Carrie, you'll definitely have a surplus! 7 layers gave us 2 to 3 dozen a week in the summer, maybe about a dozen this winter. If you get sick of eating eggs and don't sell your surplus, freezing is definitely the way to go!
Mama Pea, there's always something to learn! Isn't that why we read one another's blogs? I'll definitely freeze as many as I can this summer. My hens will be going on 2 next winter, so I'm sure egg production will start dropping severely by then.
The cake looks delish! I've never frozen eggs before, just whites, so this was so interesting! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to know I'm not out of my mind :o) I thought about freezing eggs that way and thought I was being a little too frugal..now that someone else has done it with success..I'm on my way to follow my instincts, regardless of my own opinions :o)..Thanks much for this post...
ReplyDeleteDonna, they are wonderful to have on hand!
ReplyDeleteGinny, I admit I wasn't too sure about it at first. Now that all my chickens are moulting and I'm only getting one egg a day, I'm really thankful for those dozens I froze. :)
Leigh, ive never heard of freezing eggs. Ive reposted this on my blog today. Perhaps there are others in my blogosphere that have never done this. Thanks for the info.
ReplyDeleteLynda
Lynda, it was new for me too, but it is a fantastic way to save extra eggs!
ReplyDeleteThank you Leigh! Over and over your blog and books have been helpful and encouraging. My husband found your site when we began this journey 8 or 9 years ago, You blessed me today with your frozen egg journey. Thank you very much for taking the time and effort to have such an easily searchable and linked site and for sharing your journey. Blessings to you!
ReplyDeleteFreckles, thank you so much for your kind words! Makes me glad I plug away at writing and blogging. :)
ReplyDelete