Eggonomics 101: Let's compare $10 vs. $7 eggs
A blind taste test reveals pricey eggs aren't what they're cracked up to be
I’ll start out by saying this: If you love puns, then this week’s newsletter will be hard to beat. 🍳
Every time you go grocery shopping (in America), you're now confronted with so many options. Egg-cessive options.
But which eggs to choose? What’s the difference between a dozen eggs at $5, $7, or even $10?
Do eggs-pensive eggs taste better? Do your egg choices make you a good person?
Are you getting the product of a better, healthier chicken and by default, a better, healthier you?
And what about the chickens? How do they feel about all of this? Is there now a socioeconomic hierarchy of chickens that gets to live and eat better, while the others eat dirt and insects? (Which strangely reflects our human society as we know it?)
We now have as many options when it comes to buying eggs as we do retail objects.
My retail philosophy is generally to buy the best quality I can afford. But with eggs I simply must draw the line somewhere, because at some point in recent history it became acceptable to spend upward of $10 on a dozen eggs.
Apparently a recent avian flu resulted in a chicken shortage and a surge in prices, but unlike the ups and downs of gas prices, egg prices are all over the place.
So why such huge disparities, aka in-egg-quality?
Much of it is due to how chickens are raised and what they eat. You can find this info by reading colorful big- and fine-print labels on egg cartons. Organic, free range, cage free — what does it all mean?
Breaking down organic, free range, and cage free eggs
(Portions of this section courtesy of ChatGPT)
Free Range Eggs:
Free range chickens are allowed to roam outside and have access to pasture or other outdoor areas. They are able to engage in natural behaviors like scratching and foraging for food.
Free range eggs are considered to be “more humane and healthier” than cage free eggs, as the chickens may have a more natural and varied diet, hence more nutrient-rich eggs.
Worth noting is that the "Free range" label is not strictly regulated, so the level of outdoor access can vary widely by farm or producer.
Cage Free Eggs:
Cage free chickens are not confined to cages, but they may still be kept indoors in large barns or other structures. They have space to move around and engage in natural behaviors like perching and dust bathing, but do not necessarily have access to the outdoors.
While cage free eggs may be considered an improvement over eggs from caged chickens, the chickens may still be subjected to overcrowding and other stressful conditions.
In short, free range eggs come from chickens with access to the outdoors, while cage free eggs come from chickens that are not kept in cages but may not necessarily have access to the outdoors.
Organic Eggs:
An organic egg is laid by a chicken that has been raised on organic feed and has been allowed to roam freely outdoors. The term "organic" means the feed is free from synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics, and other chemicals, including growth hormones. Organic farming practices also require that the chickens have access to the outdoors and are able to engage in natural behaviors.
In order to be labeled as “organic,” the farm that produces the eggs must be certified by a government-approved agency, which ensures that the farm meets strict organic standards.
(Back to my very human writing)
Based on these definitions, you could also apply my bourbon philosophy, which goes like this:
“All bourbon is whisky, but not all whiskey is bourbon.”
A similar approach could be that “all organic eggs are are free range, but not all free range chickens are organic.”
If any chicken farmers want to get in touch to clarify my deduction, let me know.
The taste test
Finally, time for a taste test.
We purchased two brands of eggs from Whole Foods’ Midtown East location in New York City: Cage free eggs from Whole Foods’ own 365 brand at $6.49, and Vital Farms Organic Pasture Raised eggs at $8.49 (based on early April 2023 prices).
This wasn’t even the most expensive dozen; Vital Farms also sells a “Restorative Eggs” dozen at $9.99, which claims to produce eggs using regenerative farming practices.
I cooked up one egg each, scrambled in unsalted butter.
I served my tasting subject both eggs at the same temperature, because we all know temperature can influence our impression of whether something “tastes good.” Case in point, a piping hot coffee vs. lukewarm coffee, or soup.
Then, the roles reversed and I was served one fried egg each, and was asked to pick which egg I thought tasted better.
The results
In the blind taste test, my tasting subject actually picked the cheaper egg as the more flavorful one.
In my taste test, I picked the more expensive egg.
But in all honesty, it was very hard to pick which was the tastier egg. I thought both were flavorful and delicious.
In the end, I suppose when it comes to eggs, if you're looking for flavor, my not-so-scientific experiment revealed there’s not much of a difference between cheaper versus expensive eggs.
If you have the budget to spend toward more sustainable farming, or you want to ensure you’re getting an organically-fed egg, then by all means do so!
At an industrial level, it’s not possible to feed a majority of the population with organic eggs. Organic farming requires more land and resources, and as a result more expensive production costs, all of which aren’t accessible to lower-income areas and households.
As a consumer, you have the ultimate choice of what you eat and how much to pay. Just be aware of the marketing and what it is you’re actually paying for.
I leave you with this memorable clip of Katt Williams myth-busting last year’s chicken wing shortage:
Until next time,
Shindy
On Instagram + TikTok
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