Spring has forgotten us, but the hens have not forgotten spring. We're getting between fourteen and twenty eggs every day, and even though we sell four dozen a week to our neighbors I just can't keep up. We're in the middle of moving (long story) so I'm not looking for new egg customers... what's a girl to do?
Enter the ancient practices of egg preservation.
There are many practices that have been used over the centuries to make the spring abundance last into the less generous times of year. early Americans packed eggs in salt (allegedly made them taste "salty") or sand (low rate of success, basically just helped shield them from temperature extremes) or isinglass (aka fish gelatin, obtained by boiling the swim bladders--if you try it let me know, but I'm not going to). In the Edwardian era of England they preserved them in a mixture of slaked lime and water (My main takeaway from the series "Edwardian Farm" is that the English of that era used slaked lime for literally everything), and later Englishmen used a silicate mixture called water-glass. Then came the era of the freezer and the dehydrator, which is probably all that most of us need to know: some people separate all their eggs, give the yolks a good stir separate from the whites, then load up regular ice cube trays. When frozen, remove from trays and put in freezer bags. One yolk cube plus two white cubes equals one egg, mind you don't leave them in the freezer too long or the yolks might get rancid, otherwise problem solved. Other people scramble the eggs and dehydrate (they may or may not turn green, let the buyer beware).
Alas, I am seldom looking for new ways to fill up my freezers; between pork, chickens, beef, and (of course) deer hides, I instead take every opportunity to remove whatever I can from their load. And I have not yet joined the ranks of those who have a dehydrator. So how am I handling the aforementioned fourteen to twenty eggs per day?
A common theme among the more successful historical practices of egg preservation is creating a coating that seals the pores in the egg's shell. Since the inside of the egg is sterile, a seal that closes the pores will effectively stop spoilage (assuming there are no pathogens already on the shell before the coating is applied--more on that later). Also, over time an unsealed egg will lose water volume to evaporation; this is why older eggs float--a significant percentage of water in the egg has evaporated, being replaced by air. A successful coating of the egg's shell will stop this exchange, allowing the egg to remain little changed over months of storage.
A more recent development in in-shell egg storage is the practice of thermostabilization. The idea is to "pasteurize" the shell and outer layer of the white by exposing it to a certain temperature for a certain length of time; the shell is made sterile and the egg white within gains a thin, white layer of "cooked" tissue that helps protect the rest of the egg's contents.
All this research has led me to my current practice in egg preservation. It's a combination of thermostabilization and oiling, using hot mineral oil to both pasteurize and seal the exterior of the egg. Last year I put up approximately ten dozen eggs this way, with an average failure rate of one bad egg per dozen.
Cold water and a cloth
One bottle of mineral oil
A cooking thermometer
Put mineral oil in a pan and begin heating. Meanwhile, wipe visibly dirty eggs with cloth dipped in cold water, as little as possible. Really dirty eggs are better used now than saved--washing removes the bloom for the egg and can actually force pathogens in through the egg's pores, so less is more. Also, the quicker the egg gets stabilized after cleaning the less chance there is for germs to migrate through the shell. Do make sure the egg is dry before putting it in the oil.
Check oil temperature. Generally eggs need to be submerged in 160 degree oil for 10 minutes or 180 degree oil for 3 minutes. I opt for 180 degrees, in a small pan, and add 3 eggs at a time; I'll let the oil heat to 185 or so since the addition of the eggs will drop the temperature. I remove the eggs at the appointed time with a slotted spoon, try to let them drip a bit, and place directly in a carton.
These eggs are perfect for simple baking as long as nine months later; the yolks are fragile, so they aren't the best for recipes that call for separating eggs, and I haven't been bold enough to try them simply fried, but they make fine banana bread, pancakes, or cookies. I always test them before using them by gently lowering them into a jar of water. If they float I discard them; if they sink I use them. That way I'm never unpleasantly surprised by cracking a bad egg. The small areas of "cooked" white are very soft and easily blend back into the rest of the egg white for baking--no need to discard as long as you're not trying to be too fancy.
Note--in the true spirit of Wasting Not, I save the mineral oil for another thermostabilization. I heat it well above the boiling point (say 250), wait for any sputtering to subside, then allow to cool slightly and funnel back into the bottle (which I then clearly label "For Eggs").
Final Note--I experimentally used a higher temperature and much shorter time for five dozen eggs last week, 220-250 for just a few seconds. Clearly they haven't yet been stored long enough to definitively tell whether it worked, but I'll update on that come winter!
Enter the ancient practices of egg preservation.
There are many practices that have been used over the centuries to make the spring abundance last into the less generous times of year. early Americans packed eggs in salt (allegedly made them taste "salty") or sand (low rate of success, basically just helped shield them from temperature extremes) or isinglass (aka fish gelatin, obtained by boiling the swim bladders--if you try it let me know, but I'm not going to). In the Edwardian era of England they preserved them in a mixture of slaked lime and water (My main takeaway from the series "Edwardian Farm" is that the English of that era used slaked lime for literally everything), and later Englishmen used a silicate mixture called water-glass. Then came the era of the freezer and the dehydrator, which is probably all that most of us need to know: some people separate all their eggs, give the yolks a good stir separate from the whites, then load up regular ice cube trays. When frozen, remove from trays and put in freezer bags. One yolk cube plus two white cubes equals one egg, mind you don't leave them in the freezer too long or the yolks might get rancid, otherwise problem solved. Other people scramble the eggs and dehydrate (they may or may not turn green, let the buyer beware).
Alas, I am seldom looking for new ways to fill up my freezers; between pork, chickens, beef, and (of course) deer hides, I instead take every opportunity to remove whatever I can from their load. And I have not yet joined the ranks of those who have a dehydrator. So how am I handling the aforementioned fourteen to twenty eggs per day?
A common theme among the more successful historical practices of egg preservation is creating a coating that seals the pores in the egg's shell. Since the inside of the egg is sterile, a seal that closes the pores will effectively stop spoilage (assuming there are no pathogens already on the shell before the coating is applied--more on that later). Also, over time an unsealed egg will lose water volume to evaporation; this is why older eggs float--a significant percentage of water in the egg has evaporated, being replaced by air. A successful coating of the egg's shell will stop this exchange, allowing the egg to remain little changed over months of storage.
A more recent development in in-shell egg storage is the practice of thermostabilization. The idea is to "pasteurize" the shell and outer layer of the white by exposing it to a certain temperature for a certain length of time; the shell is made sterile and the egg white within gains a thin, white layer of "cooked" tissue that helps protect the rest of the egg's contents.
All this research has led me to my current practice in egg preservation. It's a combination of thermostabilization and oiling, using hot mineral oil to both pasteurize and seal the exterior of the egg. Last year I put up approximately ten dozen eggs this way, with an average failure rate of one bad egg per dozen.
Recipe: Oil Stabilized Eggs
Eggs, the fresher and cleaner the better but not washed yetCold water and a cloth
One bottle of mineral oil
A cooking thermometer
Put mineral oil in a pan and begin heating. Meanwhile, wipe visibly dirty eggs with cloth dipped in cold water, as little as possible. Really dirty eggs are better used now than saved--washing removes the bloom for the egg and can actually force pathogens in through the egg's pores, so less is more. Also, the quicker the egg gets stabilized after cleaning the less chance there is for germs to migrate through the shell. Do make sure the egg is dry before putting it in the oil.
Check oil temperature. Generally eggs need to be submerged in 160 degree oil for 10 minutes or 180 degree oil for 3 minutes. I opt for 180 degrees, in a small pan, and add 3 eggs at a time; I'll let the oil heat to 185 or so since the addition of the eggs will drop the temperature. I remove the eggs at the appointed time with a slotted spoon, try to let them drip a bit, and place directly in a carton.
These eggs are perfect for simple baking as long as nine months later; the yolks are fragile, so they aren't the best for recipes that call for separating eggs, and I haven't been bold enough to try them simply fried, but they make fine banana bread, pancakes, or cookies. I always test them before using them by gently lowering them into a jar of water. If they float I discard them; if they sink I use them. That way I'm never unpleasantly surprised by cracking a bad egg. The small areas of "cooked" white are very soft and easily blend back into the rest of the egg white for baking--no need to discard as long as you're not trying to be too fancy.
Note--in the true spirit of Wasting Not, I save the mineral oil for another thermostabilization. I heat it well above the boiling point (say 250), wait for any sputtering to subside, then allow to cool slightly and funnel back into the bottle (which I then clearly label "For Eggs").
Final Note--I experimentally used a higher temperature and much shorter time for five dozen eggs last week, 220-250 for just a few seconds. Clearly they haven't yet been stored long enough to definitively tell whether it worked, but I'll update on that come winter!
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