Is it time we fell out of love with large eggs?
Many of us don鈥檛 think twice about buying large or very large eggs. They鈥檙e popular among cooks, with lots of recipes calling for them. Industry experts agree greater popularity of boxes of mixed-weight eggs would be good for farmers because it would prevent smaller eggs being devalued. But some campaigners argue it would benefit chickens too. What are the issues and should you worry?
Chickens naturally lay eggs in a variety of sizes, often producing small eggs when they鈥檙e young and increasing in size as they age. Eggs are graded by weight into four categories 鈥 small, medium, large and very large 鈥 with large and very large being the most popular in the UK.
鈥淲hen it comes to eggs, size matters鈥, argues Jane Howorth, founder of the (BHWT), which is behind a campaign to raise awareness of welfare issues it believes are associated with large and very large eggs in the UK. It is campaigning with the (BFREPA), whose CEO Robert Gooch says almost half the eggs their members鈥 free-range hens lay are large or very large.
Poultry veterinarian Ian Jones explains that in a commercial environment many hens are encouraged to lay larger eggs through selective breeding, . The large eggs some lay can cause stress and lead to health problems and even , he continues. Jones says he regularly sees chickens that have consistently laid medium eggs over their lifetime look better and healthier than those laying 鈥渏ust two or three grams more 鈥 it鈥檚 almost obvious, they鈥檝e worked less hard, and produced something that鈥檚 easier for their bodies.鈥
No conclusive research has been conducted into the connection between large eggs and health in chickens, so it is difficult to draw conclusions. Jones says all chicken farmers are aware of the issue. 鈥淚 can consistently relate to having more health and welfare issues in hens with a larger egg size鈥, he explains. He鈥檚 embarking on research about the relationship between hen mortality and egg size.
But Andrew Joret, chairman of the (BEIC), which represents the interests of the UK鈥檚 egg industry, says 鈥渨e do not believe that egg size has an impact on the health and welfare of the vast majority of hens. Today鈥檚 breeds of hen have a good body weight and are robust, meaning that they are able to lay eggs of all sizes without any welfare issues.鈥
Nonetheless, Joret agrees mixed-sized boxes are the 鈥渕ost helpful for the farmers, as they can manage the demand and supply more easily鈥, and notes they are often the best value option in the supermarket.
Benefits of smaller eggs for farmers and cooks
Some chefs and food writers have decided to eliminate large eggs from their recipes. Food writer and president of the Guild of Food Writers, Orlando Murrin, has taken them out of his new cookbook, explaining 鈥渟mall and medium eggs have numerous all-round advantages鈥, including to farmers, who don鈥檛 have to sell small eggs at a discounted cost if they can sell boxes of mixed eggs. There are benefits for the cook too 鈥 yolk-lovers may prefer a smaller egg as the size of the yolk stays the same no matter what the size of the egg.
How to weigh eggs for cooking
The weight difference between each egg size category is about 10g 鈥 a medium egg (in its shell) weighs between 53-63g, a large egg 63-73g. 鈥淚t will make little difference to the end dish to substitute medium eggs for large ones, but for recipes that require several large eggs (more than four), add an extra medium egg鈥, advises Joret. Murrin agrees that you often won鈥檛 notice the difference, but he advises if you鈥檙e making meringues, you weigh your egg whites and add the equivalent amount of sugar.
It鈥檚 easy to adapt your approach to suit the eggs you have. Weigh them and check the results against the to work out the difference. If you鈥檙e baking and have slightly less egg than specified, you can make up the shortfall with milk, oil or even mashed fruit where appropriate.
