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Backyard henhouses are popping up all over, and people are rediscovering the great taste of really fresh eggs. Using your own eggs in omelets and scrambles is simple, but as bakers quickly learn, some recipes can be fussier, especially if, like most backyard birds, yours are a mix of breeds laying a mix of large and small eggs. Here are the facts on home and commercial egg sizes you need to keep your batter at just the right consistency.
For supermarket eggs, size is regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture into six size categories, from pee wee to jumbo. Most shoppers will only ever see the four largest sizes in the supermarket: medium, large, extra large and jumbo. The USDA sizes are defined by the minimum weight per dozen. The easiest way to weigh eggs at home is one at a time on a sensitive kitchen scale. The standard USDA sizes work out, by egg, to be at least: Medium: 50 grams (1 3/4 oz) Large: 57 grams (2 oz) Extra-Large: 64 grams (2 1/4 oz) Jumbo: 70 grams (2 1/3 oz) Remember, these are minimum sizes, so individual eggs are often slightly heavier. As a test, I weighed a carton of large eggs from the supermarket; each one weighed between 55 and 60 grams. For a carton of mixed backyard eggs from a variety of hen breeds, weight was much more varied, between about 45 grams and almost 70 grams. For most recipes, this doesn't matter much. But in cakes, custards, and creams, the proportion of egg can be critical to the final texture, and in most baked goods a difference of 20 grams per egg will give noticeably different results. Crumpets are the most sensitive in my experience; even a slight difference in the thickness of the batter can stop them from cooking properly (and a properly home-cooked crumpet is a beautiful thing). A good cake recipe should specify the size of egg used; if it doesn't, you should use large eggs, or homegrown eggs of about 57-59 grams each. If you must use larger or smaller eggs, adjust the other ingredients accordingly. Or, for too-small eggs, make up some of the weight in water; the moisture level is the most important (but not the only) contribution of eggs in baking. For too-large eggs, simply beat the eggs, then pull out some of the egg before adding it to the recipe to reach the desired weight. Or for a richer batter you can leave out just some of the white; the extra fat from the extra-large egg yolks will be noticeable in the finished cake. As a final note, if you're counting your calories, egg size can make a difference there, too. An average large egg has around 75 calories; a jumbo closer to 100.
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