Are there any palatable dried eggs?

[Hawkmoon]

I don't eat eggs on a regular basis, and it seems since the advent of COVID-19 that when I feel like buying eggs, the local stupidmarket doesn't have any brown eggs in stock. So buying and stocking powdered eggs might be a solution.

Except that we used to get powdered eggs when I was in Vietnam and they were rather horrible, so my inclination is to view them with a great deal of skepticism. Does anyone have recent experience with any powdered or freeze-dried egg products that are decent?

[230RN]

"Palatability" is subjective, and I love to poke into the yolk of a bacon and eggs breakfast, but of late a reasonable sub has been those liquid eggs in a quart container.

I pour the liquid eggs over a pair of sausage patties, spray some olive oil over them, sprinkle a  little oregano and basil over  them, and put a half slice of American cheese over it all.  Slightly less than 2 minutes in the µ-wave does the trick.

Now nobody ever said Ecole Cuisine d' Terry was the best eatin' in the world, but that combinaion is so fast and "acceptably palatable," that I hereby suggest those liquid eggs.

Still, nothin' beats pokin' that yolk and watchin' it flow over the bacon or sausages and soppin' it up with those home fried pertooties, I'll testify.

Oops !  Noon!  Lunchtime! Then a nap!

Terry, 230RN

[Ben]

I use Auguson Farms for my zombie apocolypse supplies and have sampled some of their food that I have stored, including the powdered eggs. I find them good for powdered eggs - better than the Mountain House stuff I have had backpacking.

I have also tried Wild Roots whole egg powder, which I got at Costco during the covid when one of the few things I almost ran out on was eggs. I have tried it too, and find it quite palatable. It  also comes in smaller packets, vs an Auguson Farms #10 tin.

That said, wouldn't white fresh eggs be better than powdered eggs? My little grocery store rarely has brown eggs either. but I'll take white fresh eggs over powdered eggs any day.

[Hawkmoon]

That said, wouldn't white fresh eggs be better than powdered eggs? My little grocery store rarely has brown eggs either. but I'll take white fresh eggs over powdered eggs any day.

Yes, they would -- except ...

The white eggs don't seem to keep as long as brown eggs and I have had occasions even with brown eggs when I didn't use a full dozen before they went bad. So I'm willing (I think -- at least until I've tried it) to sacrifice a bit of taste to shelf life. I used to have the same problem with milk. When I bought a quart, I often ran out. When I bought a half gallon, I often had to throw out at least a pint because it went past the expiration date. When my daughter insisted that she's lactose intolerant and I started buying lactose-free milk, I discovered that the shelf life on that is generally at least six weeks (as opposed to maybe six days for regular 2% milk). So I now buy store-brand lactose-free milk even though my daughter isn't living at home, and I never have to throw out part of an unfinished container.

[Ben]

Yes, they would -- except ...

The white eggs don't seem to keep as long as brown eggs and I have had occasions even with brown eggs when I didn't use a full dozen before they went bad. So I'm willing (I think -- at least until I've tried it) to sacrifice a bit of taste to shelf life. I used to have the same problem with milk. When I bought a quart, I often ran out. When I bought a half gallon, I often had to throw out at least a pint because it went past the expiration date. When my daughter insisted that she's lactose intolerant and I started buying lactose-free milk, I discovered that the shelf life on that is generally at least six weeks (as opposed to maybe six days for regular 2% milk). So I now buy store-brand lactose-free milk even though my daughter isn't living at home, and I never have to throw out part of an unfinished container.

I had the same problem with the milk, and APS recommended ultra-pasteurized, so that is what I buy now. Though it is more expensive, I'm saving money versus tossing out sour milk. Not to mention when I had the covid smell loss I didn't have to worry about accidently drinking sour milk that I  couldn't smell.

I bought milk yesterday and just checked the "buy before" date, and it's 08JUL, so almost a month. It usually takes me a couple of weeks to go through a half gallon.

[Hawkmoon]

I had the same problem with the milk, and APS recommended ultra-pasteurized, so that is what I buy now. Though it is more expensive, I'm saving money versus tossing out sour milk.

That's the way I feel about the lactose-free milk. It's more expensive, but I don't have to throw out as much as 1/3 of a half-gallon container. That amortizes the extra cost pretty fast.

[Andiron]

WRT to .mil eggs, whatever they were using 10 years ago wasn't bad at all.  Even had a creative gunny sgt running the chow line that added chopped up bacon to the googe that was our eggs.  I'm a fan of breakfast,  so I'm already half sold on any hot food that isn't a *expletive deleted*ing MRE, but the giant pans of mystery egg were pretty good.  actual hot chow once a day is a morale improver that can't be overstated.

My personal experience with civvy powdered egg is https://www.amazon.com/Hoosier-Hill-Farm-Granules-All-natural/dp/B08B2J43JF .   Pretty solid.

[Bogie]

A long time ago, when veterans from WWII came back to the states, and started cranking out crotchgoblins by the school-bus-load, a gentleman wrote a short book. It was intended to help kids learn to read, being comprised mostly of short words.
 
Returned GIs LOVED it, and would read it to their adorable anklebiters with great gusto.
 
The title?
 
Green Eggs and Ham
 

[Northwoods]

I just keep a few dozen hens.  Even in the dead of winter I can get enough eggs for breakfast most days.

[K Frame]

"but of late a reasonable sub has been those liquid eggs in a quart container."

The Egg Beaters liquid egg substitute (flavored egg whites, basically) are what I have been eating in lieu of regular eggs for a couple of years now. I can eat the equivalent of 4 to 6 large eggs for the same calorie count that I would get from 2 whole eggs.

I first started eating those when I was a kid and I was allergic to regular eggs. I outgrew that allergy by the time I went to college so I started eating real eggs. Then when I started my diet back in 2018 I started eating the substitute again.

The taste is... OK, not great, but it's OK.

I generally buy either Walmart or the local grocery store house brands. Significantly cheaper than Egg Beaters and I can't really tell any difference in taste.

The best part is that you can buy several containers and freeze the ones you're not using. Being all whites they freeze well, you just have to shake the container to remix everything.


Ben mentioned Augason Farms -- In this review article those come in as the best on the market: https://www.bestreviews.guide/powdered-eggs?origin=google&google_params

I've not eaten powdered eggs since Boy Scouts in the 1980s. I remember them being kind of... meh. But, whatever.

I watched a show about British War Time cooking some years ago that said that British children, after eating powdered eggs for the duration, had trouble getting used to real eggs after they started becoming available again.

[K Frame]

Oh, if you don't want to freeze a whole container?

Freeze it in ice cube trays, pop them out, and then store in a double freezer bag.

One "egg cube" is roughly equal to one medium to large egg.

[French G.]

Navy we ate liquid eggs. Which were fine unless they sat in the steam tray for hours. Always get there early and get the omlette from real eggs.

For you I think a couple liquid egg cartons in the freezer would be perfect. Or get the dozen and make up most of them into some form of cooked egg and freeze it.

[Jim147]

Pull out your old man card and cut a dozen eggs in half, take to counter and let them call manager to know what to charge you.

[Ben]

Pull out your old man card and cut a dozen eggs in half, take to counter and let them call manager to know what to charge you.

I don't see it anywhere around here, but where I used to live, most of the major grocery stores sold half dozen cartons.

[Brad Johnson]

I don't eat eggs on a regular basis, and it seems since the advent of COVID-19 that when I feel like buying eggs, the local stupidmarket doesn't have any brown eggs in stock. So buying and stocking powdered eggs might be a solution.

As others have mentioned... half cartons. My local supermarket keeps a decent stock of six-pack sizes. Does yours have that option?

When you say "go bad", do you mean they actually go bad, or have just gone past the carton date? I can't remember the last time I had an egg actually go south on me, and I regularly use eggs that are a month or better past the Best By date.

Brad

[JTHunter]

There is a Youtube channel called "Townsend's" that recreates foods, storage, cooking, clothing, etc., from the mid- to late 1700s.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=townsend%27s
They have some interesting methods of storing fresh eggs for prolonged periods of time, all without refrigeration.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUYgguMz1qI