Why free range eggs are better than caged eggs.
I went through the last couple of years just buying free range eggs because of the feel good factor.
(and don’t get me wrong, I do honestly like the fact that the chickens get to run around at least in a barn if not in open fields, understand the troubles that farmers would have increased, such as foxes, weasels, whatever other predators there are to free ranging chooks, but also am willing to pay the slight extra amount to give these chickens the best life they can have).
HOWEVER…. Are free range eggs actually better than Caged? As an end Product? If so why? Well I found this out by chance lately when i went to the supermarket with my dad. He has no interest in the free range vs. caged eggs debate, and is simply out there for the “cheapest, that’ll do” type of thing.
So as a result, long story short, I ended up buying caged. And learnt an obvious but good lesson. Caged eggs suck.
Very simplified statement, but it is true. Number one would have to be the thickness of the shell’s themselves. I presume because free range chooks are happier, healthier, whichever, the eggs themselves come out stronger, more solid & have better coloured shells. Not sure why the colour makes a difference, or if it is just a result of a thicker shell, but here is the real life difference it makes. The harder the egg shell, the less shattering.
For someone who can easily crack an egg with one hand, (lifetime of multitasking, no training required, aren’t i great ??) when I made this mistake the first time with caged eggs, i spent the next ten minutes picking egg shells out of the egg.
The harder the shell, the less shattering, which means unless your very careful (compared to what you have to be to crack a normal egg) the shell will end up in whatever your eating. Number two – Size does matter.
When you get used to using 65 or 70gm eggs, you expect a certain amount out of your egg. However (and i do not understand how this happens, unless the weight of the caged egg per bit of liquid is just heavier?) the caged eggs are smaller.
No doubt about it. unfortunately you don’t realise this until your half way through making whatever you have made.
Single egg, no big deal. But if your using more than one egg in a meal, you really start to notice how little you have.
the example I am thinking of in my head is French toast. Nothing worse than falling short when it comes to french toast mix (such a first world problem!). But an annoyance all the same. Nummber three would have to be Colour of the yolk. Its just different.
there is a nice deep colour in one (free Range), and a lighter sunnier colour in the other. this makes a difference in taste, i think. Well, i am putting the difference in taste down to this anyway.
An egg has a nice, thick, creamy consitency, rather than a liquidy, not so thick consistency, even when cooked. There you go.
There are my top three reasons for prefering Free range eggs to Caged. I know i haven’t hit on any of the chooks being in a tight cage no bigger than their bodies, the chicks being proccessed in a very harsh way, the hormones being pumped into the chook, etc.
But to be honest, if you care about that stuff, your probably buying free range eggs already.
If you have any other reasons, that don’t fall under the feel good category, as to why Free range eggs are better than caged, Post below & let me know!