Decoding Your Eggs

What's the difference between pasture raised, free range, and organic and what's that weird number on the side of your egg carton? Lisa Steele Helps demystify egg buying.

Of all the foods in the world, it seems that eggs are the most personal order. People have a clear preference as to how they want their eggs cooked: Poached, egg white omelet, over easy — there are almost as many different ways to eat an egg as there are chickens.

As author of several books on eggs and the Fresh Eggs Daily site, fifth generation chicken keeper Lisa Steele has an opinion about people’s egg opinions. “I think eggs are so simple and basic on the surface, but they’re very scientific. One little tweak can change so much. That’s why you can have two people side by side making eggs and the results can be so different,” she says.

Steele says the best approach to cooking eggs is the simplest. “From poaching eggs to frying them, I’ve tried every method. People make it so hard, but it would be easier if everyone used super-fresh eggs.”

For instance, Steele says that many people are intimidated by poaching an egg. They’ll purchase gadgets or look for tricks like adding vinegar or whipping the water into a vortex (which she does simply because she finds the swirling water “mesmerizing”). Her instructions are way easier: “I just take a super fresh egg and drop it in water. Turns out great every time.” Steele explains that as eggs get older, tiny bits of air get into the shells and the whites begin to change. They’re still perfectly good to eat for weeks, but cooking results aren’t as beautiful.

Obtaining super fresh egg sounds super easy, right? It turns out it’s a little more complicated than you think if you’re not raising your chickens or having some farms nearby.

If you’re purchasing eggs at the market, there are many buzzwords to decipher — and an expiration date on the package doesn’t tell you where or when the eggs were packaged. Thankfully, Steele is here to help demystify all the egg carton content.

Steele says that words like farm-fresh and local can be misleading. “I think a farm can be within 400 miles to be considered local,” she explains.

And cage-free means next to nothing if you’re concerned about the welfare of the hens laying your eggs. “It just means that the chickens aren’t in tiny cages. But they’re still in a barn and they may never see the light of day,” she says.

Free range allows chickens to have access to the outdoors from their barns through a door, “but a high percentage of chickens never find that door,” says Steele, who recommends seeking out certified humane pasture-raised eggs. “Pasture-raised chickens are outside from sunrise to sundown,” she explains.

Steele says pasture-raised chickens spend their days scampering on grassy dirt, getting sun, and foraging for bugs. “Certified humane also sets down requirements on how often they’re fed and watered, and what shelter they should have from the elements.” They’re also provided with a minimum of 108 square feet per bird to roam in (about the same size as a small cruise ship cabin).

Steele says that when you see organic on your egg carton, it’s more about what the chickens eat than the egg — “Organic speaks to the feed they’re eating. All eggs are antibiotic and hormone free.” That said, when you combine pasture-raised, certified humane, and organic on a carton, you’re off to a good start when choosing eggs.

At this point in our interview, I ran to my fridge to get my carton of eggs out. To my delight, they were marked pasture-raised, certified humane, and organic (and cost $5.99 at Whole Foods Market, so not bad). One question remained: Are they super fresh?

Though there was a “sell by” date marked on the carton, Steele says there’s a better way to tell if your eggs are super fresh: look on the side of the carton for another number, which will tell you the exact date the eggs were placed in the carton for delivery to your store. Mine started with 131. “131 is the 131st day of the year, so May 11 is when they were put in the carton,” she says, noting that two weeks is the oldest you want to look for. “At two weeks, the egg will start to disintegrate. Two weeks is still fresh — just not super fresh.”

Steele also says to look for the Plant Number on the egg carton to find out how many miles your eggs traveled to get to you. The code, assigned by the USDA, is a four-digit number on the carton that starts with a “P” or “G”. You can then Google that number to find out where the eggs were packed, washed, and graded. “I live in Maine and we found a carton of eggs from Florida,” she says.

Why are these simple facts coded and difficult for consumers to find out? Steele doesn’t have the answer. “when I first wrote a blog about this, it was featured on Dr. OZ, and I thought it would change the industry — but it didn’t.”

If you have the space, you can always raise chickens, like Steele does. She says a typical backyard hobbyist can start with five to ten chickens. “I hear Costco is selling a coop with a shed attached. You need to feed and water the chickens and you’re good to go,” she says.

In case you’re wondering, Steele is only interested in her chickens for eggs and not for anything else. They’re raised as pets and live out their lives happily pecking for bugs in the sunshine. “I love my chickens, they’re great. I’m just so fascinated by the eggs.”

Now that you know how to find the best eggs for your family, here’s a great fried egg with Hollandaise recipe, courtesy of Lisa Steele:

Fried Egg with Asparagus and Hollandaise

Makes 2 servings

“We used to grow our own asparagus in Virginia, and for anyone who has tried, you know that it takes several years, along with a lot of patience and scrawny spears, before you’re finally able to harvest full-size asparagus!

We had almost gotten to that point in our garden when we packed up and moved to Maine. I have yet to start an asparagus bed at our new farm, but I do need to, because in the early spring, when the spears are ready to be picked, they’re ideal for this dish. If you don’t grow your own asparagus, check your local farmers market,” - Lisa Steele

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• 6 to 10 asparagus spears, ends trimmed

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 2 fried eggs

• Hollandaise Sauce (recipe below)

• Freshly grated Parmesan, optional

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a medium-sized skillet on medium-high. Add the asparagus spears. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until the asparagus is lightly seared but still crisp.

While the asparagus is cooking, fry the eggs in a separate skillet. Make the hollandaise sauce.

Divide the asparagus spears between 2 plates, top them with the fried eggs, and spoon the hollandaise sauce over it all. Garnish with Parmesan, if desired, and season with salt and pepper.

Hollandaise Sauce

Makes about 1 cup

• 3 egg yolks

• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon water

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled

• Freshly grated nutmeg

• Kosher salt

• White pepper

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, and water to a heatproof glass bowl and set it over the pot of boiling water, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Whisk the mixture until combined. Slowly add the butter, a few pieces at a time, whisking continuously until the butter is melted and fully incorporated. Cook the sauce for another minute or two, continuing to whisk, until it thickens. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Immediately remove from the heat and serve.