Thursday, June 30, 2011

Powdered Egg Questions and Answers



We interrupt this regularly scheduled blog post to bring you  powdered egg questions and answers.  (we will get back to was to beat the summer heat soon)
I keep getting asked questions about powdered eggs, so I thought I might answer them all in one place: 
 
Questions 1:  How do you use powdered eggs in baking?

Powdered eggs do NOT need to be reconstituted in order to be used in baked goods such  as cake, cookies, or bread.  Add the dry egg powder when you add the dry ingredients and  the water when you add the wet.   Powdered eggs work great if you are making your own mixes!  Here is the chart I use to help me remember how many powdered eggs to use.


In BakingAdd to the Dry IngredientsAdd to the wet ingredients
To Replace 1 medium egg (this is what I always do and I have never had a problem)1 Tablespoon egg powder2 Tablespoons water
To replace 2 medium eggs2 Tablespoon egg powder1/4 cup water
To replace 3 medium eggs3 Tablespoons eggs powder6 Tablespoons water
To replace 4 medium eggs4 Tablespoons eggs powder1/2 cup water
If you are replacing Large eggs. I have found that in most recipes the medium egg replacement works great.2 Tablespoons eggs powder1/4 cup water



Questions 2:  Do THRIVE powdered eggs taste weird? 

 I have been cooking with THRIVE powdered eggs for over a year now, and I have not noticed any weird flavors.  But at our house my husband is the “weirdness detector” here is what he has to say.
 “The only difference I can find between fresh eggs and powdered eggs is that when you make scrambled eggs (from powdered eggs), it is like someone with OCD mixed the eggs because they are 100% blended. No white streaks in the scrambled eggs.  Other than that you can’t tell.”
Note:  Last summer another food storage company (who shall remain nameless) had a super sale on powdered eggs. So I bought some.  I tried them and they are terrible!  I think they taste weird.  I don’t like them.  Now I won’t buy any powdered eggs but the THRIVE powdered eggs.  Just remember that not all food storage is created equal. 
Question 3:  Can powdered eggs be used to make scrambled eggs?

         Yes


Things to know about making scrambled eggs from egg powder
1.  Using a whisk, whip air into the powdered whole eggs before scrambling. This makes the texture like fresh eggs.
2. When you reconstitute powdered eggs they are a watery consistency, and these do NOT have the gelatinous texture that fresh eggs have.
3.  When you first start scrambling powdered eggs  they do not look right. They color is a little to orange and the texture is all wrong. Never fear it will work. As the eggs cook they become the correct color and texture.
Perfect Scrambled Eggs made from Powdered Eggs-Make 8 scrambled eggs
1 cup dried whole eggs
2 tablespoons dry milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup water

Place all ingredients into a 4 cup Pyrex glass measuring cup (or similar).  Beat mixture for 3 minutes or until completely dissolved and frothy. (I use my immersion blender.  And when I say beat I really do mean it. You are NOT mixing to combine. You are beating the eggs until they are all of the way dissolved and there are NO lumps.  Then you are beating some more.  By beating the egg mixture for a few minutes you are incorporating air into the eggs, this help the texture turn out right).  Add 1 Tablespoon cooking oil to a large skillet.  Heat oil over medium high heat.  Add the egg mixture to the hot oil. Cook eggs using medium low heat, stirring continuously until dry and crumbly.
Question 4: Once my can of powdered eggs is opened do I need to refrigerate them?

No, powdered eggs are shelf stable until reconstituted. Once you mix them with water you need to treat them the same way you would treat fresh eggs.  
Questions 5:  How many powdered eggs are in one can? 

236 medium eggs.

Questions 6:  Are powdered eggs really less expensive then grocery store eggs?

Yes!

 

What to see the math?  Here it is:

Background info on the numbers
One can of THRIVE powdered eggs costs $20.99 and there are 236 eggs per can.  
In May 2011 on average in the US one dozen eggs costs :  $1.692  (according to: the US department of Labor Statistics http://www.bls.gov/ro3/apmw.htm)

THRIVE Powdered Eggs (June 2011): 

$20.99 / 236 eggs per can =  $0.089 / egg. 
Let’s just round up and say 1 powdered egg cost $0.09. 

Grocery Store Eggs (May 2011) :  
 $1.692 per dozen eggs.  $1.692/ 12 eggs = $0.141 per egg.    
 So let’s round down and say that one egg at the grocery store costs $0.14

The sum up: 
One THRIVE powdered egg costs $0.09
One egg from the grocery store costs $0.14
 Questions 7:  If I make cookie dough with powdered eggs can I eat it without fear of getting food poisoning? 

Yes THRIVE Egg powder is pasteurized, so it is safe to use without cooking or baking.




Did I Miss Any?  Anything else you want to know about powdered egg?  All you have to do is ask.  


My favorite Powdered Egg Recipes:
1.        French Toast
2.       Scrambled Eggs
3.       German pancakes
4.       Crepes
5.       Bread Pudding
7.       Sugar Cookies
8.       Hot Chocolate Cookies

Other super cool things to do with powdered eggs
Homemade mayo with powdered eggs:  from Melarky.com