Eggs

What is a ‘free-range’ egg, a farm’ egg, an egg ‘laid in a perchery’? Definitions of ‘free-range’ are not legal absolutes, while the description ‘farm egg’ simply means that the chicken lived in a battery cage on a farm, whatever a ‘farm’ might be. Ethical and emotional considerations aside, there is no nutritional difference between a battery egg and a freerange egg, but some would say they can tell the difference. Freshness is the most vital thing when cooking eggs.

Improved quality control means the eggs you buy from supermarkets will not be bad, but how fresh is fresh? A week or more may elapse between an egg being laid and its arrival on the shop shelf, perhaps even longer. The ‘use-by’ date stamps which are coming in are not as useful as a ‘laid on’ date. This problem may be compounded when people get their eggs home and transfer them into a container, often with eggs that have been sitting there for a week or even longer.