What determines the taste of an egg?
- Thread starter Icemaiden
- Start date
chrismahon
Well-known member
I think the breed plays a part Icemaiden, as well as the diet. Our Bantam Leghorns lay tastier eggs than the TNN's, but they are much smaller. The TNN's lay quickly whereas the Orpingtons lay more slowly and their eggs (when we get them) taste better, so perhaps they have more time to take on flavour from the diet? All of them are on the same diet. They all taste far better than any shop bought eggs, which will be primarily diet related. Different breeds lay different coloured eggs so perhaps the egg content differs in some way as well?
I think food must have an influence but for me, the main difference in a really fresh boiled egg is the texture, where the white is sort of flaky and light compared with a shop- bought egg much more than the 24 hours max of a home- laid egg.
Because I've been thinking of getting something that'll lay blue eggs, I shelled out 
the other day for some Cotswold Legbar eggs from my local supermarket (can't buy Chalkhill Blue or Columbine eggs) & did a side by side comparison of one of those with a regular supermarket free range egg (both fried in the same pan).
I was surprised to find that I preferred the taste of the regular free range egg (presumably from a standard brown hybrid of some description?), though maybe that's because it's what I'm used to? Certainly the bright orange yolk of the Legbar egg was a little disconcerting.
I'm planning on repeating the test with the Burford Brown eggs next. (Are these hybrids? When does a cross-breed become a hybrid?)
Hence my wondering whether the hens' diet would have an impact...
If I start asking questions about dark brown egg-laying hybrids, you'll know that they've won over the regular eggs; will have to wait & see.
the other day for some Cotswold Legbar eggs from my local supermarket (can't buy Chalkhill Blue or Columbine eggs) & did a side by side comparison of one of those with a regular supermarket free range egg (both fried in the same pan).I was surprised to find that I preferred the taste of the regular free range egg (presumably from a standard brown hybrid of some description?), though maybe that's because it's what I'm used to? Certainly the bright orange yolk of the Legbar egg was a little disconcerting.
I'm planning on repeating the test with the Burford Brown eggs next. (Are these hybrids? When does a cross-breed become a hybrid?)
Hence my wondering whether the hens' diet would have an impact...
If I start asking questions about dark brown egg-laying hybrids, you'll know that they've won over the regular eggs; will have to wait & see.
From Chris' reply, could it be that the flavour of the egg is determined by its size as much as by anything else?
Is it like with courgettes & marrows, where there's the same amount of total flavour but in the larger vegetable it's much more dilute?
Do smaller eggs always have more flavour than larger ones, for a given breed of hen & a given diet?
19
Is it like with courgettes & marrows, where there's the same amount of total flavour but in the larger vegetable it's much more dilute?
Do smaller eggs always have more flavour than larger ones, for a given breed of hen & a given diet?
19
chrismahon
Well-known member
A friend back in the UK used to buy our eggs regularly. Since leaving he has only been able to get the same good tasting eggs from someone locally who keeps bantams. I wouldn't sell our bantam eggs because they were just too good to sell at the price we could get for them -£1 for 6. The chap who keeps the bantams doesn't buy specialist feeds, just the cheap stuff from the Agricultural Merchant. They are in a fixed run so no grass or weeds either. So where does the taste in his come from?
Did the Cotswold Legbar and the supermarket eggs have the same expiry date on them? Freshness is definitely a factor in taste. And deeply coloured yolks can be produced by feed with yellow colourant in it. The better brands such as Garvo use natural colourants like marigold petals but the cheap ones can include synthetics. I don't think colour affects flavour but it may do psychologically of course. I don't know if some breeds have a tendency to produce darker yolks, but my Cream Legbar doesn't lay bright orange yolks, any more than the other girls do.
Eggs from my quails taste really excellent and make superior cakes. A quail egg has a higher propertion of yolk to white than a chickens egg so its more nutritious as well, although you need 4-5 to equate to a large hens egg. Maybe the same is true of bantam eggs? Do they have relatively large yolks, Chris?
But there's no getting away from the fact that nothing tastes as good as an egg from a hen you know personally, which you have collected from your own nestbox that morning! Maybe just get a selection of hens, Icemaiden, and then they will all lay differently coloured eggs so you'll know which girl provided your breakfast, and can enjoy blind taste tests with your family!
Eggs from my quails taste really excellent and make superior cakes. A quail egg has a higher propertion of yolk to white than a chickens egg so its more nutritious as well, although you need 4-5 to equate to a large hens egg. Maybe the same is true of bantam eggs? Do they have relatively large yolks, Chris?
But there's no getting away from the fact that nothing tastes as good as an egg from a hen you know personally, which you have collected from your own nestbox that morning! Maybe just get a selection of hens, Icemaiden, and then they will all lay differently coloured eggs so you'll know which girl provided your breakfast, and can enjoy blind taste tests with your family!
I'll be off to the supermarket at the weekend looking for a box of Burford Brown eggs & a box of standard free range eggs of the same size, for the next leg of my taste test 
I think Marigold's right about getting a selection of hens though- once I've got to grips with my ex-batts (10 days to go...), I'll invest in a Chalk Hill Blue & a dark brown layer (maybe from Chalk Hill too, if their breeding programme this winter pans out). That'll give me 5 hens (assuming all of the ex-batts make it), which will be plenty for my set-up. I just need to resist the temptation to run before I can walk. I haven't even cleaned up my first hen poo yet :roll:
I think Marigold's right about getting a selection of hens though- once I've got to grips with my ex-batts (10 days to go...), I'll invest in a Chalk Hill Blue & a dark brown layer (maybe from Chalk Hill too, if their breeding programme this winter pans out). That'll give me 5 hens (assuming all of the ex-batts make it), which will be plenty for my set-up. I just need to resist the temptation to run before I can walk. I haven't even cleaned up my first hen poo yet :roll:
Icemaiden said:
That's a state of virginity that will soon be behind you, then!
ALL your home-produced eggs will taste marvellous, no need to worry about the breed.
valeriebutterley
New member
Pekin eggs are great tasting. For the size of the egg they have very large yolks, in fact in some there is just a tiny white outside a massive yolk, such I've never seen on a LF egg.
tygrysek75
Member
Large Fowl-size of a chicken
chrismahon
Well-known member
I've often seen in commercial eggs a bantam sized yolk surrounded by a massive amount of white. Of course they are graded by total weight and not their internal components -or taste!
