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6/19/08

Freezing Eggs

With the rising cost of everything it is a must to buy your food when it's on sale. But some things you can use only so fast. That makes me research how to store food for long term. Although I dont buy eggs, my hens provide me with more than enough. I have found that a regular customer of mine has moved. He usually bought 8 dozens of eggs a month. So you guessed it, my refrig is over flowing with eggs at this peak laying time. During the winter the hens will slow down. Last winter I bought a dozen eggs for the first time in three years. I couldnt believe how much they had gone up! Well this winter I will be more prepared. Here's what I found on freezing eggs.

Do not freeze in the shell. Only freeze clean, fresh eggs.


WHITES: Break and separate the eggs, one at a time, making sure that no yolk gets in the whites. Pour them into freezer containers, seal tightly, label with the number of egg whites and the date, and freeze. For faster thawing and easier measuring, first freeze each white in an ice cube tray and then transfer to a freezer container.
YOLKS: Egg yolks require special treatment. The gelation property of yolk causes it to thicken or gel when frozen. If frozen as is, egg yolk will eventually become so gelatinous it will be almost impossible to use in a recipe. To help retard this gelation, beat in either 1/8 teaspoon salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar or corn syrup per 1/4 cup egg yolks (4 yolks). Label the container with the number of yolks, the date, and whether you've added salt (for main dishes) or sweetener (for baking or desserts).
WHOLE EGGS: Beat just until blended, pour into freezer containers. seal tightly, label with the number of eggs and the date, and freeze.
HARD-COOKED: Hard-cooked yolks can be frozen to use later for toppings or garnishes. Carefully place the yolks in a single layer in a saucepan and add enough water to come at least I inch above the yolks. Cover and quickly bring just to boiling. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, in the hot water about 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain well and package for freezing.
Hard-cooked whole eggs and whites become tough and watery when frozen, so don't freeze them.
To use frozen eggs... Thaw frozen eggs overnight in the refrigerator or under running cold water. Use yolks or whole eggs as soon as they're thawed. Once thawed, whites will beat to better volume if allowed to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Substitute 2 tablespoons thawed egg white for 1 Large fresh white.
Substitute 1 tablespoon thawed egg yolk for 1 Large fresh yolk.
Substitute 3 tablespoons thawed whole egg for 1 Large fresh egg.
Use thawed frozen eggs only in dishes that are thoroughly cooked.

3 comments:

  1. Thank you for posting this info! I don't have nearly as many eggs as you do, but I can get cartons of eggs whites every now and then for a really good deal but didn't know how to keep them from going off before I could use them!

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  2. I've frozen eggs, too. I've only used the method for whole eggs, beaten. I haven't tried freezing them with whites separated from yolks yet. Good to know about those, too.

    Some people may not know you can also freeze milk. Most resources say to use a cup of milk out of the gallon before you freeze it, but I've been freezing milk for years without removing that one cup and only once has the jug leaked when I thawed it. I use whole milk and have the best luck when I let it thaw completely at room temp, then shake it really hard to incorporate the fat back into it. On the rare occasion this doesn't work (or when I've had to thaw it in the fridge), I've used the blender to re-homogenize the fat.

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  3. Thanks for all this great info! ~Curry from GC

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