As prices go up at the supermarket more and more people are looking for ways to save money on everyday essentials. Eggs are a wonderful protein and nutrition source that can help keep your family fed. If you buy them cheaply you can store eggs to save money.
If you have an abundance of eggs from a sale or your own chickens you may want to know how to preserve them so you can enjoy them when the price goes up or chickens are not producing. Here are 4 ways to store your eggs besides placing them in the refrigerator.
Freezing eggs whole
Eggs can be frozen for later use. There are a few ways to do this. You can crack your eggs and place them into a container as is.
This is quick and easy and a great option to store eggs if you are in a rush and want to keep your eggs while getting them preserved and ready to go.
You can place each egg inside a cube in an ice tray to make single eggs perfect for pulling out the eggs you need for a recipe.
The best way to freeze your eggs is to pre-scramble them. This will help to deal with the watery texture of frozen eggs. Pour the scrambled mixture into an ice cube tray instead of cooking. When you are ready to use them each cube is equal to 1 large egg.
Freezing egg whites and egg yolks separately
If you know you will need to use the egg whites separately from the yolks you must do this before you put them in the freezer. This is because the texture will change and splitting eggs that have frozen is incredibly difficult.
Using an air-tight container for frozen eggs
After your eggs are frozen you need to move them to an air-tight container. The best option for this is to use a vacuum sealer.
Air touching your frozen eggs will give them a rubber-like texture over time.
When freezing use the coldest freezer available in your home to allow them to freeze as fast as possible so you can move them to an air-tight container to protect them from this freezer burn eggs are so prone to.
Water glassing eggs
Water glassing eggs is the process of preserving eggs in lime water. The lime creates a suspension that fills the pores in the eggs to prevent bacteria from entering and growing.
Water glassing can only be done with fresh eggs that have not been washed. This is a great option for the long-term storage of eggs you have in abundance if you have your own chickens. Then over the winter, you can enjoy the eggs just like you would fresh ones when your hens are not laying.
To water glass your eggs, place them in a large glass jar. Fill with 1 oz pickling lime to 1 quart of water. Place these jars in your pantry where they will stay in a cool dark place with no risk of the jar freezing. Water glassed eggs will last up to 18 months. This is a great way to store eggs for the longest length of time.
Oiling to preserve your eggs
There is an option to extend the life of store-bought eggs if you do not have your own chickens. Oiling with shortening allows you to replace the bloom that was washed off before the eggs were sold.
Dipping the entire egg in melted shortening and then buffing them to rub in the oil to prevent any missed areas will replace the bloom. Your eggs are then shelf stable for 3-4 months when stored in a cool dark space.
This is a great way to take advantage of the sales to help save money and get you through by using this technique to store eggs.
If you do not have a climate-controlled space to store your eggs do not do this in the summer when they could get too hot and spoil.
Make sure to date the container you are storing them in so you know to use them up before they go bad.
Dehydrating eggs
Dehydrating eggs is a great way to make shelf-stable eggs that can last for years. To dehydrate your eggs you can beat them and place them on a silicone fruit roll mat in your dehydrator or you can pre-cook them into scrambled eggs before dehydrating.
If you choose to pre-cook them to get a better final texture and make drying easier do not add any butter, oil, or milk. These will reduce the usefulness of your eggs and oils will cause them to break down.
Dehydrate them on low around 145 degrees until fully dry, this can take up to 18 hours.
After dehydrating your eggs, condition them by placing them in a glass jar and shaking them every day for 2 weeks.
If moisture appears, put them back in the dehydrator. It is vital that your eggs are fully dry to store eggs in this way.
After they are dry you want to blend them down into a fine powder.
Powdered dehydrated eggs can be used the same way you would regular eggs by adding water. This goes for everything from baking to making scrambled eggs and omelettes.
