EGGS EGGS EGGS!!!

In the market you will be able to find a large variety of eggs from the ever so common chicken eggs to the oriental century eggs and salted eggs.Knowing their culinary uses and nutritional values is also very important. I will be addressing these few areas in this blogpost.

Chicken eggs are the most common eggs you can find now on the market and all the more it should! It is cheap, tastes great and has a bunch of other uses. Eggs are a good complement in Asian cuisine, they are often used in soups, like the Si chuan Hot and Sour soup, or fried with other ingredients. One good example is Fu Rong Dan, or Chinese omelet. The Egg whites can be whipped up into stiff peaks to be made into meringue cookies or the petite macarons . The rich yolk can be used in the making of custards and mayonnaise . This is because the lecithin present in egg yolks act as an emulsifying agent , preventing the separation of oil and water, thus forming a stable emulsion.Nowadays, you will be able to find modified eggs in the market.Modified eggs, as the name suggests refer to eggs that have been modified to meet the needs of the consumers. For example, there are low-cholesterol eggs for people who are health conscious but still want the cheap source of complete proteins , or omega-3 enriched eggs for those seeking to reduce risk of heart diseases.

Despite being maligned for their high cholesterol, chicken eggs are an inexpensive source of protein. One serving of egg contains roughly around 6.28 g of proteins, of which 3.47g can be found in the egg white.The shells of chicken eggs usually come in either brown or white, but there is not much difference in the nutritional content. You will be able to find more information about this topic at this URL : http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/02/difference-brown-white-eggs/

Chicken eggs can be bought on the market for $2 per 10 eggs.

Quail eggs are also another commonly seen variety of eggs in the market.Quail eggs, despite their small size, contain 3 to 5 times as much as chicken eggs.Regular consumption helps fight against many diseases and they are a natural combatant against digestive tract disorders such as stomach ulcers. Quail eggs also provide 5 times as much iron and potassium as chicken eggs. Iron is especially important for those suffering from iron deficieny and pre-menopausal women. Potassium on the other hand helps reduce muscle weakness or muscle cramps due to potassium deficiency. Quail eggs also have a higher proportion of egg yolk to egg white, giving a creamy mouthfeel and texture when eaten whole.

Quail eggs are not commonly found off the shelves of supermarkets in Singapore, and another alternative is to purchase them directly from the farm in Singapore. In super markets, they usually  come in at $2.10 to $2.40 for a pack of 12 eggs.
In terms of application in Asian cuisine, the eggs are often eaten in salads, on their own, and can even be served in Japanese Sushi!

Duck eggs are less commonly found in the Singaporean market.They have similar culinary uses to chicken eggs but due to their rarity, they are not often used in cooking. Duck eggs as compared to chicken eggs contain more protein,calories, fats and dietary cholesterol, so if you are on a low cholesterol diet, it is best to avoid consuming duck eggs.

To find out more about the history of duck eggs in Singapore, and Salted eggs, please take a look at our post "Duck eggs and Salted eggs!"

Duck eggs have also been used in the making of the chinese delicacy - Century eggs.

Century eggs are normally used in chinese cooking. The eggs are traditionally covered with clay, ash, salt and quicklime and then enclosed with rice husks for several weeks to months before they are ready to be eaten.Century eggs that are of a better quality tend to have pine branch like patterns on their surface. This is due to the crystallization of the salts on its surface during the fermentation period.

This is the market form of century eggs, they can be found almost anywhere on the market, and are usually sold for $2 to $2.50 for 4 eggs. They are commonly used in congee.

Duck Eggs and Salted Eggs!

Proportionally larger to a regular hen egg, and with a blueish green tint to its shell, the duck egg ( pictured above) is far richer than it's chicken counterpart.

For the most part, duck eggs are significantly more expensive as compared to hen eggs. And fresh duck eggs are rarely if not completely not found in the Singaporean market anymore!
Duck eggs were widely used in Singaprorean hawker fare till the 80s, but hawkers have since used chicken eggs as they are more cost effective.

The only significant form of duck eggs that we see on the market are in the form of salted eggs. ( As pictured below, in market form)

Salted duck eggs are made by soaking the fresh eggs in a brine solution for a period of time. This results in a firm textured and round yolk that is bright orange and red. Unlike fresh duck eggs, salted duck eggs are widely found on the market, and can cost between $2 to $2.50 for 4 eggs. 

Needless to say, both fresh duck eggs and Salted duck eggs are widely used in Asian cuisine. For example, Balut, from the Philippines ( using fresh duck eggs with embryos) and Salted egg yolks in mooncakes eaten during the mooncake festival. 

Eggs in general. Choosing the best ones

Eggs are such a basic ingredient in our everyday cooking. Be it the simple chicken egg to the richer duck eggs, we simply can't do without them.
However, we need to be able to choose the freshest eggs on the market and how to store them effectively. There are so many ways to test for the freshness of an egg. Be it the candling method where light is passed through an egg to see the proportions of egg white to yolk to the air cells or the simple egg in water trick( if the egg floats, its gone bad but if it stays at the bottom, it is good to eat!) Sadly in choosing fresh eggs, it is nearly impossible to test for the freshness of an egg in a supermarket. A simple trick is to check the production date of the eggs. Some supermarkets tend to keep the fresher eggs at the bottom of the pile or at the back , so don't be afraid to dig deeper into the pile to search for that carton of farm fresh eggs! The Albumin(Egg white) of fresh eggs tend to be thick and not so liquid while the yolk is a rich orange colour so be sure to look out for these points the next time you crack open an egg!

It is best to wash your eggs of all the dirt right before cracking them open as washing them a couple of days before using them actually washes away the natural "antibacterial" bloom on the surface of the shell, making the egg susceptible to bacteria and spoilage.
In terms of the storage of eggs, eggs should always be kept in cool places like the fridge so as to reduce bacteria multiplication. It would also be best if the eggs were kept in their cartons as it prevents the eggs from drying out too quickly via moisture loss through the porous shell.