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Thursday, September 24, 2009

Powdered Eggs

We haven't talked much about powdered eggs on this blog for a couple of reasons. The main reason is, we don't think they are necessary in your food storage. We consider them a perk, certainly, but we just hate to tell you to go out and buy something you simply don't need, especially since they are so pricey. That being said, they really are great to have and they open up many doors when it comes to baking. For example, you know all those boxed dessert or muffin mixes that call for oil, water, and eggs? If you have powdered eggs, you can add these foods to your food storage without worry.

I used powdered eggs from Shelf Reliance's THRIVE line. This was my first time cooking with powdered eggs so I didn't really know what to expect, and I was pleasantly surprised.

I have heard of many people using powdered eggs for making omelets or scrambled eggs, so first I tried scrambling them. I reconstituted the powdered eggs using 2 Tbsp of powder and 4 Tbsp of water (according to the package, this is the equivalent of 2 eggs). I scrambled them up on a non-stick pan.


Out of 5 stars, I would probably give the scrambled eggs about a "3". They ended up making about 1 large egg's worth of scrambled eggs, and the consistency was a little mushy for my tastes. They tasted okay but they would have been better with some more seasonings or with salsa (all food storage friendly!).

Next I used the powdered eggs and baked my favorite cookie recipe, making it completely food storage friendly. I completely reconstituted the eggs and added them right in when my recipe called for the eggs. I baked a few cookies last night to see how they tasted, but we ate them before I could take a picture (they were great). So I threw another batch in while I was writing this post and didn't hear the timer go off, and they burned... so I still have no pictures to show you. But let me tell you, they were delicious last night!

Out of 5 stars, I would give the powdered eggs (for baking) a 4.5. The cookie dough was a little bit dry, so I wonder if maybe I should have added 3 powdered eggs instead of 2 (even though my recipe called for 2 eggs, it called for 2 large eggs, so I wonder if these powdered eggs are "medium" or "small". I did add a little water to my cookie dough at the end so it wasn't as dry, and that really helped.

All in all, I definitely recommend having a package of powdered eggs in your pantry, but only if you have the extra money for them. Having a package of powdered eggs will really add a lot of depth to your food storage, allowing you to bake so many more things. You can shop around to find what will work best for you, but I can definitely recommend the THRIVE eggs from Shelf Reliance.

Do you like powdered eggs (if you've tried them)? Do you have them in your food storage?

18 comments:

Bellen said...

Because we eat eggs at the most once a week, I use dried eggs all the time for all my cooking. If fresh eggs were not available, I'd be able to use them as scrambled eggs - with seasonings of course.

My directions call for 2 Tbsp egg and 2 Tbsp water per egg. I haven't measured the end result but checking references for measurement of a large egg it is 3 1/4 Tbsp. The only way to tell is to mix up the egg and measure it.

Shane and Brandi said...

I use these, but don't tell my family. My mom one year for Christmas gave us some food storage, and that was one of the cans. After trying them in baking it was the way to go for me. It saves room in my fridge without all those eggs.
I do have them in my food storage too. Last year for Christmas we did Birthday cans. A #10 can that had everything you would need for a party in it. Cake mix, frosting, balloons, hard tact candy, liners for cup cakes, powder eggs, and streamers. I have yet to use them, but knowing they are there makes me feel better. I would have a hard time if I couldn't do something for one of my kids for their birthday.

The Oman Family said...

I use powdered eggs in baking all the time. I usually add just a little bit more water than it calls for because the batter is usually a little dry, but other than that I don't notice any difference. I also use powdered milk in all my baking too.

Heatherlyn said...

They are selling the powdered eggs at Wal-mart now! I hope it is a permanent thing.

CThomas said...

I heard in a class once that powdered eggs cause high cholesterol more than real eggs do, whether that is true or not I don't know.
But since my grandson is allergic to eggs I have tried egg replacer. It is a powder also, that you just add water to. It has worked well for most baked goods I have tried it in. And it is cheaper than buying fresh eggs!
The brand is EnergG. I got it at Smiths (or whatever grocery store you have that sells Kroger brands).

Anonymous said...

I use them in all my baking, including bread. It works great and I love saving space in the frig. Also, although it's expensive up front, if you use a 1 T powder and 2 T water (medium egg), the cost goes down. I figure I spent about .04 per egg; not bad! A medium egg will usually do in my recipes, if it calls for a large, us 2:2. I got the 1:2 ratio off the Walton Feed site.

Anonymous said...

I should have also included that my .04/egg is based on buying a #10 can of powdered whole eggs from Emergency Essentials. It was the Provident Pantry brand. It looks like the price when up a little since I bought it, but a #10 can contains 192 T, so you can figure your own price.

Amelia said...

Yeah, they are only expensive when you buy the THRIVE brand. I've noticed shelf reliance is wayyyyy over priced and that you can get much better prices from Emergency Essentials or Honeyville Grain (www.honeyvillegrain.com). I don't see them as a perk either, but as a necessity. I actually SAVE money by using my powdered eggs every day in my baking and cooking. I paid about 50 cents a dozen for mine....bottom line...just don't buy shelf reliance brand food. They'll get you everytime!

Anne M. said...

Last year we moved 500 miles away from our egg source (father-in-law) so I had a hard time spending out $2 a dozen for eggs. I found egg replacer by bob's red mill at the local Hy-vee. It works really great in baked goods, although it does like the end product is a tad too moist. I never tried to tweak the ratio to see if that made a difference though.

We're back by our egg source now, but I would LOVE to be able to get some powdered eggs! I didn't realize that they could be used for scrambled eggs and stuff!

Amelia said...

I also failed to mention that you don't need to reconstitute your eggs in your baking. You just add the dry ingredients to your dry and the water to your wet. SUPER EASY!

Ashley said...

I got some from Honeyville Farms and they're great--I agree that they are way better in mixes than scrambled. I opened one can to test them and just use it whenever I get halfway through baking and realize I don't have fresh eggs. It's great to have.
I'm saving the other cans for emergencies. My next luxury food storage item of interest is cheese . . . want to address that? :) Oh and sour cream too. Imagine the possibilities.

lindaharper said...

I use dehydrated eggs all of the time. If you want to store some eggs that are wonderful scrambled, try the ova-easy eggs from Walton feed. Boy they are wonderful and you just cannot tell they are not fresh eggs!

Northwoods said...

I have several cases of the Honeyville powderd eggs for storage but have not tried them yet.
I recently read a blog that stated you could take fresh farm eggs (not store bought or washed) and apply a thin coat of vaseline to the shells. By this means they would store in a cool dry (un-refrigerated) area for up to two years.
Any of your readers ever tried this?

Anonymous said...

I agree with Amelia. I use Honeyville and a #10 can is certainly cheaper than buying fresh from the store. In fact, I don't buy fresh anymore! They work awesome in baking and but they turn out tasty and fluffy when I scramble them (of course it could be because I'm THAT kind of person that doesn't notice differences between different kinds of coffee either).

Anonymous said...

I agree with Amelia. I use Honeyville and a #10 can is certainly cheaper than buying fresh from the store. In fact, I don't buy fresh anymore! They work awesome in baking and but they turn out tasty and fluffy when I scramble them (of course it could be because I'm THAT kind of person that doesn't notice differences between different kinds of coffee either).

The Payne Family said...

I use powdered eggs in everything! I haven't bought real eggs in such a long time. It may be a little expensive up front but in the long run, it is way cheaper then real eggs. I just watch for the sales to go on and then stock up. Macey's had them on sale for $13 for a #10 can so bought a few. Thrive is way expensive so I would definitely shop the sales instead! I use them in all my cooking. Also, you don't need to reconstitute them when baking... just add the dry egg mix to the dry ingredients and then add the additional water when mixing the wet ingredients. It's so easy and a whole lot cheaper (when you don't buy Thrive). I definitely think powdered eggs in food storage is a must!

Anonymous said...

Absolutely disagree with this post on powdered eggs... Absolutely agree with most of the comments on powdered eggs. They ARE cheaper or the same price as fresh eggs if you DON'T buy them from Thrive! They're much cheaper from other companies. Much more convenient, and they are a necessity (not perk) in food storage. Try the Mix-A-Meal cook book for using dehydrated foods to make homemade convenience pantry mixes. It's GREAT!!!
Jennifer D.

Anonymous said...

My family would never eat them if they knew they were powdered whole eggs, but I use them in all my baked goods, scramble them with spices or salsa, make French toast(I do add more cinnamon in case they ask about the color) and I have even made sausage quiches (the last wedge is always fought over.) If you watch the sales, the powdered eggs are definitely cheaper than fresh and they most certainly have a longer shelf life! My storage will not be without them.