Is There Really an Egg Shortage? Six EGGCITING Options Other Than Chicken Eggs

WHY CHICKEN EGGS?

Have you ever asked the question; why do we only eat chicken eggs? I mean, seriously. I've never asked that question until this morning. I watch cooking shows all the time, and I see people cooking with eggs that aren't chicken eggs. So why aren't we eating them, especially if there is a chicken egg shortage right now? (Which, honestly, I don't know if that's a thing). If there really is a chicken egg shortage, will we have even fewer eggs now that we have the bird flu going around Minnesota?

WOULD YOU TRY THESE EGG OPTIONS?

The fact is, there ARE other options; however, I'm not sure that grocery stores in Minnesota offer them. Here's a list of some other types of eggs you might want to consider if you can find a way to get your hands on them.

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DUCK EGGS

Duck eggs are going to be the most like chicken eggs. HOWEVER! Duck eggs HAVE TO BE completely cooked all the way through. They can have salmonella, so even though they are said to taste creamier and richer than chicken eggs, you shouldn't ever eat them with a runny center. This type of egg would NOT be a typically good replacement for a chicken egg for the average consumer unless we completely retrained folks to cook their eggs all the way through. Goodbye runny yolk center.

TURKEY EGGS ANYONE?

Seriously, we eat turkey so often, and they are bigger birds so you would think that one egg would go a long way? According to thereadystore.com, people who make fancy pastries like to use turkey eggs instead of chicken eggs, because they are creamier. Who knew? Farmers get more money from selling turkeys rather than eggs of turkeys, so why sell turkey eggs?

QUAIL EGGS

Quail eggs are about 1/3 the size of chicken eggs but have bigger yolks. We are so used to the size of a chicken egg, that we'd really have to adjust our recipes and use a lot more Quail eggs to make them work. But in our world of supersizing, I wonder if a quail egg is a better natural portion for most of us? Never thought about that. Are turkey eggs supersizing then?

PHEASANT EGGS

All of these options should be good ones for us living in Minnesota. Pheasant eggs are a little bit larger than chicken eggs, but some people would say they have more of a 'gamey' taste. If you love the taste of chicken eggs and are expecting the same flavor, you might not like this as an option.

HOW ABOUT OSTRICH EGGS?

Yes, we could. but why would we? Ostrich eggs are about 3 pounds each. It would be fun to hold one. They are about 20 times bigger than chicken eggs. The shells of ostrich eggs are really thick and super hard to crack open. The eggs themselves are about 2,000 calories, so if you decide to use an ostrich egg, it would probably be part of a meal for the whole family.

HAVE YOU EVER TRIED AN EMU EGG?

When I think Emu, I think insurance. Emu eggs are supposed to be a lot like ostrich eggs, except they are a bit smaller, coming in at about 2 pounds. These eggs are a dark green color and if you crack one open, the egg yolk isn't runny, and the egg white is supposed to have a 'glue-like consistency. Imagine Elmer's glue. They are supposed to have a very rich flavor, but I'm not so sure I could get past the texture.