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Friday, February 28, 2014

Freezing Eggs

I was trying to come up with a title for this post, but every time I typed something related to freezing eggs, I just knew that most people that search for "freezing eggs" would be looking for something quite different! So just in case there's any confusion, this post is about chicken eggs.

During the summer, we routinely had an abundance of eggs. Usually we when have extras, I sell them. But I knew that going into the winter, the eggs would slow down. I didn't want to have to buy eggs all winter, so we froze some of our extras.



The first thing to do is to separate the eggs. These small containers are the perfect size. 



Each container was labeled with the contents and the date. For the yolks, I used a fork to break each one, but did not stir them. For the whites, I tapped the container on counter a few times to release any air bubbles. Then into the freezer! 



To thaw the eggs, I put them in the refrigerator over night (when I actually thought ahead!) and when I needed them sooner, I submerged the container in cool water for an hour or so. The egg whites thaw out and return to their fresh state. The yolks really thicken up after they've been frozen, so it takes a little more work to incorporate them. I've used the whites to make angel food cake and the yolks to make ice cream. I also mixed the white and yolks and made omelets. Since the yolks really have to be whipped into the whites, the omelets turned out so fluffy and delicious!

The hens continued to lay all winter, but at a much slower pace. I could supplement the fresh eggs with my freezer stash and we didn't have to buy eggs all winter! Their production has picked back up just in time. We just finished off the last of the frozen eggs.

Update....
Somewhere along the way, it occurred to me that it would be easier to freeze each yolk and white individually, in case I just needed one egg yolk at some point. I found these silicone ice cube molds at Meijer and they are the perfect size! I let them set up, then popped out the frozen cubs and tossed into a gallon size ziploc bag. Now I just have to grab as many cubes as I need at a time!


3 comments:

Cranberry Morning said...

No kidding, it never occurred to me to freeze eggs! What a great idea for chicken owners for those less-productive winter months.

Joani said...

I never thought about freezing eggs. This is good to know. Thanks for sharing.

Sarah said...

I never thought about freezing eggs, but now that I know I can this is perfect. A lot of people we know have chickens so we always seem to get a lot of eggs given to us, which I love, but they go bad way too fast.