Freezing Eggs

Recently a question was asked concerning freezing eggs after they are hard cooked eggs. I did not know the answer so I did what every other red blooded human being does now, googled it. I was led to the site of the American Egg Board. They have a whole site dedicated to….. EGGS! How to cook, store, freeze, dry, and other ways to use the incredible, edible egg. Yes, they are the ones who coined the phrase over thirty years ago. Wow, I remember that so I must be getting old!

Eggs are plentiful from the layer hens in Spring through early Summer. You may have more eggs than your family needs so freezing eggs would be a great way to preserve the fresh eggs for winter, when egg laying might taper off.

Ok but back to the question at hand. This question was posed after I shared an article written by my friend Lesa from Better Hens and Gardens. Easy Peel Hardboiled Fresh Eggs. Check it out. IF you aren’t using the steaming method described by Lesa, you are probably fighting to get the shells off the hard cooked eggs.

 

Baking Eggs for Hard Boiled Eggs

Another way I have tried cooking eggs is to bake them in the shell. You place the eggs into a muffin tin and bake at 350 degrees for half an hour. It definitely works and is very simple to do. However, some drying can occur and I did not find it completely easy to peel the egg shells off. It was a little easier than when I boiled the eggs but still, not as easy as steaming.

Freezing hard cooked eggs is possible with some modifications.

The Egg Board recommends separating the yolks from the whites after the egg is hard boiled, steamed or baked. The whites may become watery and tough when frozen.

I am not sure why you would need to do this step recommended by the Egg Board, but I will quote it here for you.

“You can freeze hard-boiled egg yolks to use later for toppings or garnishes. Carefully place the yolks in a single layer in a saucepan and add enough water to come at least 1 inch above the yolks. Cover and quickly bring just to boiling. Remove the pan from the heat and let the yolks stand, covered, in the hot water about 12 minutes. Remove the yolks with a slotted spoon, drain them well and package them for freezing.”

I don’t know why you need to re-cook the yolks before freezing them but hey, I am just passing on the info.

Freezing Eggs Before Cooking

Can you freeze fresh eggs also? Yes and many people use this method to store eggs from the hens’ high production times. Our egg production is highest in Spring and early Summer. As we approach fall and the fall molting period, eggs can become scarce. Freezing eggs during the Spring ensures we will have eggs available for fall baking.

 

Simply break the eggs into a bowl and whisk gently. Adding a quarter teaspoon of salt per cup of whisked eggs, will help keep them from being grainy after freezing eggs. Using a tablespoon to measure, scoop out three tablespoons of the whisked eggs. This is the approximate measurement of one whole egg. I like to use large ice cube trays but you can also put small custard cups on a cookie sheet and put the egg into those.

Pop the eggs into the freezer. When frozen completely, remove from the ice tray or custard cup and store in a freezer container or zip lock freezer bag. When you need eggs for a recipe, thaw and use as normal.

There you have it folks! For more information from the American Egg Board, you can visit their website. It has lots of information and activities including a fun little egg knowledge quiz.

Enjoy!

For information on why fresh eggs from the coop sometimes look strange, and if they are safe to eat, take a look at this post with a print out ready chart.

 

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