Let’s talk about eggs!
Eggs play an important roll in our baked goods. Eggs add structure, leavening, color, and flavor to our cakes and cookies. It’s the balance between eggs and flour that help provide the height and texture of many of the baked goods here on Joy the Baker. It’s a balancing act.
Different parts of the egg pull the weight in different ways. When whipped egg whites are folded into a batter, they help the cake to rise. Angel Food Cake is a perfect example of the power of egg whites. Egg yolks add a really lovely richness and thickening power to custards and ice cream bases. Cookie No-Dough Ice Cream is a prime example of the luscious thickening power of yolks. Yes… I just said luscious.
When whole eggs are heated, they become firm… we know this from eating hard-boiled eggs for breakfast. That’s the structure that helps bind our cakes. Finally, when beaten eggs are brushed onto unbaked crusts, they make the most wonderfully golden and shiny crusts. That’s a lot, right!? All from inside that light brown shell.
With all of the heavy lifting that eggs do in our kitchen, we really should talk about why we use a particular size egg in baking. Why Do We Use Large Eggs In Baking? Because it matters. Here’s the deal:
Here in the US we have different size eggs: medium, large, extra-large, and jumbo. The large the egg, the more egg goodness inside the egg.
Large eggs are about 57 grams or 3 1/4 tablespoons of egg. Extra-large eggs are about 64 grams, or 4 tablespoons of egg. Jumbo eggs are even larger.
Most baking recipes call for large eggs. If a recipe calls for two large eggs, that means the proportions of the recipe are counting on about 6 1/2 tablespoons of liquid egg. If we were to use extra-large or even jumbo eggs in place of large eggs, we’d adding far more liquid that the recipe proportions account for.
Now… there is some leeway in baking. It’s not always that 1 extra tablespoon of liquid will ruin a recipe. Let’s not get crazy. But, the more incorrectly sized eggs used in a recipe, the more the proportions are thrown. Four extra-large eggs instead of four large eggs means adding 3 extra tablespoons of liquid.
When it comes to successful baking (and successful living), we’re just trying to get as many things right as possible. Using large eggs, as most recipes indicate, is a part of that success.
If a recipe does not indicate the size egg to use, stick with large.
If a recipe calls for extra-large or jumbo eggs, like many of Ina Garten’s recipes do… raise your eyebrow and follow along. That either means buying larger eggs or weighing the eggs for accuracy. It’s weird though. I wish Ina knew that was weird.
There’s more in the Baking 101 game!
Baking 101: How To Read A Recipe
Baking101: Must We Sift This Flour?
Baking 101: Why We Use Unsalted Butter
Baking 101: The Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder
Baking 101: The Difference Between Dutch Processed and Natural Cocoa Powder
Gracie
Another rockin’ post about baking details that amateurs like me have no clue about! Love this! Thanks!
http://sometimesgracefully.com
VinVino
Anyone know if the ratio of yolk to whites changes with size or do they scale accordingly?
Emily
I’ve definitely been buying all extra-large eggs. Whoops. Thanks for the tips!
~Emily from The Orange Slate
http://www.theorangeslate.com
@emilyamccord
Ludina
You’re blowing my mind!!! I’m Italian and I so hope your book will be available in Europe too!
Really THANK you for what you’re doing, you are AMAZING. and you’re podcast is too.
You’re special
joythebaker
i’m glad you’re here!
katie @ ohshineon
i just love these posts… so helpful. i’ve totally fallen into the whole “large or jumbo oh let’s just use jumbo” debacle.
Skye
I have always wondered what the story with large eggs was. You have put my mind at rest. Thank you!
Michelle @ A Healthy Mrs
Great info, as always! :)
The Fashann Monster
Omg, I never realized how scientific cooking was. I think I’m just going to eat sandwiches everyday when I move out.
The Fashann Monster
Diane Milligan
You are partially correct. In baking, you are using Chemistry. Cooking (as in boiling water, or frying) is not quite as “scientific” as baking.
Jayne
I learnt this lesson early on in my baking experience. I always was (still is) cheap and wanted to save money by using smaller eggs but the texture of baked stuff were never right. So now, I only every but large eggs both for baking and for daily consumption. Good writeup, Joy!
Gaby
Bruce is right! I found when I do my recipes in Canada and in the UK i must adjust for egg size… Medium in the UK is a Large in the US! (we dont have extra large / jumbo). Confusing… :D
Bruce Andrews
Interestingly, a large egg in Australia is 50-58g, America is 57g, New Zealand is 62g, and Europe is 63-73g – so you could be adding in a significantly incorrect amount of egg if you use a recipe that doesn’t specify weight (unless you know the author’s country). It’s a bit of a minefield.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_egg_sizes
Brittany
Seriously, how does Ina not know that’s WEIRD?!
Whatever I still love her and adjust accordingly.
Belinda @themoonblushbaker
Great insight joy.We can not forget the magic it works to bind oil and water together to form Mayo and hollandaise.
I wondering how much does one egg yolk and one egg white weight for you? I have seen so many versions, I am so confessed sometimes.