I was at the commissary yesterday, and they were out of the eggs that I usually buy. I started checking out the other options, and decided that I'm easily confused by egg sizes. How do I know what the difference in sizes means? Which is the better value? I came home, did some research, and here's what I've found:
Photo by: woodleywonderworks'
- There are six sizes available: Jumbo, Extra Large, Large, Medium, Small and Peewee. Eggs are sized by their weight per dozen.
EGG SIZE | Oz. Per Dozen |
Jumbo | 30 |
Extra Large | 27 |
Large | 24 |
Medium | 21 |
Small | 18 |
Peewee | 15 |
- Most eggs sold in the grocery stores are Extra Large, Large or Medium, with Mediums being less common.
- Any size egg can be used for scrambling, frying, poaching or hard-boiling.
- Most recipes are calibrated for large eggs. You may substitute between sizes as long as the egg isn't a crucial ingredient in a delicate baked good, such as a souffle. Extra large eggs may be substituted 1-for-1 with large eggs until you reach six large eggs, at which point you would use only five extra large eggs.
- For a $1.00 dozen of large eggs, the equivalent price of extra large eggs would be $1.12. If you are looking to purchase the most economical, use that as a guide to check out which prices are better. In the eggs I buy, the extra large eggs are only 10 cents more per pound, which makes them a better value. (And I'm buying expensive eggs.)
Well, now I know that it isn't complicated at all. I'll continue to buy the extra larges as long as they are the most economical, and I won't worry if I have to buy large or medium. As long as I'm not making something that is very fragile or contains a lot of eggs, the difference in size shouldn't change the results of my recipes.
And now I know!