It’s no paltry issue. But it is a poultry one, because eggs – the size of eggs - has got Lauren Hale of Waikanae reaching for her scales, then reaching out to Fair Go.
Lauren first noticed a discrepancy while baking. She’s a lab technician so things must be accurate. She weighed the eggs and thought,
“Hang on, these aren’t size 8 eggs – at best they’re size 7s”.
Fair Go wondered if Lauren’s eggs-perience was only scratching the surface. We learnt that eggs are graded – quite strictly - on weight, not size.
Jumbos (size 8), need to be at least 68 grams (including shell), large or 7s - 62 grams, and standard eggs/ 6s – 53 grams.
Fair Go bought a whole range of different eggs for a weigh-in. The surprising results – in a tick.
Meanwhile, Lauren got hold of Capital Eggs, the company that produced the batches she bought, and explained her findings.
Capital Eggs promptly replied and delivered her some extra eggs. It told Fair Go it takes customer feedback seriously and regrets any inconvenience caused.
It says it’s only ever had two complaints and all Capital Eggs undergo rigorous grading procedures by a third party offsite.
The larger scale operators use grading machines to sort their eggs.
Michael Brooks from the Egg Producers Federation said eggs also go through a system known as “candling” where a light is shone over the eggs to make sure there are no defects.
They then go on a weighing platform and are diverted to whichever packaging is appropriate. He told us hens start laying at about 18 weeks – that’s where the smaller eggs come from.
By week 27 the eggs will be about 62 grams – a size 7. So the eggs get larger as the hens get older. And he was a real ‘eggspert’, mentioning New Zealanders eat around 230 eggs each, per year.
Fair Go’s results and expert advice
Fair Go found all the eggs it weighed were actually more than the minimum weight, sometimes by as much as six grams.
But does size really matter? Celebrity cook Annabelle White made an omelette out of size 6 eggs and one out of size 8 eggs.
It certainly looked like the size 8 omelette was a bigger portion by one and a half mouthfuls.
Egg-stra tips
Annabelle says don’t season eggs before cooking – it makes them tough – season after.
Also, cook an omelette in a cold pan – and do it slowly. Turn off the heat and it will continue to cook through.
If you’re making a pavlova – use eggs at room temperature so, take them out of the fridge before using.
Annabelle’s final tip is that bigger eggs give lighter results, so are good for baking cakes.
Egg-ceptional.
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