From Coops to Kitchens

This oviform food fits in the palm of your hand and packs a nutritional punch

BY ADRIANNE LOVRIC

IT’S BEEN SAID THAT YOU CAN learn everything you need to know about a cook by watching them make an omelet. With time-saving techniques for cooking eggs trending on TikTok, it seems there might be little to learn about a cook who microwaves an egg between paper plates. But there is much to learn about the journey the star ingredient takes to find its way from coops to cartons, kitchens, and eventually content creators.

In Alberta there are more than 170 egg-farming families supplying 17.8 million eggs each week to grading stations operated in the province by Sparks Eggs or Burnbrae Farms. With its origins in Ontario, Burnbrae is Canada’s largest family owned and operated egg business.

Of the company’s seven grading stations across the country, one is located in Calgary. Burnbrae has been partnering with Alberta farmers to produce eggs in the province for more than 20 years. “Eggs have really evolved over the years. Now there’s a lot of variety on grocery store shelves and we are focused on offering choice,” says Margaret Hudson, President of Burnbrae Farms and a sixth-generation farmer. “There’s a lot more that goes into producing an egg than what people might consider.”

From the housing systems to the types of feed chickens receive, Hudson says consumers can take comfort in the fact that there is a high level of thought, care, and science-based practices applied to egg production. David Webb, of Egg Farmers of Alberta, echoes this sentiment adding that the industry is transitioning away from conventional cage-based housing systems to produce standard eggs, towards housing with more space and enrichments such as perches, scratch pads, and dust baths, allowing the chickens to demonstrate more natural behaviours.

Through the Canadian egg farmers’ industry-wide Egg Quality Assurance™ certification program, it is now easier to identify top-quality eggs through the EQA™ mark. It is an instantly recognizable sign that eggs come fresh from local farming families adhering to strict food safety and animal welfare standards. All registered egg farms in Alberta are EQA™ certified.

So what are the different types of eggs found in grocery stores?

• Nest-laid eggs come from hens that are raised in an enriched colony style of housing where they live in smaller social groups. • Free-run eggs are produced by hens that are free to roam about the barn, but they do not have access to the outdoors. • Free-range hens also live in a free-run system, but they have access to the outdoors – weather permitting. • Organic eggs are typically produced in the same housing system as free range, however all feed must be certified organic, which means that it only contains ingredients that were grown without pesticides, herbicides, or commercial fertilizer. Look for a certified organic symbol on the egg carton. • Omega 3 eggs can come from any system in terms of housing, but the hens receive feed that has higher concentration of flax seed or oil so that the eggs contain more alpha-linolenic acid, a plant-based Omega-3 fatty acid.

The feed determines the yolk colour. With an abundance of wheat in Alberta, most chickens are fed a wheat-based diet which produces a lighter yellow yolk. Chickens in central and eastern Canada tend to have a corn-based diet, which produces a darker yellow or orange yolk. Free-range egg yolks also tend to be darker because they are eating a wider variety of food outdoors.

As for the shell, the colour of the egg generally matches the colour of the chicken’s feathers. “The quick and easy way to say it is that white eggs come from white chickens, and brown eggs come from brown chickens. But the best way is to look at a hen’s earlobe. A bird might look almost white, but have a brown earlobe, so a white-looking bird can lay a brown egg,” says Webb.

All eggs produced in Alberta are consumed in Alberta so it typically takes about a week from the time an egg is laid until it is in a grocery store. Egg temperatures and humidity levels are maintained throughout production, storage, and distribution, and with farm pickups at least once per week, some eggs in cartons could be as little as a day old. After farm pick up, eggs are delivered to grading stations where they are washed, and inspected for imperfections through candling. Candling is a process that uses a bright light to make the interior of the egg visible. Eggs are then weighed, or graded, which determines whether it is a jumbo or a pee wee egg.

“The majority of eggs are extra-large, large or medium,” says Webb who adds that most people want large, consistent size eggs since those are what recipes are typically based on. Grade A eggs, which is what most consumers are familiar with buying, will have a clean and uncracked shell, a round and centered yolk, a firm white, and a small air cell. All other grades of eggs are sent for processing for use in commercial bakeries, liquid egg products, or non-food products like shampoo. Grade A eggs are packaged into cartons, and sent to grocery stores and restaurants.

Jeff Carlos, Chef and Co-Owner of The Bro’Kin Yolk, Bro’s to Go and Morning Brunch Co. says his four locations consume approximately 13,600 eggs - or 1,133 dozen eggs - every week. “The most common eggs that our customers order are soft poached eggs or overeasy eggs. Some of the uncommon ways that we have seen would be just an egg yolk poached, or just the egg yolks over easy. We definitely love the challenge of cooking an egg every which way.” Carlos adds that the beauty of eggs is that they are versatile and can be used in many different ways from sauces to drinks, to baked goods, or just as is. He says a unique and easy way to prepare eggs is to crack one straight into soup or noodles, a method he uses for his own meals almost weekly.

“Eggs are so incredibly versatile, they are the perfect food,” says Meg Tucker, of Cook with Meg, who provides virtual cooking classes for adults, families and children. One large Grade-A egg contains six grams of protein, is packed with 16 essential vitamins and minerals, 9 essential amino acids, and is only 70 calories. “They contain vitamins, minerals and good fats, great protein and not a lot of calories. It really is a perfect little package for any meal.”

Although she hasn’t tried the Tik Tok trend of cooking an egg with oil between two paper plates in a microwave, she encourages families to get creative with other items they have in their kitchens

Burnbrae Farms Bro’Kin Yolk

- especially with the school year back in full swing. For example, crack and bake a dozen eggs on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper then cut into individual servings for assembling a batch of breakfast sandwiches. Or use silicone ice cube trays with omelet toppings, add eggs and bake to make egg sticks that can be added to a tortilla for a breakfast wrap. “We’re all about batch cooking for back to school because it’s a great way to make up a bunch of items that kids can grab and go,” says Tucker, adding that eggs are an inexpensive staple that can be stretched into all meals and snacks.

Atticus Garant, Executive Chef at Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel agrees that the versatility of eggs makes them a great part of any menu. “They are used across the world in all types of cuisine - every culture has a version of an egg dish. Whether it is breakfast, lunch, dinner, or used in baking or sauces and dressings, I don’t know if there is an ingredient as versatile as an egg,” he says.

Garant’s favourite way to eat eggs is the six-minute 20 egg. This technique calls for a cold egg gently dropped into rolling boiling water, ensuring an adequate water to pot ratio so that the egg doesn’t slow the boil. Boil the egg for six minutes and 20 seconds, remove immediately and submerge in an ice bath. Then crack and peel the shell to reveal a set egg white and a perfectly jammy egg yolk that can be eaten on toast, combined with avocado or soya sauce and chili oil, or used in ramen.

“Splitting the egg and having the yolks and the whites to play with can also achieve some pretty amazing things,” says Garant. For example, sugar-salt cure an egg yolk then grate it over a salad to add extra umami and richness. Or try folding whipped egg whites into whipped egg yolks to create a souffle-style egg that can be used to make an omelet or frittata. The preparations are practically endless, and who knows where perfecting different egg techniques beyond microwaving them might lead.

As it turns out, omelet skills do reveal a chef’s abilities. “You can learn more than you need to know by observing a chef's omelet skills,” confirms Garant. “It is often used as a test in a cooking demo. For the most part, to work in high end kitchens or luxury hotels, the omelet is the end all and be all.” Meg Tucker’s Back To School Eggy Burritos

Makes 8 Burritos plus 4 extra egg “sticks”

8 eggs 1 Tbs (15 mL) milk 1 cup shredded cheddar, and or feta (mix it up) ½ cup cooked and chopped bacon ½ cup shredded ham ½ cup back bacon 1 pepper, chopped (any veggies you love!) 2 green onions, finely chopped 8 flour tortilla wraps

1. Preheat oven to 350° F and spray your silicone moulds with non-stick spray, line a sheet pan with parchment, for easy cleanup! 2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste and pour into a glass jug with a spout for easy pouring. 3. Fill the moulds with crumbled bacon, ham, or back bacon, then all the minced veggies you wish. Make it fun, get creative! 4. Very carefully pour your whisked eggs into the moulds until you run out. If you run out of eggs before you’ve filled your moulds, whisk together a couple more eggs with a small splash of milk or cream. 5. Carefully place your moulds on the baking sheet and bake for about 20 mins at 350º F. Let cool then pop out and place one per flour tortilla. Add some extra cheese if you wish then roll up and wrap in parchment or put into plastic bags. Can freeze for up to 2 months.

Adrianne Lovric is a communications professional who has spent the last 20 years creating content for print media, non-profits, creative agencies, start-ups and publicly traded companies. Adrianne lives in Calgary with her husband, Miroslav, and their two daughters.