Dehydrating eggs for long term storage

[FreshHappyEggs]

Has anyone tried dehydrating their extra eggs? I read that all you have to do is scramble them with no oil or fat, then put on the dehydrator and crumble into a powder. I would like to try it, but curious as to how long it would last. I have some mylar bags with oxygen absorbers so that should help extend the shelf life but I was just wondering about any of your experiences.

 

[noitulover]

Don't know the answer, but bumping because I'm curious!

 

[FreshHappyEggs]

I've heard of people storing them in glass jars and it lasting about 6 months or so, then they get rancid. I will have to try the mylar method to see if it lasts longer.

 

[trapper john]

You can scramble them first then put in a food dehydrator check this link out??? She has two videos how www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZTA4AheYNw

 

[erinszoo]

We have dehydrated them raw before so that they can be used for baking when reconstituted. I didn't like the taste of them just cooked and eaten but they worked just fine and are great for baking. We store them in the freezer after dehydrating so I'm not sure how long they would last on the counter. It's kind of a lot of work to do when they store so well in the shell and we sell most of our extras so ... curious though how others might respond.

 

[FreshHappyEggs]

Thank you all for your input. My chicks are only about a month old. I have 6 red sex links and getting two Ameraucanas this weekend that are about the same age. So obviously I'm not getting eggs yet, but I figured with 8 chickens I will have more than enough eggs for my family of 3, lol. I am sure I will give some away or sell, but we have been trying to start a stock pile of food that is shelf stable, in case there was ever a long term power outage. I've never tasted dehydrated eggs so I guess I should try it with some grocery store eggs before I start storing tons of it.

 

[wyoDreamer]

The nice thing about chickens is that even without a fridge or power, they will still provide you with fresh, healthy food to eat. But it would be nice to have them dehydrated and on hand for baking.

Also, dehydrated eggs are an ingredient in boxed cake mixes and such. So if you dehydrate your eggs, you can make your own cake mixes to store on the shelf, take camping, give as gifts, use when unexpected company shows up or whatever. I have started making mixes and vacumn sealing them with the intention of taking them camping and hunting. Anything to make it quick and easy for food prep when oudoors will be welcome by the camp chef - namely me!

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

Hmmm, I never even thought about dehydrating eggs before (and I dehydrate just about everything!)

We do sell our extra eggs (actually, we keep the eggs that don't sell!) but even when we have a few dozen around, there are so many recipes that use eggs, (think outside the shell .... egg noodles, mayonnaise, et al) that we rarely have too many extras. When we do, I usually just pickle them. (if you're not a canner, save some sweet or dill pickle juice and put your eggs into the jar)

 

[ogr8bearded1]

I do know I've read warnings about keeping instant pancake and just add water/milk cake mixes in your prepper supplies as they do go bad and can become toxic and its recommended to store flour instead. If you do dehydrate I suggest you bag the dehydrated eggs with as little air as you can, then place that into another bag and do the same. This double bag method is one reason military MREs last up to 5 years. Double bagging drastically reduces how quick the air can work past seals. To me, dehydrated foods are really for campers/hikers who are worried about weight than home storage for a disaster.

We usually keep a dozen eggs in the fridge but our extras in a carton in the cupboards, just turn them over every week, for up to a month before they become the ones transferred to the fridge. You could also pickle them for long term storage. Water glass or lime water can be used to keep them fresh for up to 5 months, or coat them with mineral oil to be good for 9 months and even up to a year, or so they say. I'd say if you just worried about a power outage though, put them in a fridge for a few days to make sure they don't start growing if power goes out in summer temps and it will be fine to store on shelves for a month easy.

If you are worried about having too many, you could be creative with how you use them, instead of mashed potatoes for a meal, make this tasty Russian dish instead. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/kartoshnik-with-cheese-and-onions/detail.aspx If you make it right, you will end up with a souflee like potato dish that is light and airy, but even if it doesn't rise will still taste very good. I've made it with both fresh potatoes and instant potatoes and liked it better with the instant (instant made by package directions then used as if mashed fresh,) but may not have had enough liquid and/or baking powder when used fresh potatoes.

An article about mineral oil preservation here http://www.offthegridnews.com/2012/03/05/preserving-eggs-for-the-long-term/ and lime water recipe here http://www.theoldfoodie.com/2009/04/preserving-eggs-otherwayes.html and a Mother Earth News report on testing various methods and their findings in this article http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1977-11-01/Fresh-Eggs.aspx#axzz2Q5l77594

And of course, hatch and sell the chickens not bad either. Seems to be a lot of people on Craigslist willing to buy hens at a decent price nowadays. Maybe even consider selling fertile eggs to someone wanting to incubate too.

 

[FreshHappyEggs]

Thanks for all of the info!
I do have some mylar bags and oxygen absorbers which should help in keeping things fresh. I would like to try the mineral oil as well. I saw that on Doomsday Preppers.
Thank you for sharing the recipe, it looks good. I don't have any fresh eggs yet, my 6 girls should be laying by the end of summer. I figure we'll have more than enough eggs for my family of three. I'm sure I'll give some away and still have some left. I will probably pickle some eggs as well although I'll be the only one eating them. Hubby and son are picky eaters. In fact my son will only eat eggs hard-boiled and won't eat the yolk.