Pros and cons of duck eggs

[emjay]

Quote:
do you have that brownie recipe

I have people turn their noses up to when I say duck eggs, I think for most people, they are just so brainwashed into chicken eggs for eating, as that is all the supermarket sells. I've been putting a couple of duck eggs in everyones dozens for them to try.

 

[tomingreeneco]

Try them pickled! MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

 

[TrulyFowl]

I would love that brownie recipe too! I will be baking Christmas cookies and brownies this week-end to send to friends and family. If I use a brownie mix that calls for two eggs, do I use two duck eggs, or one? Thanks!

 

[FenDruadin]

Duck egg pros: They are better in every respect.
Duck egg cons: None.

I simply will not go back to chicken eggs. Ever, if I can help it. My friend who is a chef buys my eggs and she is always so grateful, especially if it's been a while since we've been able to get up with each other and she's had to resort to chicken eggs.

I never buy eggs in a restaurant. Ick.

I never buy chicken eggs, period, ever.

Okay, in all seriousness and bias aside:

Duck eggs are higher in protein, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Also higher in cholesterol and fat, although new research is showing that those nutrients can be healthy too when they come from a healthy source (like fresh, free ranged duck eggs, for instance).

Duck eggs have a slightly firmer texture than chicken eggs that may be a little disconcerting for people accustomed to chicken eggs. Add a little milk when scrambling to soften the texture. Personally, I like the firmer texture.

FRESH, free-range eggs of any sort will taste richer and be darker in color, both of which qualities indicate higher levels of nutrients.

Duck eggs will "stand up" in the pan better than chicken eggs.

Duck egg shells are hard to crack and until you get the hang of it, you're likel to have shells in your eggs occasionally.

Very fresh eggs are harder to peel when boiled.

Duck eggs contain different proteins from chicken eggs. Some people who are allergic to chicken eggs can eat duck eggs just fine. Likewise, some people who can eat chicken eggs just fine may be allergic to duck eggs. A mild allergy is usually the reason for the "overly full" feeling someone described. Some friends of mine get nauseous from duck eggs, and one person in particular ends up in bed for half a day if he eats any. This is unusual, and not dangerous--egg allergies take time to build up, so you won't keel over on your first attempt, even if you are allergic. You just might get a little sick. But isn't it nice that people who are allergic to one kind of eggs can often still eat the other kind?

Duck eggs are categorically better for baking. Thanks to their different proteins, they provide more "loft" and better moisture. You can use fewer to get the same effect, or use the number called for in the recipe to get exceptionally moist and lofty baked goods. There will be no difference in flavor.

I agree that in taste tests, it is a rare person who could tell the difference. They really do taste basically the same with minor texture differences.

However, free range eggs--duck or chicken or any other sort--will occasionally carry flavors from something the animal has been eating. Every once in a while, I'll crack an egg open and get a slightly fishy or onion-pungent odor. Usually, the eggs taste fine once cooked, and the flavor is very mild. I have heard that ducks with a heavy fish diet will develop that odor in their eggs. I think the wild onions they eat in Spring probably have an effect, too. It is unusual for me to have this problem, and the eggs are still perfectly usable, but it does happen. Usually, it's only two or three eggs at a time, and it only happens two or three times a year. I suspect that chicken eggs can occasionally have the issue too--it's the difference between factory produced eggs from hens who all eat exactly the same thing every day with never access to anything fresh and whose eggs are going to always be exactly the same--pale, flavorless, and runny--versus eggs from hens who forage bugs and grass and fish and worms all day and whose eggs taste fresh and clean and rich and, occasionally, tinged with an odor of what they've been eating.

Hope that helps.

It's a normal reflex in humans to be wary of new foods. I feed duck eggs to anyone who comes over & never bother telling them what kind of eggs they are. Some folks already know, some folks don't care, others might turn their noses up if they knew, but whatever. I do know who among my friends is allergic to duck eggs, and of COURSE I never serve them eggs. I think the best thing a person can do to encourage friends and family to eat duck eggs is simply to eat and manifestly ENJOY the eggs yourself. They'll come around.

 

[duck walk]

I crack up slipping the duck eggs to the unsuspecting...never had anyone sickened or suspicious...we, my sons and I, got very good at disguising cooked food items when my second husband, their step dad, was alive and we were all here together...I guess we were kind of mean to him but he was so loaded with food phobias it was absurd...the best mean thing we did was catch and fry a rattlesnake...he was eating away think it was rabbit when it suddenly occured to him that the bones "looked funny." The meat was very tasty and he was eating away and enjoying it until...this was a long time ago and we still laugh about it when the boys and I get together and share "Bill stories." He was a city boy and we were country as cow poop...he intellecutalized and theorized everything and we lived...he would not eat eggs...would not go near anything that fell out of any bird's butt...funny guy...

 

[lostsoulhelpmejebus]

I can see now I must get some hatching eggs or ducklings in the spring.

May I ask what breed would be the best for egg laying / egg production? I won't be able to have very many, so whatever kind I chose will have to be awesome egg layers. Anyone care to chime in and make a recommendation, please?

 

[FenDruadin]

For egg laying, order from a reputable hatchery or, better yet, Holderread Waterfowl Farm or other breeder that focuses on maintaining and improving laying ability. Then select one of these breeds:

Egg-laying hybrid (most hatcheries have these--they won't breed "true" if you want to raise your own ducks, but they make the best layers)
Khaki Campbell (excellent layers, brown and skittish--I think they're boring)
Indian Runner (funny as heck, excellent layers, come in many colors)
Welsh Harlequin (well loved by many, great layers, can be good mothers, pretty, and can be sexed at hatching time by bill color which is cool)
Ancona (large, good layers but not as good as Runners & Harlies & khakis, very very pretty multi-colored ducks)
Magpie (similar to anconas but not as large, with a large patch of color on the back and another on the head--difficult to get the markings right--often they end up looking like heavily colored anconas)

Have fun. Ducks and their eggs are awesome.

 

[lostsoulhelpmejebus]

Quote:
Thanks for the advice, information is power.

 

[treldib]

Pros: They taste far superior to chicken eggs IMO.

Cons: They don't fit in regular egg cartons!

 

[Tater n Beans]

They make the most dense, and moist cakes and the absolute best deviled eggs, such a creamy texture!