Raw vs. Cooked Eggs?

[yaM yaM]

I have decided to begin including eggs in our vegetarian family's diet so that we may benefit from the unique fats they offer. I am vegetarian primarily for ethics reasons, so I've been very picky in my selection of egg sources. I will not buy organic eggs from the health food store, for example, because I am far from convinced that the chickens they come from are being raised freely and kindly. That said, I am guessing that we'll only have access to eggs from friends' pet chickens, which may be an irregular source and only available to us sometimes and not all the time.

So I've been searching for local egg sources and, so far, I have one friend whose family has pet chickens that kindly shared some of her eggs. I am thrilled to have eggs like these!

Now we are ready to include them in our diet.


I am wanting to learn more about the risks associated with raw eggs from a TF perspective.
What do YOU think are the real risks, there?
Do you eat raw eggs?
Do you feed them to your children?

Also, do cooked eggs contain the same healthy fats and the qualities of fats are just diminished, perhaps, or are they completely altered with cooking?

If so, are there any preferable cooking methods so as to reduce the alteration of fats?

And lastly, can you recommend your favorite ways to include eggs in your and your children's diets so as to receive the most benefit from the fats?


TIA.

[Pinky Tuscadero]

The yummiest way to eat raw egg yolks is to make your own ice cream. Mmmmm... raw cream and egg yolks with some honey and vanilla. It just doesn't get any better than this!

[yaM yaM]

Originally Posted by Pinky Tuscadero

The yummiest way to eat raw egg yolks is to make your own ice cream. Mmmmm... raw cream and egg yolks with some honey and vanilla. It just doesn't get any better than this!

That sounds nice. Would you share the recipe?

[tboroson]

The fats are only in the yolk, there is no fat in the white. The white contains enzymes that prevent your body from using protein and biotin. Those enzymes are denatured when you cook it. I don't think they'll hurt in small quantity, like the occasional chocolate mousse. But, I wouldn't eat egg whites raw on a daily basis.

The best way to eat eggs, therefore, is with the white cooked and the yolk raw: sunny side up, over easy, soft boiled, lightly poached. I also like to separate the egg and use the raw yolk in my smoothie, then cook the whites or save them to use in baking.

[yaM yaM]

Oh that's good to know. Thank you for sharing. How do you cook eggs sunny side up?

[pnutS4us]

How I do sunny side up eggs is to melt butter in my egg pan--I have a pan that I only use to cook eggs in. Then, once the butter is melted and starting to foam a bit, I crack my eggs into the butter, and let cook until the whites are 'set'--solid white. Sometimes, I will spoon the melted butter from the edges of the pan onto the white and a bit on the yolk--those are basted eggs--my dad used to do that all the time when we were camping, only he would cook them in bacon grease--oh yummy!

Over easy eggs are good too--the way I do them, is to start out like a sunny side up egg--lots of yummy melted butter--at least a T worth. Crack my eggs into the hot fat, shake the pan a bit after the whites have started to set to make sure the eggs are loose in the pan and with a flick of my wrist, flip the eggs in the pan. Once the eggs hit the hot fat, they are basically cooked. (If you want to practice with flipping eggs like they do in a restaurant, place a slice of bread in the pan you are going to be cooking the eggs in and practice flipping the slice of bread over with just a flick of your wrist.)

hth!

[Chicharronita]

Although I usually eat fried eggs with runny yolks, I also enjoy eggs scrambled over low heat. I melt butter in a pan, and then add beaten eggs. I try to mix as much of the butter into the egg mixture as I can.

I sure wish I had the same egg-flipping skills as pnutS4us! I cheat by putting a lid over the eggs when I'm frying them, so they kinda get steamed on top.

[yaM yaM]

Thank you so much for the ideas, mamas!


Does anyone have any comments about the risks/dangers of eating raw eggs? ARE there any risks or dangers in your opinions?

[MerriesMommie]

If there's salmonella in your chickens, it can be passed to humans through the chickens' raw eggs. (It doesn't make the chickens sick, so it's not a care or kindness issue wrt the flock.) Cooking kills the salmonella bacteria.

Salmonella won't really hurt healthy adults but it can be dangerous in very young children or elderly people.

[Feb2003]

Because I get my eggs from a local farmer once a week they are VERY fresh. I feed the raw yolks to my whole family (me, dh, and ~2yo and 4yo dss) usually in smoothies with kefir or yogurt (and fruit and usually avocado for healthy fats and thickening).

We made "raw french toast" yesterday (no real recipe, but I heard about it on this board) where I whisked yolks until light and ribboned and then added sweetener (raw honey) and cinnamon to taste...we dipped/soaked strips/pieces of bread into it and it was like a dip. It was amazing!

Honestly, it took a little getting used to, but I don't see any danger in eating (and feeding to my children) the raw yolks from farm fresh eggs. We started by being more liberal with the beaters out of raw batters and have moved on to the above recipe!

I have made macaroons with the whites left over from all of this yolk consumption, but I don't always get to it within a day or two (I think the whites will last longer if frozen, but I haven't tried that).

concerning the over easy eggs: I also crack in butter and then cover with a lid for about a minute to cook the whites and leave the yolks runny...yum

ice cream from NT/EFLF:
*3 egg yolks (EFLF calls for 6...decadent if you have enough)
*1/2 c Rapadura (turns ice cream brown, but adds minerals) or maple syrup/raw honey (strong flavors for us)
*1 Tbs vanilla extract
*3 c heavy cream, preferably raw, not ultrapasteurized
*1 Tbs arrowroot (I think this stabilizes it)

(EFLF also calls for 2 optional Tbs of vodka to keep the ice cream soft in the freezer)

beat yolks, add everything else, pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to directions...yum!

hard boiled is another easy way to eat them...maybe sliced, sprinkled with sea salt and a little black pepper (not sure about the nutrients b/c the yolks are so cooked)

soft boiled is how I ate them growing up...yum!

poached on a piece of buttered (optional) sourdough is yummy. to poach simmer some water with a few Tbs of white vinegar, break egg into a small bowl, swirl water with spoon or spoon handle to make a vortex and, holding the bowl just above the vortex, slip the egg into the water...it should swirl around and mostly keep a blob shape (hence the vinegar and vortex)...make another vortex for another egg so they don't combine...cook a bit until whites seem cooked, but blob's still squishy (scientific, I know ), spoon out, drain off extra water and enjoy!

[yaM yaM]

Ah, ok. That is what I was wondering about - I was wondering if the hygiene surrounding the care of the chickens played a role in the risk of salmonella, etc.

It is reassuring to read that there is no risk to healthy people.

[MerriesMommie]

No permanent risk. Diarrhea (sp?) and digestive stuff, though, until it works though your system.

[yaM yaM]

That is such a relief! I've been a non-egg-eating veggie for so many years, and before that the hype had always sounded so *big* yk?

[yaM yaM]

Would that info also hold true for the countertop and sponges theories?

[Feb2003]

I had salmonella (from undercooked chicken) as a teen...it wasn't fun, but wasn't really any worse than a stomach virus.

sponges can be boiled or microwaved periodically to kill any bacteria

I don't use any heavy cleaners on my counters and have never had a problem. I think the issue would be with any bacteria (airborne) that would try to grow in remaining egg on the counter. I think a wipedown with warm water is in order periodically throughout the day and then soapy water or windex (on sealed granite) when you know you've spilled somethign like egg

[Rachel J.]

Here's some interesting information regarding eating both the raw yolk and white. http://www.mercola.com/2002/nov/13/eggs.htm

After my recent studies it became clear that the egg's design carefully compensated for this issue.

It put tons of biotin in the egg yolk. Egg yolks have one of the highest concentrations of biotin found in nature. So it is likely that you will not have a biotin deficiency if you consume the whole raw egg, yolk and white. It is also clear, however, that if you only consume raw egg whites, you are nearly guaranteed to develop a biotin deficiency unless you take a biotin supplement.

[yaM yaM]

Feb2003, thank you for your elaborate post, above. I must have missed it earlier when it appears that we cross-posted!

Rachel J., that info is interesting. I'm confused now, however, because tboroson's post (I think it's post # 3 or 4, above) says that the enzymes in egg whites prevent the biotin absorption. :

[Metasequoia]

Originally Posted by May May

Feb2003, thank you for your elaborate post, above. I must have missed it earlier when it appears that we cross-posted!

Rachel J., that info is interesting. I'm confused now, however, because tboroson's post (I think it's post # 3 or 4, above) says that the enzymes in egg whites prevent the biotin absorption. :

What tboroson is saying is that the whites can cause a biotin deficiency, what Mercola is saying is that the egg is such a perfect food that the yolk has LOADS of biotin to compensate for the enzyme inhibitors in the whites, so (according to him) it's okay to eat the whole egg raw. BUT, he says that if you eat just the white, you'll surely suffer a biotin deficiency - make sense?

My Dds eat raw egg yolks in egg nog! Here's how I make it:

1 cup of raw whole milk
2 egg yolks
splash of vanilla
splash of maple syrup

I just throw it all in the blender until frothy and add the nutmeg on top!

Now, what to do with the whites you ask? Macaroons! Here's how I make 'em:

I beat about 3/4 cup of egg whites (approx. 4 egg whites) with a pinch of salt until they formed stiff peaks, then I slowly added a TBSP of vanilla flavor & 1/4 cup of real maple syrup. I also added a small TBSP of honey, but I may omit that in the future - I prefer my macaroons not so sweet. Maple syrup is my sweetener of choice these days.

I then folded in 2 cups of unsulphured, unsweetened flaked coconut. I greased a couple of cookie sheets (with Spectrum organic, non-hydrogenated shortening) & dropped spoonfuls of the mix onto the sheets & baked them for 20-30 minutes at 325.

[yaM yaM]

Metasequoia, thank you for explaining it. I posted in a hurry before and now see how I might have also figured that out on my own, LOL.

That macaroon idea sure is an awesome one! Coconut is such healthy stuff and how clever to combine it with eggwhites.

I love learning these creative idea for how to serve the eggs to my children. I have one in particular who's going to need quite a bit of convincing, and I think she'll go for the smoothie and the cookie recipes at least.

[motocita]

my favorite way to eat raw egg yolks is from Eat Fat Lose Fat. i may not have it perfectly cuz i'm going from memory, but i believe it's:

1C? coconut milk
ripe banana
dash of maple syrup
raw egg yolk

blend it all together and you're done. this smoothy is seriously delicious. i CRAVE this. it tastes like liquid ice cream and is full of nutrition.

my daughter and i have been eating raw eggs for about a year now - in mayonnaise or in smoothies usually, but several times a week. i buy cage free eggs from whole foods. i check to make sure the egg looks good on the outside and that the yolk is big and orange. otherwise i select another egg. i don't think i'm putting my daughter at risk. she's 2.5 and has a strong immune system. she rarely gets sick even when we've been around others who are. we do a lot of bone broth and no processed food or sugar, whatsoever. i feel comfortable giving her raw eggs.