Double yolk eggs
The other day I was about to cook a couple of eggs. When I got them out of the carton, I noticed that one of them was bigger the the others. When I cracked it, out plopped an egg with a double yolk.
I can’t remember the last time I saw one of those. But it made me feel as though I’d won a little prize.
And so of course I looked it up:
In many cultures and religions, a double yolk is a good thing; luck is on the way. Old folklore tells us someone close to you might be having twins or a new beginning is on the horizon. Or you just cracked into the about one-in-1,000 egg that has a double yolk.
The article says that young birds are more likely to lay eggs with double yolks, and the incidence of double yolks seems to be increasing, perhaps for this reason:
“If egg consumption is growing, which it did during the pandemic, then you need more birds,” Arnsperger said. “And so you’ll have a disproportionate wave of young birds.” This could lead to more double yolks (remember, younger hens lay more double yolks).
But because of the increased demand during the pandemic, there may be another reason you’ve gotten a lot of double yolks. Most of the time, double yolk eggs are sorted out by an egg sorter because of their size, Arnsperger told me. “It’ll screen out the size of the egg it doesn’t want,” he continued. “But if you’re short on eggs, like during the pandemic, companies will widen the tolerance of the sorter to include larger eggs that could have double yolks.”
So they screen out larger eggs? My double yolk egg was in a carton of jumbos, so they were all big. But that egg was bigger than the others, quite noticeably. And why, oh why, did egg consumption increase during the pandemic? Comfort food?
My guess would be that people needed them for baking. There was a lot of that going on, especially among those who actually believed they were “quarantined.”
Climate change. The all-purpose explanation.
The Goddess of the Double-Yolk has formally blessed you and your kitchen. You now have a permanent 2+ score added to your health and hearth metrics.
What shadow said– flour for baking was as hard to find as toilet paper at one point early in the pandemic. There are also some comfort foods– scrambled eggs, French toast, waffles– that use eggs.
An outbreak of bird flu in chicken and turkey flocks will cause both poutry and egg prices to soar. This is in addition to the inflation prices already seen.
Affected flocks are destroyed to keep the infection from spreading.
Couple of weeks ago, had a carton with four double yolks. Had only seen one or two in my entire life previously.
And, is it just me, or are todays’ large eggs yesterdays medium?
“The other day I was …”
I was doing a little house cleaning and I was cleaning an ornamental tchotchke that my parents had in their house from before I was born. It is “carnival glass” and had been broken and carefully glued back together except not with the correct glue. So naturally it broke when I applied a little pressure. But I’ve got all the pieces.
What the heck is carnival glass?
Carnival glass originated as a glass called ‘Iridill’, produced beginning in 1908 by the Fenton Art Glass Company (founded in 1905). Iridill was inspired by the fine blown art glass of such makers as Tiffany and Steuben, but did not sell at the anticipated premium prices and was subsequently discounted. After these markdowns, Iridill pieces were used as carnival prizes.
Also known as aurora glass, dope glass, rainbow glass, taffeta glass, and disparagingly as ‘poor man’s Tiffany’.
This one is similar to my broken one.
https://www.carnivalglass.com/shop/indiana-blue-harvest-grape-carnival-glass-large-canister/
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And why, oh why, did egg consumption increase during the pandemic?
Eggs are really quick and easy to cook if you don’t get fancy; as a fast food substitute perhaps.
I get double yokes a lot in cartons of jumbo eggs. Probably averaging close to one per carton.
As to the increase in egg consumption, probably more people working from home and having time to make a real breakfast. Maybe also a trend in low-carb diets.
We get those double-yolk eggs every now and again from our chooks. It’s always a nice surprise.
We’ve kept chickens, off and on – and get double-yokers frequently – and yes, they do tend to be larger than usual.
Good Heavens, Tommy J – my daughter picked up a glass cannister like the one in your link seven inches tall, so it must be one of the commoner small ones.
Sgt Mom, I don’t think I have seen you comment here before. But I do know your Work and like it.
Had one first time couple months ago, I thought it was supposed to be good luck
I prefer to look on double yolks as the goddess’ way of hinting it’s time for me to knock out a hollandaise, griddle up some English muffins, poach a couple of eggs and slice off some smoked ham.
Sgt. Mom,
The one in the link was made in 1970, but mine must have been made prior to the 50’s. I really like it for some reason. Compared to the link, mine is about the same size and coloring and even uses the same grape bunch ornamentation and lid handle, but has an extra crown. Gotta find some proper glue for it.
I think I’ve seen Sgt. Mom comments here a few times.
Within the last year or so we have been eating jumbo brown eggs instead of white eggs.
We noticed that the brown eggs have much harder shells than white eggs and are far more likely to have double yolks.
My wife likes the jumble egg size. Sometimes, the carton has more doubles than single-yoke eggs. This is with just the plain store brand eggs.
My “sorter” is an 11 year old boy who along with his 8 year old brother runs the egg business on their family farm. Double yolks will not be passed over no matter what government disease is raging.
I didn’t realize they were that unusual. We often get a couple of flats from a nearby egg farm. The flats are obviously sorted by egg size and you can usually get an entire flat of (enormous) double yolk eggs if you choose. I get them now and then because it entertains the heck out of my kids.
I fear that double yolks, and jumbos, are based on too much growth hormones. I suspect a overstressed multi-hormone & enzyme & pollution (including micro plastics) are part of the obesity problems in the well-fed world.
I like the well-fedness, but not my own pot-belly.
A lot more Deviled Eggs made thanks to being home thru the week and making lunches, instead of the office game of “where do go for lunch”.
Tommy Jay:
“Sgt. Mom” has been commenting here quite a bit since 2007.
Most double yolks I have gotten from purchased eggs had a visible bulge or ‘belt’ around the middle. Easy to spot.
I kept chickens for several years but never got any double yolks from them. And they were raised from day old.
John Guilfoyle,
Is a ‘chook’ a breed of chicken? I had Leghorns, Barred Plymouth Rocks, Rhode Island Reds (very good natured – and one that thought it was a dog) and Auracanas – yes, they really do lay pink, green and blue eggs. I hear Australorps are a nice backyard breed. People can be very opinionated about chicken breeds. My dad was extremely partial to Black Wyandottes.
More on chickens. There is something extraordinarily soothing about keeping chickens. And that’s saying something when you consider how really dumb they are. They give a whole new meaning to the term ‘Bird brain’. And yet…
I’ve gotten past it but in my chicken lady phase I would become quite disturbed while lending a hand with the dishes after dinner at a friend’s or family member’s house. ‘You need chickens!’ I would exclaim, as the table scraps went down the disposal.
When the subject comes up I find that most women are fascinated by the idea of keeping chickens. Doesn’t seem to appeal to men in the same way.
It’s a beautiful thing to give them all your food waste and get a perfect, warm egg in return. Circle of life, and all.
Re: Chickens
Molly Brown:
Fascinating!
I’ve got some cafe friends, who live in a normal, suburban sort of house and raise chickens. They intend to keep bees too, now that the weather is warming.
Huxley,
My daughter in law has bee keeping ambitions and has taken some classes, but is waiting for a move to a moderate winter area. Apparently most hives do not survive freezing temps. Can’t blame her, I’d hate to lose my bees every year.
Her mother and I both have dragon fruit plants at home in Hawaii. Her mother gets a big harvest of fruit every year while I only get the occasional fruit and some years none at all.
Interestingly, her mother’s next door neighbors have 2 nearby bee hives.
The night blooming flowers, though, are a sight to behold.
You can tell the radioactive exposure of a food-watershed by the number of double-yolked eggs you see.
(j/k)
I get Jumbo eggs often. I see double yolks relatively often. Ha
ok, maybe 1 every 3 or 4 dozen.
There was a wild game shop here years ago that was closed down because of suspicious things.
I went in there once. They had Boar bacon and Ostrich eggs
I did consider it. For a millisecond.
Settled for buffalo, ostrich and kangaroo burgers. Kangaroo? How would I really know?
Regarding increased egg consumption I wonder if it also has to do with the fact that eggs are HEALTHY again(!), i.e., that over the past several years the health-and-nutrition poobahs have officially declared that eggs are indeed a healthy food—full of “good” cholesterol and other great stuff—contrary to the severe admonishments of the several previous decades.
Next stop, tobacco?—as Woody Allen joked in “Sleeper”…IIRC.
I have been frying my wife an egg every morning since the pandemic forced her to work from home. We eat more eggs because we’re home every morning.
Stopped reading after “…frying my wife…”
Speaking of eggs;
In 2019 the US produced 113 BILLION eggs.
Iowa is the largest egg producer in the USA at 15% of the total.
Ohio and Indiana are ties for second place at 9% of the total.
Have to feel sorry for chickens; first we steal their babies, cook’em up and eat them, and then when hens can no longer lay eggs , we cook’em and eat them too.
Last week I had two double-yolk eggs from the same store bought dozen. What a strange coincidence, but maybe it is due to the reasons you cite and so not so unusual.
This dozen last week will be our last from the store until late in the Fall. We have a neighbor with chickens that will supply us from now until then and she delivered the first bunch today. Probably seen my last double-yolk egg for awhile.
If you want really good, fresher eggs, look on Craigslist. There’s probably someone close by who sells them. Most I find charge $3 per dozen–you pay that much in the store for inferior eggs. I usually pay $5 per dozen, and it is always appreciated.
When we were early in the pandemic I was talking to a grocery store manager who said he understood the toilet paper and tuna shortages, but what was up with pancake mix? I reminded him that his store was in a free school breakfast neighborhood. Those kids were now not getting that breakfast. Same with eggs, I expect.
“Organic” eggs: the gal who founded Locally Laid says that all organic chicken feed comes from China. That and an eyebrow tells you why LL eggs are not organic, although they are natural and delicious.
Molly Brown, you are entirely right about chickens being soothing.
I have heard of a guy who takes in retired laying hens (they stop laying after two years). He has large piles of food waste, The hens will cheerfully rampage through the waste, and afterwards what is left is completely free of seeds and bugs, but is amazingly rich fertilizer. He bags and sells it at a premium price.
I wanted to have chickens. My ex is a farm girl and has no romantic memories of chickens. We did not have chickens.
Gordon Scott,
AND they make great fertilizer! Forgot to mention that. I used to scoop the coop droppings with a flat end shovel every week or two and dump it on one of my citrus trees. Banana plants – heavy feeders – love chicken poop.
This is a dangerous thread – I am starting to get ‘chicken itch’ again!
Molly Brown:
I never had chicken itch. I had relatives who owned a commercial chicken farm, and we used to visit them when I was a young child. The chicken coops were interesting but filled me with horror. So many chickens in those huge structures. When people entered, the chickens would make a din and scurry into the corners, piling up. They gave me the willies.
Neo,
Point taken!