Monday, June 27, 2011

The Incredible Edible Egg Powder

This is a product reivew on the incredible, edible Whole Egg Powder offered by THRIVE.
To order some, contact me at ThriveWithHemsath@gmail.com

WHAT ARE POWDERED EGGS?

Powdered eggs are fully dehydrated REAL eggs. They are not an egg substitute. It starts with real fresh eggs, which get washed, opened, chilled, filtered and dried, (through a spray-drying process much like powdered milk), and the end result is a free-flowing powder.

HOW DO I USE POWDERED EGGS?

You use them just like you would real eggs! To reconstitute, use an egg to water ratio of 1:2. 
To get one medium egg, simply add 1 Tbsp egg powder to 2 Tbsp water, whisk, and voila!

You can use powdered eggs to make scrambled eggs or omelets, or use them for all of your baking needs. When baking, you don't have to reconstitute first. Just add the egg powder in with your dry ingredients, and add the appropriate amount of water to your wet ingredients.  I have even heard of people using them to make mayonnaise and egg nog. Just about the only thing you can't do with these is make hard boiled eggs.

HOW DO THEY TASTE?

Thus far, I have personally used THRIVE Egg powder in Cornbread, Pizza crust, Ham fried Rice, and a Breakfast scramble. And I have been pretty impressed. When it comes to eaten them plain like a scrambled egg, they are tasty. Not quite the same as a freshly cracked egg, but still pretty good. When it comes to using them in baking, I have not noticed any difference. None what so ever. My recipe turns out exactly like it did when I used fresh eggs.

HOW MUCH DO THEY COST?

As of today, a #10 can of Whole Egg Powder costs $20.99 (236 Medium Eggs). A Pantry can costs $9.09 (60 Medium Eggs), and a Mylar Pouch will cost you $6.99 (37 Eggs). All prices quoted are the Q Club/Party Price, which I can get for you if you contact me to place your order, or you can place the order yourself and pay the current webprice by going to: http://www.whitneyhemsath.shelfreliance.com/.

HOW LONG WILL THEY LAST?

An unopened #10 or pantry can, if stored in a cool, dark place can last up to 5 years. Once opened, the product will last for 6 months, with the provided plastic lid sealing the can between uses. A Mylar pouch will last 2 years unopened if stored in a cool dark place, and 6 months once opened, with the pouch resealed between uses.

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES TO THRIVE WHOLE POWDERED EGGS?

  • Money Saver -  A #10 can contains 236 medium eggs, which is equivalent to 217 large eggs. Divide that by 12, and you've got 19.66 dozen medium eggs or 18.15 dozen Grade AA Large Eggs. Since the can costs only $20.99 right now, that's about $1.07 a dozen for the medium, or $1.16 a dozen for the Large. The average price of a dozen eggs is $1.99 or more in grocery stores, so using powdered eggs will actually save you money!
  • No fear of harmful bacterias like Salmonella. Because those harmful bacteria like Salmonella are eliminated in the drying process of powdered eggs, there's no risk involved with consuming products containing raw or undercooked powdered eggs. You and your kids can enjoy spoons of cookie dough and licking the cake batter beaters without fear.
  • You can half an egg now. - Powdered eggs are perfect for cutting recipes in half.
  • No more broken shells - You won't have to worry about eggs accidentally getting dropped or broken in transit. No more tiny pieces of shell landing in your food when you crack one open. All of which makes letting your kids help in the kitchen so much more convenient!
  • Space Saver - Save precious space in your fridge by storing eggs in your pantry. And being powdered means you can fit 19 dozen in the space that only 4-5 bulky egg cartons would have taken up. This is especially true when you take eggs camping. A scoop of powder in a bag that doesn't have to be refrigerated in a cooler. How easy is that!
  • Time Saver - No more running out to the store or calling up neighbors to borrow an egg because you ran out. With a can of THRIVE Whole Egg Powder in the pantry, you have eggs on hand whenever you need them.
  • Shelf stability - You never know when eggs will become too expensive or too scarce to find at the grocery store. Since a can can last 5 years on your shelf, THRIVE Whole egg powder is a great form of food insurance to prepare your family for any disasters, global or personal, that might arise.

BUT WHAT IF I'M NOT USED TO MEDIUM SIZED EGGS?

1 serving size of THRIVE Whole Egg Powder is equivalent to 1 medium egg. But most people don't use medium eggs. Most are used to Grade AA Large eggs. So here is some information you may find useful. 

According to my on-line research, a Medium egg is 3 T of liquid volume. A Large Egg is 3 1/4 Tbsp of liquid volume. I did my own comparisons to double check that data. I mixed one T powder and 2 T water, and ended up with 3 T of liquid egg. Then I got out one of my Grade AA Large eggs in the fridge, cracked it, whisked it and go just over 3 T of liquid egg. The difference is that small. See for yourself. The left picture is a THRIVE egg reconstituted, the right is a fresh Grade AA Large egg whisked from my fridge.






















Since the difference is so slight, substituting 1 medium egg for 1 large egg won't notably affect your recipe. I noticed no difference in my pizza crust at all. But in recipes that specifically call for larger quantities of LARGE eggs, you may want to add a little bit more.

If you wanted to get technical, to achieve that extra 1/4 T of liquid volume, you'll need to divide that by 3 (since it's 1 part powder and 2 parts water), which gives you 1/12 T of extra powder you need. 1 T = 3 tsp, so 1/12T = 1/4 t. Here's the final reconstitution guidelines.

A Medium egg is 1 T powder, with  2 Tbsp water.
A Large egg is 1 T + 1/4 tsp powder, with 2 T + 1/2 tsp water.

While the difference between Medium and Large wasn't notable in my baking, I found it interesting that once scrambled, the difference between the large fresh egg  and the medium powdered egg seemed magnified. (see picture below, powdered egg on left, fresh egg on right). I don't know how or why the difference is magnified in scrambled form, but non-existent in baking. Perhaps the scrambling/frying process causes more fluffing than baking? I don't know. But if you're  used to eating 2 scrambled eggs in the morning, plan on using a little bit more to get your same fill.



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