Why Buy “Vegetarian” Eggs?
Because they’re happy eggs! "Vegetarian" eggs are laid by hens who are fed an all natural grain diet, without added hormones, antibiotics, drugs, or additives. Believe it or not, some commercial chicken feeds contain animal by-products, including cholesterol, and hormones that contribute to cholesterol production. So "vegetarian eggs" come from hens who eat a zero-cholesterol diet!
Why are these eggs superior to mass market eggs? First, they look better. When you break one into a bowl, the yolk is nice and high and firm. The color is a deep yellow-orange.
Second, when cooked and eaten on their own, vegetarian eggs taste rich, fresh, and very "eggy." The texture is moist and tender even when they’re well done.
Third, vegetarian eggs are better for baking. Cakes made with them tend to rise better and have a more tender crumb, with melt-in-your mouth flavor.
Fourth, vegetarian eggs are better for you. They’re lower in cholesterol, and higher in the Omega fatty acids that actually help protect your heart.
Fifth, if you’re making hard boiled eggs for salad or deviled eggs, you’ll discover that veggie eggs are much easier to peel. Recently I decided to be cheap and bought mass market eggs, and I almost went crazy trying to peel them.
Believe me, it wasn’t my technique that was the problem, it was the eggs. I’m 71 years old, and I’ve been cooking for as long as I can remember. If there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s boil eggs properly. And every experienced cook knows that the fresher the egg, the harder it will be to peel. It’s a dilemma. The fresher the egg, the tastier the dish - but the harder it will be to peel the eggs! So when you’re going for both freshness and easy-peeling, you want eggs with very hard shells and firm membranes.
Well, the shells on those cheap eggs were so thin, the inner membrane was glued to those eggs! So instead of serving gorgeous, smooth white eggs, they were all raggedy looking. Take my advice, and always buy vegetarian eggs for hard boiling. If your technique is right, they peel much more easily because the shells are so thick and hard, they practically slide off the egg.
And finally, you can feel good about buying vegetarian eggs because they usually come from happier chickens! Look for eggs that are not only "vegetarian," but "cage free." This means the hens are NOT squished into cages where they can’t move, subjected to bright light 24 hours a day to make them lay eggs constantly. Cage-free eggs come from hens who get to run around and scratch and squabble and do, well, whatever chickens like to do all day! That’s why I call them "happy eggs!"