Cookaholics Bulletin Board

I mostly buy Jumbo size eggs unless I'm going to use them solely for baking, then I buy large or extra large.
My question has to do with the Jumbos.
With the last carton I bought it was really obvious that there were really big differences in the size of the eggs.
Some were huge (and turned out to be double-yolks) and some were significantly smaller. And I get it that they average them out.
So I weighed each and while a few were 79 grams, some were as small as 67 grams.
These eggs, as are most that are available here, were from Washington; sometimes from the the Willamette Valley in Oregon.
Anyway, I'm wondering if it's just this one source that has such big differences or if it's all of them, including other sizes.
Anyone else notice anything like this? And which size do you use?

Linda, I buy Costco extra large eggs 99% of the time. They appear to be pretty even, though I've never weighed them all. I don't usually worry about the size difference unless there are quite a few in the recipe. I just copied a coconut cake recipe from Joanne Chang's new book and it calls for 7 eggs (she uses large eggs) so I'll use 6.

I have a chart that gives very detailed information on sizes and weights from CI 11/2009. If the eggs seem too big by eye, in breads, I add a bit more flour or reduce other liquid. I love to bake and tend to take liberties that way even though I know I should not.

I usually buy large eggs and seldom find more than one or two that fit the profile of weighing exactly 57 grams. They will frequently range from 55 to 67 grams in the same dozen of eggs.

When baking with them, I weigh them.

One Large Egg
Weight in Shell: 57 grams
Weight without shell: 50 grams
Water Content: 37.5 grams [75%]
Fat Content: 4.5-4.9 grams [9-10%]
Weight of Yolk: 17 grams [34%]
Weight of White: 33 grams [66%]

Yolk Analysis
Weight of Yolk; 17 grams
Water 8.5 grams [50%]
Fat 4.5-4.9 grams [30%]
Protein 2.7 grams [16%]

White Analysis
Water Content 29 grams [87%]
Protein Content 3.6 grams [11%]
Fat: Trace [<1%]

Shell Analysis:
Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3) 87%
Gooey, clingy leftover whites and membranes 13%

That chart is helpful, Jim. I think it might have been you who mentioned one time that you don't buy extra-large eggs, rather, you just weigh and pull out the heaviest of the large eggs and they do fine. So I've been doing that ever since. Just the other day I weighed every egg in 2 cartons to get the heaviest for the equivalent of 7 extra-large eggs. Totally worth it not to have to keep 2 different sizes of eggs in the fridge. Thanks!

Emilie

I usually just go by weight, since I have chickens that lay different sizes.