Yes You Can Freeze EGGS!!

Lately, I have been intrigued about baking and wanting to try my hand at it. Nothing very complicated but try basic recipes of cookies, brownies, cakes, tea cakes, and cupcakes. But every recipe I came across would suggest to use just the egg yolks or just the egg whites. So I began to wonder what can I do with the remaining yolk or white. Now there are only so many times you can make scrambled eggs or sunny side ups with them. What about the rest of the time? This is was one of the reasons why I would refrain from using dessert recipes with eggs.

It used to run in my mind what I can do with the remaining eggs. Then I came across this article on how you can freeze eggs for up to a year and how they don't taste any different from the fresh ones. Of course, I started digging more on ways to best freeze the eggs.

Following are some easy instructions for freezing eggs:

Whole Eggs:

To freeze whole eggs or yolks crack them into a bowl and gently stir to break up the yolk somewhat. Try not to incorporate air into the eggs. Label the container with the date and the number of eggs. They can be kept frozen for a year and should be thawed in the refrigerator the day before you intend to use them.

Egg Yolks:

To inhibit yolks from getting lumpy during storage, stir in a 1/2-teaspoon salt per 1-cup of egg or yolks. If using for desserts, use 1-tablespoon sugar or corn syrup per 1-cup yolks or whole eggs. Label the container with the date and the number of egg yolks. Use up extra egg yolks in recipes like sauces, custards, ice cream, yellow cakes, mayonnaise, scrambled eggs, and cooked puddings.

Egg Whites:

Raw egg whites do not suffer from freezing (cooked egg whites are very rubbery). No salt or sugar is needed. Break and separate the eggs one at a time, making sure that no yolk gets into the whites. Pour into trays and freeze until firm. Label the container with the date and the number of egg whites. Use up extra egg whites in boiled frostings (i.e., 7-minute frosting), meringue cookies, angel food cake, white cakes, or meringue for pies.

Hard-Cook Egg Yolks:

Hard-cooked egg yolks can be frozen to use later for toppings or garnishes. Carefully place the yolks in a single layer in a saucepan and add enough water to come at least 1-inch above the yolks. Cover and quickly bring just to boiling. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, in the hot water about 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain well and package for freezing.

You can freeze eggs in different ways too:

Ice Tray/Muffin Trays:

Crack the eggs in an ice tray and put it into the freezer and freeze until the eggs are frozen solid. Once they are frozen, you can remove the eggs from the container. If they are stuck tight just have the container sit in some warm water for a minute and they should pop right out. Then add them to a ziplock freezer-safe bag. They can be kept frozen for up to a year!

Ziplock Bags/Containers:

Crack the eggs in a ziplock bag/container and add salt to them (You will want to use around 1/2 teaspoon of salt for one cup of eggs). Gently mix the eggs so the yolks break up a bit and mix with the salt. Pour egg mixture into your Ziploc or other container and freeze. You can use sugar instead of salt if you are using them for baking, etc. You can freeze the egg yolks and egg white separately if you need to. When freezing just the yolks, you will still need to use the salt (or sugar) to prevent it be like gelatin when you defrost them.

So many times it has happened that I have bought eggs and probably not ended up eating them for more than a week. This is such a good trick to have eggs anytime you want and in return save your money too.

Try it out and let me know your experience was.

Image: http://www.macheesmo.com/breakfast-sandwiches//

Source: http://thethriftycouple.com/2012/03/19/can-you-freeze-eggs-yes-you-can-and-heres-how/, http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/FreezingEgg.htm, http://happymoneysaver.com/can-you-freeze-eggs/