Last month, I got the chance to hang out with some folks from the Ohio Poultry Association for two days chock full of eggcentric cooking and Ohio Eggs information sharing.  I left with nearly 12 pages of scribbled notes about the ins and outs of the egg business in the U.S. (fascinating!) plus tips and tricks for cooking with eggs.   I’m sharing some of my favorites below.

Egg Size.  

Did you know the egg size printed on egg cartons (Large, Extra Large, Jumbo) is determined by the weight of the carton, not the individual egg?  A dozen large eggs, for example, weighs 1.5 pounds.  That’s why you sometimes see eggs of varying size in one carton!  I had no idea.

Egg Grade.  

Grade has to do with the age of the egg.  In the U.S., Grade B eggs aren’t sold in the grocery stores, rather they are used for processed foods and pet food.  Interesting fact:  the older the egg, the runnier white.

Egg Labels.  

Ohio is one of the top egg producing states in the U.S., but some of the eggs sold in our stores still come from other areas.  Did you know every carton of eggs sold in the U.S. has a USDA plant code printed on box?

In the example above, P1008 tells you processing center, which you can look up on the USDA website.  This carton came from Sunnyside Farms in North Manchester, Indiana.  June 11 is the best by date.  134 is a Julian Date, which indicates that the carton was packed on May 13.  In the U.S., eggs must be packed within 36 hours of being laid.