Chicken Egg Grading
The US Department of Agriculture grade eggs by the interior quality of the egg and the appearance and condition of the egg shell. Eggs of any quality grade may differ in weight (size).
- U.S. Grade AA eggs have whites that are thick and firm; yolks that are high, round, and practically free from defects; and clean, unbroken shells. Grade AA and Grade A eggs are best for frying and poaching, where appearance is important.
- U.S. Grade A eggs have characteristics of Grade AA eggs except the whites are "reasonably" firm. This is the quality most often sold in stores.
- U.S. Grade B eggs have whites that may be thinner and yolks that may be wider and flatter than eggs of higher grades. The shells must be unbroken, but may show slight stains. This quality is seldom found in retail stores because they are usually used to make liquid, frozen, and dried egg products, as well as other egg-containing products.
In other countries, in particular, in European Union, eggs are graded by the hen farming method instead, e.g., from free range hens, battery cages, etc.
Chicken eggs are graded by size, for the purpose of sales. The United States Department of Agriculture sizing is based by weight per dozen. The most common US size of chicken egg is 'Large' and is the egg size commonly referred to for recipes.
The following egg masses have been calculated on the basis of the USDA sizing:
Modern Sizes (USA)
| Size |
Mass per egg |
Cooking Yield |
| Jumbo |
Greater than 2.5 oz. or 71 g |
|
| Very Large or Extra-Large (XL) |
Greater than 2.25 oz. or 64 g |
56 mL (4 tbsp |
| Large (L) |
Greater than 2 oz. or 57 g |
46 mL (3.25 tbsp) |
| Medium (M) |
Greater than 1.75 oz. or 50 g |
43 mL (3 tbsp) |
| Small (S) |
Greater than 1.5 oz. or 43 g |
|
| Peewee |
Greater than 1.25 oz. or 35 g |
|
See also: Chicken Egg Sizes
Source: Wikipedia (All text is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License)
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