Eggs

Eggs

Eggs are a great fast food and are full of goodness. 

The nutrient group eggs belongs to is protein. Eggs are an excellent source of protein. Protein is essential for building and repairing muscles, organs, skin, hair etc. It is needed to produce hormones, enzymes and antibodies. The reasons why we eat eggs for protein is because the protein in eggs is easily absorbed by the body. 

Other than protein, eggs also have various vitamins and minerals:

- Vitamin A: Helps maintain healthy skin and eye tissues, helps with seeing at night

- Vitamin D: Strengthens bones, teeth and can help protect against certain cancers

- Iron: Carries oxygen to the cells

- Vitamin E: An antioxidant that helps maintain good health and preventing disease

- Folate: Helps produce and maintain new cells and protect against serious birth defects

- Choline: Plays a strong role in brain function and development

Eggs are in the eatwell plate and are in the "meat, fish, eggs and beans" section and this is because they are non-dairy sources of protein. Eating 2-3 portions of foods from this section each day will provide us enough protein we need for a day.

Eggs should be stored in three ways:

1. Keep them in their cartons because the carton protects the egg and prevents them from absorbing odours and flavours of other foods in your fridge.

2. Keep them in the fridge- not on the fridge door but in the main body to ensure they are at a consistent and cool temperature

3. They should be placed with the large end up so that the yolk remains centered.

Eggs are farmed in the following three ways:

1. Barn egg production- this is where the hens are able to move freely around the house. Each area has to have usable floor space, perches and litter. Outside, there has to be plenty of drinking space and water and feeding troughs

2. Battery cage- Small wire cages where most "battery" hens are unable to behave naturally. The cages are usually less than the size of a piece of A4 paper and are so small that hens are unable to stretch, flap their wings or exercise properly. There is no "personal space" or a nesting area either.

3. Organic and Free Range Egg Production- Free range means that hens must have continous daytime access to runs around places with vegetation. Their living areas are similar to ones of a barn. Organic egg production is always free range but they have to be fed an organically produced diet and raised on organic land

Why do you think eggs laid by battery hens are cheaper than free range?

This is because battery hens don't take much money and time to take care of. They just have to be stuffed in a cage and a few workers will do the daily actions of providing water and food. They won't have to clean their living areas that often or change the dust in the dusting area like what would probably happen in a free range farm. Even though the egg industry says that there are high laying rates in battery cages and the hens are healthy and productive but the welfare of hens is not given much attention at all.

Link to Omelette Recipe

Reflection on Today's Omelet Making

Today we made an omelet at school using the recipe from Jamie Oliver with some modifications to fit what we like. I used three eggs, corn, mushrooms and a bit of cheese to top it off. This involved skills like cracking an egg, using a pan and opening tinned cans.

I think that I worked in a safe and hygienic manner because I washed my hands before making my food, wore an apron, tied up my hair and used the correct colour chopping board as well as putting a wet towel underneath the board. I was organized too because I collected all my equipment first and worked in order of the recipe. The whole process went smoothly.

The appearance of my omelet was appealing and it made me feel hungry. The texture of my omelet was a bit hard in some parts but overall, I would say it is pretty soft. I found my dish tasty because I liked the ingredients I put in, making the omelet delicious. Moreover, I was happy that my egg wasn't undercooked or overcooked and there weren't disgusting watery bits.

I can improve next time by turning the temperature of my fire down a bit so that some parts won't turn brown and the texture will be a bit softer. I can also crack my eggs better because on my third egg, I got a tiny bit of shell dropped into the mixture. Most importantly, I really need to practice flipping an egg because this part was the hardest and it did not look neat at all.

This was what my omelet looked like:

Overall, I am pleased with my work today because it tasted yummy and I have definitely learnt something new today!