Cracking eggs.

lollee, don't knock it until you try it.

You're not alone - the shells on most eggs bought in supermarkets are definitely thinner than they used to be.

And it is all very well telling us we ought to buy free-range or organic eggs, but on my pension, I cannot afford to - and that goes for most organic foodstuffs, not just eggs.

Contrary to many I keep eggs in the warmest part of my fridge and find they don't shatter when cracking. What ever I need using them for dictates whether they can be cracked and used straight from the fridge or cracked and then covered and used at a more even temperature whatever the recipe suggests.

Free range eggs are fine-as the birds get to scratch around in the dirt they eat bits which helps the shells to be strong I used to keep chickens when I had a larger house with big garden & I could never buy an egg from a battery or even barn fed chicken now. They are such sociable birds with individual characters.
I'd rather at less eggs if I had to than buy eggs from birds with such a terrible way of life.

Yes I have noticed that, whenever I crack an egg lately I end up fishing bits out of the bowl. I have free range eggs, may be its to do with the feed.

I always buy at least free range and mostly organic but have just discovered Clarence Court free range at Sainsburys. The shells are very strong and the darkest brown I've seen in years with deep orange yolks. Lovely.

Is there a difference when stored in the fridge, or using an egg from a bowl kept in room temperature, I havent even thought about that, we have some in the fridge some in the kitchen in a bowl, must check tomorrow.

I thought keeping hens in batteries had been banned. Does anyone know if this is so? In the late 50's I nearly had a nervous breakdown when I visited a farm and saw this cruel practice.

HannahLL, I buy those Clarence Court free range from Sainsbury's. they are the only supermarket eggs I' ve found that remotely resemble the eggs my own free range hens provided us with.
I do understand vegan friends who won't use or eat anything from animal products. I'm not there myself and still eat some chicken and lamb from our local butcher as I know the creatures have a decent life before slaughter.

I noticed some extra cheap eggs in Tesco last week and saw that they were from caged birds. I don't know if that is the same as battery, but I certainly would not buy them. Next time I am near a Sainsbury I will try the Clarence Court. Thank you for the recommendation.

They’re expensive shysal but I’d rather pay the extra because the hens are (I hope) free range. Their health and diet must be good because the eggs are as I mentioned, so like the ones my free range, very well fed hens provided us with. I had three garden hens, each with their own personality. I could sit and just enjoy watching them. The most confident hen turned on my ten week old pup, who’d escaped the kitchen and decided to run at the hens barking. She turned, waved her wings and took a step towards him. He ran back into the kitchen

Battery hens are banned but there are now "enriched cage" birds, which does not sound a whole lot better. Quite a few supermarkets sell these along with free range and some sell organic. When you read about the conditions that some of the "free range" hens are kept in, ie with trimmed beaks, it makes you think twice about buying any mass produced eggs at all.