Eggs: a thousand qualities in a shell

Eggs are a highly nutritious and versatile food that have been used in human recipes for thousands of years. They are an excellent source of various essential nutrients such as vitamins (A, D, E, K, B6, B12), folate , and minerals such as iron, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc, as well as omega-3 fatty acids , which are good for heart health.
Essentially made up of high-quality proteins, which are essential for building and repairing the body's tissues, they contain all nine essential amino acids, making them a complete protein source .

Perhaps few people know that eggs also contain lutein and zeaxanthin , antioxidants that are beneficial for eye health, essential for reducing the risk of age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. Choline is also essential for brain development and function, especially during pregnancy and early childhood.
Contrary to popular belief, moderate egg consumption does not significantly increase the risk of heart disease in most people.

In the kitchen, they are incredibly versatile . In baking, they contribute structure, texture, and moisture to dishes. In dough, they act as a binder , holding all the ingredients together, as in the case of meatballs, or as a thickener in sauces, custards, and puddings. They also act as emulsifiers , helping to stabilize mixtures such as mayonnaise. Eggs can be used to add a golden, glossy finish to baked goods or as a sealant for pastries. Finally, lysozyme , contained in egg whites, is used as a preservative in the dairy industry.

If you like to eat them fresh and without cooking, you will have all the nutritional properties unchanged, but pay attention to the origin and the smell. Unfortunately, they could be a vehicle for bacteria such as salmonella , which can lead to food poisoning . One way to avoid it is to eat previously pasteurized eggs.

For those who are intolerant to eggs, there are many alternatives. Among the most common are banana in desserts or chickpea flour in omelettes, and if you want to prepare vegan meringues you can replace the egg white with aquafaba , or the water from pre-cooked chickpeas. But for those who want to prepare more elaborate dishes and are quite familiar with cooking, I recommend potato protein isolate , which can miraculously replicate the binding and thickening properties of eggs!

But that's not all! Even eggshells can be recovered for infinite uses thanks to their composition, which is almost 95% calcium carbonate . The chickens themselves eat them, producing even tastier eggs. But if you want to avoid waste, you can boil them and chop them finely, until you obtain a fine powder. You can add them to bread dough, to whiten coffee stains , to make your own nail tonics, or finally as a pesticide around the plants in your garden.