Of those of you who bake from scratch, do you ever use the liquid eggs whites in the carton? I am throwing out so many egg yolk s because I simply cant use them.

Do they affect the quality of a cake vs fresh whites?

I rarely bake from scratch, but when I have used them, I've never had a problem.

I know bringing them to room temp can help a lot too.

I just toss the yolks. Maybe it's just me, but packaged egg whites creep me out. I don't know why, just something about being out of it's shell gives me the heebs. I want to crack that egg and know it's fresh.

The carton whites are probably just as fresh, probably even more so because they are pasturized, but they just look really runny to me. I guess maybe I just like cracking my own eggs? Sorry, just my own person opinion, I really can't answer your question, I don't know if the performance is any different when baking. The performance for SMBC with the carton eggs is hit or miss for me, usually miss, the meringue doesn't always fluff up like its supposed to and I end up having to toss everything and start over. Fresh eggs for me all the way!

Allie

I use good old fashioned eggs and use my yolks to make custard and lemon curd fillings.

I used the pasteurized whites and yolks or the whole eggs in the carton if I am making a large cake or want to make a large amount of SMBC. I have never had a problem with the cakes or the icing. I am not sure why the icing would not whip up correctly except that maybe they did not come up to 160 degrees. Being pasteurized they last quite a while and are free of salmonella.
evelyn

I use the liquid eggs with great results for cake but have not made IMBC with them. I prefer fresh and just use the yolks in yellow cake if I need to use them up.

Cakegrandma, quick question re:SMBC and pasteurized eggs...do you use a specific brand, I have heard different brands perform differently. Also, how does the temperature effect how well the merengue will form? I do check the temp, but some recipes say to go only to 140.

This is a really good yellow cake recipe
http://www.joyofbaking.com/YellowButterCake.html
French buttercream (incredibly rich...awesome when used on fruit filled or lemon curd filled cakes)
http://www.pastrysampler.com/Questions_and_Answers/buttercream.htm
or like PP stated, puddings, custards, curds...other

I don't toss the yolks. If I don't use them soon after separating them (like the same day soon), I measure them, place them in freezer bag, label with measurement and date and place in deep freezer until I can use them.

I have used cartoned whites and had no ill effect on my cakes. I just figured if I was going to spend the same money, I wanted the whole egg to do with what I wanted with the yolks.

Carton whites (I use a commercial brand that is designed to whip) are good for SMBC, but one time we messed up the fresh whites for chiffon cake and subbed the same carton ones - the cake was very dense (comparatively) - I won't do it again.

Big Problem: Pasteurized whites are not completely safe, only safer. The only true safe pasteurized eggs are the one pasteurized in their shell. Please use as much care with these whites as you would a fresh egg, which must reach 165 degrees as a minimum (better have that thermometer calibrated if you are only going the minimum). And don't bother arguing with me. My information comes from the egg board and the FDA. Google it. It is there for all to see. This kind of information should not be posted wrong as these eggs, improperly handled, can be lethal to certain groups of people.

I factor in the whole egg in my price regardless of what part or whole I need. Even these saved parts, for even a day, do not perform as well as the freshly cracked egg. This includes packaged whites. If the diminished quality is still ok in your recipe, then use them.

If you are really wanting to use the whole egg, develop an equal amount of FBC to every SMBC/IMBC recipe. But still use the same day to avoid diminished quality.

Whole eggs for me here. I get 15 dozen at a time then spend a 1/2 hour de-shelling and separating 5 or so dozen into ziplock bags. Yolks keep in the fridge for a week and whites last even longer (but I go thru both fast).

I make an all egg-yolk cake and make SMBC for all my buttercream. I rarely throw anything away.

FromScratch, Do you use pasteurized eggs?

Maybe I should clarify... I eat sunny side up eggs and grew up with raw eggs in milkshakes with milk straight from the cow. My kids and I love the batter more than the baked product. But I do not sell raw eggs.

My issue was with the post that stated that pasteurized egg whites in the carton are safe when they are still potentially dangerous. We on CC should be careful when we post statements as facts when in fact, they are incorrect. Many people take these posts as gospel and never bother to research themselves. Especially when the subject is food safety with eggs and time/temp issues with dairy, we should be careful what we post.

On another note, I have found that my baking quality increased when I started weighing eggs instead of counting. This includes the whole egg and its parts.

Jeff, I have not used the carton egg whites (but to make EW omelets) so I am no help there. You can always give them a try and see how they work for you. I have heard you can freeze egg yolks in an ice tray and then use them later for curds or bavarian cream.

If my memory is good, I don't think Jeff uses a meringue buttercream but I could be wrong. Jeff, have you been making a lot of white cakes lately?

I know that's creepy as all hell, but that's the way it's done in rural farm areas, and heck, back in the pioneer days and before that, right? I shudder to think of how anything was kept safe in the days pre-air conditioning. But they did it. We wouldn't be here if everyone got food poisoning.

LOL! From what I understand, I don't think eggs are refrigerated in Europe. It seems I've been to France enough times to remember this, but I don't recall paying attention to that.

I remember seeing a cooking show a long time ago, and the chef said eggs can be left on the counter for months without refrigeration. Do I believe that? Sure, especially if Anna's grandparents are still kickin'. Do I want to test that? Um, no.

Me neither!

You can't do that with our American eggs though, they have been washed which removes the natural protective coating off of them, therefore requiring refrigeration.

My mom left some eggs out once as decoration, one of them rotted and burst after a few weeks and the smell was impossible to get out of the house!

Figures. Did anyone see the thing about Monsanto and milk recently? I don't think it's really anything new, but why does everything have to be messed with? There's hardly anything natural anymore.

Grandma's turnIng 80 next month, and grandpa will be 86 in July. Both very healthy, with all their faculties. (They have a 5 drawer plastic cart filled with the vitamins they take 3 times a day.)

I use all whites often, and freeze the yolks in a shallow tray that makes cubes to slip into water bottles. I Will use them for chocolate cake, yellow, and French vanilla. I use the rest to make fillings, or bring them in the house and add them to our scrambled eggs. With a family of 6, we scramble a dozen eggs every Saturday. But if I have several white cakes, or meringues, I will buy a carton of whites. I find no difference in the finished product. I have used my meringue powder for white cakes when in a pinch, also. It made no difference, but it is expensive.

I also leave my eggs out over night to come to room temp before I bake. And when I took my food safety class last year, the inspector told us that Waffle House had paid for an egg study that proved you can leave them out, so if you eat there, you can find a wire basket of eggs left out by the grill.

alliecakes82, I use the brand from Wal - Mart when I don't have any in the freezer otherwise, I get them at Restaurant Depot. There are many others that have a lot more information to give than I do so I defer to them for other information regarding eggs.
evelyn

A friend of mine swears that her sponge cakes are so light and delicious is because she brings eggs to exactly body temperature by wearing them around in her bra. Now that's dedication!