How Home Cooks Can Conquer The Egg Shortage

Something strange is happening in the world of eggs. Not only have they become one of the supermarket's most elusive residents, but when you do find a dozen, they are worth their weight in gold. Yes, Aesop's golden egg-laying hen has been made redundant as these ordinary white ones rake in big bucks. Just how many big bucks? According to USA Today, in January 2022 the average price for 12 large eggs was $1.93. By December of the same year, a dozen eggs fetched $4.25. With this common staple demanding more than its share of the grocery budget, how can a home cook feed their family satisfying and nutritional meals without breaking the bank?

Some are deciding to supply their own eggs — a move that could be a huge mistake. Dr. Kathy Benedict, an epidemiologist at CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service, told CNN that your chickens may appear squeaky clean but could still be harbingers of salmonella. There may be bacteria on various parts of the bird that can easily contaminate clothes or hands. In fact, residential chicken coops have led to 1,200 salmonella infections in the course of a year, resulting in 225 hospitalizations and two fatalities. Not to mention that the initial financial outlay to install a backyard coop could still buy a lot of eggs. And, quite frankly, who needs all the extra work? No, there must be an easier way to deal with the rising price of eggs.

While you can opt for an egg-free breakfast, it's hard to get by without ever needing an egg. Especially if you bake. Owner of Minglewood Bake Shop in Virginia, Chris Sheehy, told NBC 12 that they have taken to using "applesauce and flax seed or mashed banana" as an egg replacement in things like coffee cakes. Yes, there are several substitutes for eggs when baking. The Pioneer Woman blog says that a great egg stand-in is aquafaba.

"What the heck is aquafaba?" you ask. It turns out that this is the thick liquid that you find in canned beans like chickpeas and kidney beans. Who knew that goop had an actual name and practical use? The Pioneer Woman blog recommends replacing each egg with three tablespoons of aquafaba. That word's fun to say. "Aquafaba." The site adds that another great egg backup is the avocado, particularly if the egg is means of increasing the moisture in a recipe as it does in a pan of brownies. Use ¼ cup of mashed-up avocado to replace one egg.

And when push comes to shove, simply type "egg-free baking" into Google and you'll find a plethora of recipes to help you deal with all this egg insanity. In the meantime, you may want to try out this easy eggless French toast recipe, with emphasis on the word "eggless."