# What size eggs do you buy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [February 3, 2021, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147 "2021-02-03T16:50:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147/21 "2021-02-04T03:14:56Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I encounter double yolks maybe once per 20 cartons = 240 eggs. If that. I wonder if this varies by brand or something. I rarely buy jumbos, but when I do it feels like every carton I get has at least one double yolked egg in it (which means in reality it’s probably more like 1 in every 4 cartons, since I’m not remembering the ones that don’t have them, but the last carton I bought had 3 double yolks if I remember right. I was having fun showing the kids and trying to guess which eggs are double yolked.) ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147/22 "2021-02-04T03:17:19Z")
I have never seen eggs labeled Jumbo in any store. I have only seen large and extra large. Where are these Jumbo eggs found? I’ve lived in Illinois, California and now Texas, and no Jumbo eggs. I usually buy extra large just because. I was once told that extra large were a better deal if they were less than (some amount of money) more expensive than large but since I don’t remember the amount I guess buy extra large just because it sounds like a better thing! ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147/23 "2021-02-04T03:18:19Z")
Huh, depending on what store i go to, i can find medium, large, extra large, and jumbo. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147/24 "2021-02-04T03:19:03Z")
A few years back I started buying free-range eggs: it adds 3-4 dollars a week onto our grocery bill, but we can afford that. They only come in large, AFAICT, at our store. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147/25 "2021-02-04T04:05:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > if she has some sort of secret, she’s not sure what it is, either. How old are her chickens? Older chickens tend to lay larger eggs. People who keep a few chickens, and get fond of them, tend to keep them to much older ages than do people who are primarily interested in number of eggs produced per year. I generally buy large, but it’s not the only factor. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147/26 "2021-02-04T04:10:18Z")
We always use Extra Large. When I was a kid, we used to get eggs (and chickens) from a nearby farmer. Double yolks were fairly common, and occasionally we’d get a triple yolk. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147/27 "2021-02-04T08:41:15Z")
Huh, we don’t get extra large or jumbo, I am intrigued. I used to buy medium in a vague bid to eat less, but since I started baking more I buy large, as that tends to conform to the recipes. I also buy free range, always, because intensive battery farming is cruel. (I don’t buy cheap meat for the same reason). ---
**Author:** ![Remember\_me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/82dd89/32.png) [@Remember\_me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Remember_me)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147/28 "2021-02-04T09:14:51Z")
My first thought, when reading about people buying Jumbo eggs in the US was: things are smaller in Europe, as always. But then I checked [eggs sizes in Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_egg_sizes). Turns out, we use a completely different scale. What you call XL (64 to 71 g) is called L in Europe. What you call Jumbo (71g and above) is XL in Europe (73 g and above). There is no larger size than XL in Europe. Our size M is your size L plus the upper half of your M. I typically aim for Euro-Size M. Size L is the most common in supermarkets and sometimes the only option available. XL is quite rare and Size S is very rare. I, of course store my eggs unrefrigerated next to the butter. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147/29 "2021-02-04T09:17:42Z")
Yes American eggs need to be refrigerated but in Europe they are stored out of the fridge - though fridges tend to have egg storage anyway. Large here in the UK but lately have also being buying mixed boxes. ---
**Author:** ![daisysmithh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@daisysmithh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daisysmithh)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147/30 "2021-02-04T10:22:57Z")
Always large. It’s a standard egg size for me. Sometimes, I can get a triple yolk. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147/31 "2021-02-04T11:34:39Z")
We are in the US, but store our eggs and butter at room temperature. If my eggs were refrigerated I’d allow them to warm prior to use. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147/32 "2021-02-04T12:38:02Z")
I will look at the prices and consider the following: If used for breakfast I will typically make 3 small, 2 Med-XL and 1 Jumbo per person. However if used for a breadcrumb binder on fried meats I will typically prefer small and sometimes only need one, throwing out the rest. So yes i do like small eggs due to the ability to select the quantity more precisely and it’s fun to have a 3 egg breakfast, but the price point is not always worth it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147/33 "2021-02-04T12:58:57Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > We are in the US, but store our eggs and butter at room temperature. If my eggs were refrigerated I’d allow them to warm prior to use. You must be getting European eggs somehow. > [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Yes American eggs need to be refrigerated but in Europe they are stored out of the fridge - though fridges tend to have egg storage anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147/34 "2021-02-04T13:02:19Z")
Jumbo! I love the yolk, so jumbo eggs provide the biggest yolks. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147/35 "2021-02-04T13:11:56Z")
Weight comparison was listed above. Weight though includes shell. Cooking volume probably matters more (and maybe relative amount of volume yolk to white?) Per the wiki link a few posts up U.S. sized if standard is large then medium is 12.5% less cooking volume and jumbo is 25% more per egg. I usually grab large out of habit but when the 18 count medium is the same price as the dozen large I grab it. I’m willing to pay a small premium for store bought free range antibiotic free but not twice as much. The premium for some of these eggs is a bit steep. Am though for farmers market eggs. Not sure why. It is not based on taste that I perceive or any rational analysis. It’s just feel good. Eggs size by best value is an interesting question though. Total weight of eggs, shell inclusive, seems to not be the best denominator. But is it volume of egg, number of yolks, or number of breakfast portions, that are the best denominator to use? What is the extra value of double yolked ones? We use eggs by the unit of eggs much more than by the volume of them. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147/36 "2021-02-04T16:34:35Z")
From the supermarket, I get large, but I get extra large from the club store because it’s dirt cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147/37 "2021-02-04T17:41:09Z")
If I’m buying a dozen at the grocery store, I buy jumbo. But 905 of the time, I’m buying a case from Costco so they’re… large? Extra Large? Whatever they sell in big plastic tray. They only have the one size. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147/38 "2021-02-04T18:00:38Z")
The difference between the US’s refrigeration culture and European room temperature approach is actually quite interesting: > **[Why The U.S. Chills Its Eggs And Most Of The World Doesn't](https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/09/11/336330502/why-the-u-s-chills-its-eggs-and-most-of-the-world-doesnt?t=1612459959841)** > > In many countries, eggs aren't refrigerated and they're still considered safe to eat. But in the U.S., we have to chill them, because we've washed away the cuticle that protects them from bacteria. One segment that grabbed me was this: > The important thing, he says, is to be consistent. > > “Once you start refrigeration, you have to have it through the whole value chain, from farm to store. Because if you stop — if the eggs are cold and you put them in a warm environment — they’re going to start sweating,” says Guyonnet. > > No one wants sweaty eggs. They can get moldy. (The quotes are from a poultry veterinarian and scientific adviser to the International Egg Commission called Vincent Guyonnet.) So according to this, as a European, I shouldn’t take eggs off the shelf of the supermarket and put them in my fridge (although maybe doing it that way round is okay). ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147/39 "2021-02-04T19:31:09Z")
I buy large eggs because that’s what the supermarket carries. I’ve never seen a different size for sale. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2021, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147/40 "2021-02-04T21:08:34Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > If my gf is doing any baking, she’ll buy boring old LARGE eggs. Since pretty much every cooking and baking recipe calls for “large” eggs, that’s what we buy. Makes it easier to keep recipes standard. That said, if we can get hillbilly eggs or other free-range pasture eggs, then we do because they taste better. (my wife has an acquaintance who was once married to a lunatic doomsday prepper (no shit - like on the show “Doomsday Preppers” and everything) whose compound/bunker was somewhere in the Missouri hills. Anyway, she’d bring the eggs from their basically feral chickens down to DFW periodically and sell them to people she knew. Best eggs I have ever had.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-size-eggs-do-you-buy/932147.md?page=3)