Duck eggs, in all respects are larger than chicken eggs, about 50% larger than jumbo-sized chicken eggs. Duck eggs also have higher nutritional values than eggs but at the same time, they also have higher cholesterol than chicken eggs. Compared to chicken eggs, the whites of the duck eggs are totally transparent. As for the taste, duck eggs generally taste similar to chicken eggs but they may be a little bit more intense due to their diets. Ducks love to eat bugs, worms, and creepy crawlies and this contributes to the egg’s more intense flavor.
Duck Egg Trivia
- Duck eggs have a much thicker shell than chicken eggs, making opening them somewhat tricky.
- If given a chance, chefs love to work with duck yolks in recipes that use yolks as duck egg yolks are richer and bigger than chicken eggs.
- Duck eggs whites have a different protein content than chicken eggs, so people who are allergic to chicken eggs can sometimes consume duck eggs without problems.
- Ducks are more disease resistant than chickens, this means duck eggs are more likely to be antibiotic-free than not.
- While duck eggs can be graded, many producers don’t bother to grade their eggs and just sell them per piece and not by size like chicken eggs.
Duck Egg Buying Guide
Duck eggs are slowly becoming popular as an alternative to chicken eggs. While they aren’t readily available in big-box stores, you can still find duck eggs in many specialty stores and farmers’ markets. Another place where you can get duck eggs is online. Since duck eggs have thicker shells than chicken eggs, they can survive the rigors of being shipped much easier than chicken eggs.
Of course, the best way to purchase duck eggs would to buy directly from the farmers and producers, and if you’re in Texas then you should be able to drive own to a farm and ask if they have duck eggs available.
Duck Egg Production & Farming in Texas
While there isn’t much USDA information about the total duck egg production in Texas, it’s fairly common to find duck eggs in many specialty stores and farmers’ markets in the state. Almost every farmstead or homesteads will have duck eggs available since ducks are much easier to raise than laying chickens. On top of that, ducks are more productive than chickens as they can lay eggs for years as opposed to chickens that will only lay eggs for two years or so.
Ducks also lay their eggs early in the morning (about 4 a.m. to 8 a.m.) while they’re still in their pens. This makes it much easier for the growers to harvest the duck eggs, as opposed to chickens who have a 26-hour egg-laying cycle, which might lead to some egg hunts if the chickens decide to lay their eggs while ranging.
Ducks are also hardier than chickens and they thrive on grubs, worms, and many of the food that’s naturally available around farms.
Even though ducks lay fewer eggs than chickens in a cycle, they do lay larger eggs and the eggs can be sold for much more than chicken eggs, which makes them a very attractive option for smaller farmers.
Packaging:
Duck eggs are typically packed in biodegradable boxes by six or twelve pieces. Duck eggs are also sold by piece in farmers’ markets where buyers can store them in their own bags, bypassing the packaging altogether.
Enjoying Duck Eggs
Here are three things you can do with duck eggs:
- Eat Them.
- Eat Them.
- Eat Them.
In all seriousness, duck eggs, while sounding exotic, is very tasty. Any recipe that calls for chicken eggs can use duck eggs as a substitute. Duck eggs taste much like chicken eggs, only with their flavor amped up a notch. That being said, just be careful when substituting duck eggs for chicken eggs when it comes to baking as they can be much larger than chicken eggs in size and volume.
Tip: If you want to use duck eggs in baking, try converting your measurements to be based on weight and not on the number of pieces.
Storage:
Due to their thicker shells, duck eggs can be stored longer than chicken eggs. To store ducks in the fridge, store them in an airtight container so that it doesn’t contaminate any other food, and at the same time, to prevent the eggs from absorbing the smells and flavors of other food in the fridge. Fresh duck eggs can last for up to six weeks when stored this way.
Note: To check the freshness of the eggs, you can place them in a bowl of cold water. If they stay on the bottom, then they’re still fresh. If any of the eggs float, then dispose of the ones that float.
Cook Tea Simmered Duck Eggs:
Sometimes, the simple things are the best things in life. This is true, especially for duck eggs. One of the oldest ways to prepare duck eggs is still one of the best ones, and this recipe is from Imperial China from hundreds of years ago. Don’t worry, this isn’t a century egg or a thousand-year-old egg, this is a tea egg that is great as a snack or part of dinner/lunch.
Ingredients:
Duck Eggs, 6 pieces
Tea Bags, 2 bags (decrease or increase depending on how intense you want the tea flavor you want to be, the type of tea depends entirely on your taste).
Water, 1 liter (separate than the one used for hard-boiling the eggs)
Soy Sauce, half-cup
Honey, one tablespoon
Garlic, 2 cloves
Salt, one teaspoon
Leek, one stalk
Step One:
Hard boil the duck eggs to your desired doneness, gently crack the eggshells but do not peel the duck eggs. Set aside.
Step Two:
In a deep saucepan, bring to boil one liter of water with the soy sauce, garlic, salt, leek, and honey. Once it is boiling, bring down to a simmer and add the tea bags and the eggs.
Allow to simmer in extremely low heat for about an hour, up to two hours.
Step Three:
Remove the eggs and peel them. They should have a nice spidery pattern on the surface and should be infused with the scent of the tea, the saltiness of the soy, the sweetness of the honey, and the spiciness of the garlic and leeks.
