• Gordon Calhoun@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Geez this country is really obsessed with eggs. Almost like it’s some kind of hard addiction.

    At this point, I’m astonished no one has come up with some kind of synthetic egg that looks, acts, and tastes just like the real thing.

    It appears a hen needs about 115g of feed a day to produce one 50g egg, so the product yield is less than half the input, plus all the other overhead like conditioned living space, water, antibiotics, lobbying for ag-gag laws against animal rights activists… I bet someone could come up with a more efficient way to make an egg. They could even call it something like “Aeg™” which could have some cute marketing meaning.

    • grysbok@lemmy.sdf.org
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      1 day ago

      Bob’s Red Mill makes a powdered, shelf-stable egg substitute for baking purposes. I keep it on hand because I can’t be arsed to keep real eggs in stock.

    • seathru@lemmy.sdf.org
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      2 days ago

      It appears a hen needs about 115g of feed a day to produce one 50g egg, so the product yield is less than half the input,

      That’s surprisingly efficient.

      • sexy_peach@feddit.org
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        1 day ago

        Well, it’s dry feed and a wet egg. But yes, chickens are on the more efficient side of animal farming.

        Still cruel though

      • kameecoding@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Not only that, they also reduce organic waste, they help keep some pests at bay and they fertilize the soil for you

        The little town of Limburg, Belgium offered 3 chickens to 2,000 households as an experiment in 2010 to cut down on household waste. Belgian officials have reported that the chickens are a huge success, organic waste has been cut in half and the families have gained a supply of free, fresh eggs.

        We should be bringing back keeping animals at home, chickens for sure at least, ducks are loud cunts.

        Then someone should open a business that butchers the chicken for you, so you don’t have to get your hands dirty even.

        i grew up in post soviet era central europe, collecting all the vegetable scraps and even eggshels onto a bowl while cooking then taking it out back and giving it to chickens was the norm.

    • OpenStars@piefed.social
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      2 days ago

      They are (well, were) a cheap source of protein. Beans 🫘 are too but… well… you know!? 🌬️

        • OpenStars@piefed.social
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          2 days ago

          I mean, per bean yeah, but depending on the bean and on the egg…

          Anyway eggs are delicious and most people like them, plus you use them in baking things like bread, cookies, cakes, and the like (beans don’t work for those purposes I believe).

          And in the USA with the genetically modified chicken clones that never see outside a single day in their short brutal lifetimes, at like <15¢ per egg they were very affordable, although at $1 a pop not so much.

          I’m not desiring to argue for a carnivorous diet and especially not against a plant-based one, just proffering explanation to the question (well, at least I took “Geez this country is really obsessed with eggs” as one - perhaps I was incorrect in doing so.)

      • Gordon Calhoun@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        I love me some Costa Rican-style beans and rice. It’ll be interesting to see what people will consume in lieu of eggs, should the price become prohibitive long-term.

      • Gordon Calhoun@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        There’s a product that’s shaped like an egg, cracks like an egg, boils like an egg, fries like an egg? I haven’t heard of it. I’ve only heard of stuff like Just Egg, which is a scramble analog…analegg…wait, I think that’s something else…

        • ExtraPartsLeft@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          Yeah, there’s not an exact analog that can do absolutely everything that a chicken egg can. But there are analogs for just about every use case individually. There’s even fake hard boiled eggs. The flavor wasn’t quite right, but the texture was spot on. As far as I know there’s no way to imitate a skillet egg with an uncooked yolk.

    • A_norny_mousse@feddit.org
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      2 days ago

      this country is really obsessed with eggs

      I was thinking about this myself. I think it’s a breakfast staple even more than in other countries, and in larger quantities. And for many people it might be the most affordable source of animal protein? Until recently, that is.

      • MumboJumbo@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Eggs aren’t important because they’re eaten directly, as much as they are as an ingredient. They are used in all kinds of doughs (think breads, crusts, pastries, buns, etc…). They’re also half of mayonnaise, which again, is used in a lot of things

        • sexy_peach@feddit.org
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          1 day ago

          Vegan baking has come very far. If anyone is interested don’t try to veganize your favorite recipe, it’s easier to find new vegan recipes.

          Also stay away from recipes that use healthier ingredients if you want tasty results, your recipe before wasn’t healthy either 😜

      • jagged_circle@feddit.nl
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        2 days ago

        Fortunately people dont need animal protein at all. Plant protein is cheaper and better for the climate. Always has been

        • uranibaba@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          We do need vitamin B12 which can only be found (naturally) in the animal kingdom. It can be supplemented though.

              • Korhaka@sopuli.xyz
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                1 day ago

                Decided to look it up a bit and there is so much conflicting info. One says fermented food like sauerkraut contains lots of B12. Another says it contains none at all.

                I know it’s produced by some types of bacteria, but then could it also depend on production method? So if that is the case could it be in traditionally home made but not industrially produced sauerkraut?

          • jagged_circle@feddit.nl
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            1 day ago

            Most people are b12 deficient and should take a supplement, wheather you eat animals or not. Fortunately it can be synthesized cheaply without animals.

    • Zedd_Prophecy@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Egg beaters liquid egg substitute has been around for ages and there’s even a plant based one now. Nothing in the way of something not scrambled though.

      • DasAlbatross@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Have you tried these? If so, are they any good?

        The real problem that needs to be solved for the true veggie-egg takeover is a runny yolk.

        • ImADifferentBird@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          2 days ago

          This stuff is a substitute for scrambled eggs. It will never give you a runny yolk.

          As for the taste, I actually like it, but it tastes nothing like eggs. It has more of a bean sprout like flavor. They nailed the egg texture though.

        • Katherine@discuss.tchncs.de
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          2 days ago

          This product wasn’t available to me when I went vegan, and now I don’t want foods that resemble animal products. So no, I haven’t tried myself. But my impression is it is very similar to chicken eggs.

        • Kraven_the_Hunter@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          15 hours ago

          Products like this aren’t going to give you a defined “yolk”. You use this in baking, or if you want something like scrambled eggs. You’re not going to get anything over-easy or make eggs Benedict with this.