Surplus Egg Whites

[Thermomixer]

Today's tipp from Germany: (with my rough translation)

If you have surplus egg whites and don't know how many there are, the measuring cup holds 100g, which equates to 3 egg whites.

Original:

Eiweißverwertung

Wenn Sie überzähliges Eiweiß aufgehoben haben und nicht mehr wissen, von wie viel Eiern es stammt, hier die Antwort: 100 g Eiweiß, also ein voller MB entspricht dem Eiweiß von drei Eiern.

[Dean]

And surplus egg whites freeze really well.

[Thermomixer]

Thanks Dean - yes they do, and yes in the ice cube trays - so about 30 - 35g per white.

I did try putting each white in a separate "cube", but with the old trays they didn't fit well.  Have to try with the deeper silicone tray.  Thanks for reminding me.   

[cathy79]

So I can freeze egg whites left from making icecream?  What about egg yolks left from making pavolva or meringue?

[Thermomixer]

The whites - yes, definitely.  The yolks can be frozen, but they take on a different texture after freezing. 

Excerpt from an egg company:

" Egg whites

If you have left over egg whites from a recipe, don't discard them. Egg whites can be easily frozen and thawed for future use. For easy measuring when you next need them, first freeze each egg white in an ice cube tray and then transfer to either a freezer bag or container.

Once thawed, whites will beat to a better volume if allowed to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Egg yolks

Freezing egg yolks is not as easy as freezing egg whites as the gelatinous nature of the yolks causes them to thicken or gel when frozen. To help retard this, beat in either 1/2 teaspoon of salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar or corn syrup per 1/4 cup of egg yolks (approximately 4 yolks).

Ensure you label the yolks according to whether they were mixed with salt or sugar so you know whether to use them for savory dishes (salt) or sweets and desserts (sugar)."

I know because this dish has an egg yolk that has been frozen and then thawed and it has an interesting texture:

[cathy79]

The whites - yes, definitely.  The yolks can be frozen, but they take on a different texture after freezing. 

That's what I call a comprehensive answer!  So I guess if texture is not a problem, then freezing yolks would be fine.  Eg use later for icecream that will be frozen anyway.

[Thermomixer]

True - I worked on a egg farm for 9 weeks for work experience and they collected the broken and soft eggs and put them into containers and froze them.  The local bakers used them for custard for their creations and it must have worked OK.  But best to add some sugar if going to bake or make custard with them.