The Good Egg

By the Numbers

Whether or not the chicken or the egg came first, one fact is certain: Eggs are having a newsworthy year. The cost of these headline-grabbing ovals skyrocketed in early 2025, but what’s even more striking than their price volatility is their culinary versatility. Whether scrambled for morning fare, hardboiled for holidays, or whipped for texture, there’s no denying that eggs are all they’re cracked up to be.

What is aquafaba? Egg-cellent question. A relatively new culinary discovery, aquafaba is simply the residual liquid in a can of chickpeas. (The literal Latin translation: bean water.) It’s an especially adaptable egg substitute in baked goods. Although lacking the nutritional punch of an egg, aquafaba freezes well and is a cheap swap if chickpeas were already on your grocery list.

Sources: thekitchn.com/the-most-magical-egg-replacement-and-how-to-use-it-234588

Eggs are a nutrient-dense powerhouse—one that’s hard to beat. Protein is essential to build and maintain muscle—

benefiting kids, adolescents, and adults alike. Sustaining a high-protein diet (20–40 grams of protein per meal) aids weight loss, lowers blood pressure, and improves bone health. Eggs are also high in B12—a vitamin that boosts energy—and selenium—a dynamic antioxidant.

Sources: incredibleegg.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ENC-Protein-2019-Web-1.pdf and healthline.com/nutrition/proven-health-benefits-of-eggs#TOC_TITLE_HDR_9

Backyard coops are soaring in popularity, and you can’t deny the appeal of having eggs delivered on-site. Fresh eggs have a protective layer on the shell, a “bloom” that shields them from salmonella and keeps them good for months when stored in the fridge. Once that protective layer is removed—either by washing at home or in commercial processing—eggs have a much shorter shelf life.

Source: dailychickens.com/how-long-do-farm-fresh-eggs-last/

It was a classic case of supply and demand. Customers scrambled to stock their fridges with eggs after an uptick in bird flu in late 2024. When 30 million hens were killed as a precaution in January and February 2025, shoppers were left shell-shocked at the egg shortages and consequent price hikes. Prices have eased since the recent peak, but relatively higher costs may be here to stay.

Source: apnews.com/article/egg-prices-bird-flu-cpi-b0ded420e9f7c0a707277c9c63396a76

Waxing nostalgic about expenses is easy, especially after several years of steady inflation. Even so, it’s hard to imagine that nine years ago we paid, on average, less than 12 cents per egg. Eggs might not always be cheaper by the dozen, but even at their highest prices, they’re still a budget-friendly protein compared to other sources, such as meat and nuts.

Source: data.bls.gov/timeseries/APU0000708111

Hens have a two- to three-year window of high fertility, and during this time they typically produce about one egg every 24 hours. While production dips in the autumn, the palette of egg colors—from light beige to sea green and robin’s-egg blue—stays consistent throughout the year. A chicken’s breed affects its personality, which can be docile, skittish, curious, friendly, or smart.

Source: grow.ifa.coop/chickens/best-egg-laying-chickens