Chicken Eggs

part of: Chicken Egg

Chicken eggs are one of the most versatile and widely consumed foods in the world. A single egg contains a yolk and white enclosed in a shell, and can be cooked in dozens of ways — boiled, fried, scrambled, poached, baked — or used as a binding, leavening, or emulsifying agent in countless recipes.

In Australia, eggs are sold by size (from 43g to over 72g) and categorised by farming method: caged, barn-laid, free-range, and organic. Free-range eggs now account for the majority of retail sales. Shell colour — white or brown — is determined by the hen’s breed and has no effect on flavour or quality.

Eggs are a cornerstone ingredient in baking (providing structure and lift), in sauces (emulsifying mayonnaise and hollandaise), and in pasta-making. They’re equally important as a standalone food, from the humble fried egg on toast to a carefully timed soft-boiled egg.

Farmed
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Hens lay eggs as part of their natural reproductive cycle, typically producing one egg roughly every 25–26 hours under good conditions. In commercial farming, eggs are collected daily — by hand in smaller operations or by automated conveyor belts in larger ones. They are then washed, candled (inspected by light for cracks and defects), graded by weight, and packed. No further processing is needed for whole shell eggs.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 127kcal
Protein 12.6g
Carbs 0.3g
Fat 8.5g
Fibre 0g Sugar 0.3g
Mass Distribution

1 large is about 50 g — roughly 60 kcal of this.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈4.7kg
Freshwater ≈578L
Land ≈6.3m²

≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

Made from
Chicken Egg

In the kitchen

Used as

binding and leavening staple

Goes well with
butter milk cheese bacon spinach
Classic dishes
  • Omelette
  • Quiche Lorraine
  • Scrambled eggs
  • Carbonara

Keeping one at home? Track yours in your cubud →

Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

FSANZ + USDA

How it was calculated

Analysed

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Where to next

made fromChicken Egg goes well withbutter goes well withmilk goes well withcheese goes well withbacon goes well withspinach shares a sourceChicken & Turkey Soups, Broths & Gravies shares a sourceChicken Breast shares a sourceChicken Nuggets, Strips & Sandwiches shares a sourceChicken Thighs & Drumsticks shares a sourceChicken Wings shares a sourceDuck, Goose & Quail shares a sourceEgg Products shares a sourceEgg-Based Specialty Foods
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