Can't you take them back to where you bought them Lars and tell them about it. They sure don't sound like normal eggs, so the seller must know something is different about them and surely you wouldn't be the only one who has this problem.

I'd take them back and complain.

SharonCb

VERY good thing you cooked them!! I have a distinct feeling that they were Alien Eggs....and had you not cooked them something very strange might have hatched!!
Oh! Wait!! you ate them!!....Have you looked in the mirror lately?
Linda C

Call Scully and Mulder. This is obviously a case for The Eggs Files.

I did a quick Google and came up with the link below, which seems to suggest that it's a genetic quirk in certain breeds. Or maybe they're just loose hens.

Here is a link that might be useful: runny whites

ROFLMAO Maureen.

I bet those hens had PMS. Well....think about it next time you eat one...eggs ARE chicken menses...

Eeeeew! Gee, thanks, Jessy. LOL Never thought about that before. I love eggs! I mean, I used to love eggs.

I had a strange feeling that these may have been laid by alien mutant hens. Thanks for that article, Maureen - I think I'll buy a different brand next time. The new carton that we have is the same brand, but they are Omega 3 eggs, and the previous carton was organic. I'll see if that makes a difference.

I did contact the company (which is in Cincinnati) through their web site, but I won't get a response before Monday. At least I'm not alone in this situation now.

I'll try NOT to think about Jessica's comment!

Thanks for that suggestion, Sharon. I'll be interested to see what the company has to say. BTW, I did notice that my post above sounded a bit strange when I read it, although it didn't seem that way when I wrote it. I really wasn't expecting The Eggs Files.

Lars

Oh, Maureen, you're on a roll - an egg roll that is!

Lars, it'll be interesting to see what the company says.

All this tweaking of animals in order to change them to fit our needs is pretty scary stuff to me, such as having chickens produce eggs high in a certain nutrient. It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature!

Sally

heh heh sorry couldn't resist

I bet these chickens produced Lars' eggs....they seem pretty PMSed out to me...

Sorry trsinc. Enjoy breakfast tomorrow, really. Here is something else to think about...flowers. Know what they are to me? Plant genitalia. Flashy plant male and female reproductive parts. Wanting you to stick your nose in their crotch and....inhale.

(I'm done now, really)

Girl, you are just killin' everything for me, lol. Not really... I'll never think of flowers in that way. :-) But it is true, when you think about it. They're just not as graphic about reproduction as some other species are. *snicker*.

You truly are evil ya know... but in funny way. Happy weekend!

I don't consider myself overly paranoid as far as food safety goes; I just follow standard guidelines. But if my eggs behaved as weirdly as yours, I'd have just bought another dozen.

Jessyf, That's exactly how I view eggs - chicken menses - but you're the only other person I've heard to express this view!

Grin...

I just talked to my dad, he was an egg farmer for many years (YES, I WAS RAISED ON A CHICKEN RANCH). I described Lars's experience but he hadn't heard of eggs behaving that way.

Lars, are you sure that you didn't turn on the wrong burner? Forgive me Lars, but I had to ask.

Ann

Ann, it certainly felt like I had turned on the wrong burner, but believe me, I always check when I first light the burner because I'm not quite used to the new stove yet. Also, there was nothing covering the other burners, and so I would have seen flames if I had turned on the wrong burner, which I have done plenty of times. Furthermore, if I had turned on the wrong burner, they would have been stone cold, and that was not the case. I even checked to see if the flame was as high as I thought it should be because I thought maybe it was on low today, but that was not the case either.

I guess it's just a case of mutant eggs, which I think are probably not harmful, but I wonder how they would work in a meringue.

I made chocolate almond Frangelico ice cream about a week ago using the same eggs (the recipe uses two whole eggs and one egg yolk), and I noticed that it took 35 minutes for the custard to even begin to get thick, and I used a thermometer to check the temperature of the custard, and it was only 150° after simmering for 35 minutes. Normally, I would want it to be 170°, but I got tired of cooking it and stopped at 150°. The ice cream came out fine and froze very hard despite the addition of 1/2 cup Frangelico. I still have some in my freezer.

Lars

Jessy - I never thought of them as hen menses! I guess we're worse though -- or at least a lot less PC -- since we always referred to them as chicken abortions. (And honey is bee vomit.)

The Eggs Files. *snicker* Too good.

Lars, I'm not laughing too hard. I bought a dozen last week that were similarly weird. No matter how careful I was, the yolks broke, but they stayed far more liquid then I would have liked. I finally gave up trying to use them for breakfast and just boiled them for potato salad.

I wish they'd just leave the blasted hens alone and let them create regular ol' eggs rather than all this GMO stuff.

Yikes Lars. The weirdness continues. To the max! Heat resistant eggs. Okayyyy.

Beanthere, these are supposed to have been organic eggs. That's even more frightening.

Okay, I'm developing another theory, although the mutant alien eggs seems the most logical at this point. I propose that these eggs came from chickens at extreme altitudes, like the Himalayans extreme. Since they will probably claim they came from the United States they obviously are from chickens who live organically at the top of Mt. McKinley. That's MY theory. Yup, stickin to it. Well wait a minute. Maybe the converse is true. They're heat resistant because they came from someplace very hot so in order to cook them it would take super heat. Hmmm... So, in that case, they're either from Death Valley or... the Le Brea Tar Pits. ..........

Lars!!! What ever you do....don't try to make a meringue with these eggs!!! We may never hear from you again! And your lifeless body will be found by your brother with the whisk tightly clenched in your hand!

Don't do it, Lars! LOL!

Okay, here's the bogus email response I got back from the egg company:

"Dear Mr. Theoderik:

Thank you for contacting Inter American. I am sorry that you had some issues cooking our eggs. According to our dietician [their spelling], there are no known issues that would cause an egg to take so long to cook properly, given that the temperature of the stove is hot enough. She advises that you make sure that your burner is set high enough to bring the water to a boil when you are cooking the eggs. I apologize for the inconvenience.

If you have any further questions or comments, feel free to contact us again."

So they are not acknowledging that anything could be wrong with their eggs! I'm really thinking that I want to switch brands, and I don't know whether it is worth telling them or not. I don't think I would have complained about scrambled eggs (or custard) taking so long, but hard boiled eggs are down to a science, and I definitely know how to cook them. This is the very first time I've had a situation like this, and I'm fully convinced that it is the result of genetic mutation on the part of the chickens and not from me.

Lars

She advises that you make sure your burner is set high enough to bring the water to a boil?

Sounds like she thinks you may have never used a stove before!!

I agree... genetic mutation... :(

Well remembered is the one and only dozen of omega eggs I have purchased. Couldn't get the whites to separate from the yolks easily. Decided to serve the remaining ones as scrambled eggs. Used my faithful 60 year old cooking method; whip the eggs with a bit of water and pour into the top of a buttered double boiler set over simmering water. Gently move the eggs around until set and still soft. Those omega eggs refused to scramble properly. Texture was very strange. I threw the batch away. Now I read egg cartons carefully before purchasing to make certain I am buying Mother Nature's original egg design with no alterations.

I wonder how they "make" omega 3 eggs? Then again, do I even want to know? I'm just glad and very, very lucky I can buy my eggs directly from the farmer.

Sally

Sally, they "make" omega 3 eggs by feeding the hens a more natural diet. Free range chickens lay eggs much higher in omega 3s than regular commercial eggs. Also lower in saturated fat, higher in beta carotene and with a significant shot of folic acid which is nearly non-existent in commercial eggs. Those chickens are fed the center of the corn kernel only, to keep the yolks of the eggs light, apparently people like that, but such a limited diet produces eggs that are far less nutritious.

My own fresh eggs, from my own plain old heritage breed Rhode Island Reds, are sometimes difficult to separate, and sometimes the whites are thinner and will spread across the pan more. I think it's because we feed the chickens scraps, plus whatever they forage, and so the feed is not consistent. Healthy, but not consistent.

My fresh eggs also do not peel well when hardboiled, but they do not take longer to cook than other eggs. I'm with the camp that says it's a genetic fluke.

Lars, did you buy them at WalMart? Elery says our local Walmart is occupied entirely by aliens, the Wal-Martians. (grin)

Renee, I'm still eating honey and putting nasturtiums on my salads!

As for you, Jessica, I have long wondered who the first human was that said "Look, that came out of a chicken's butt, I think I'll eat it". And no, you can't gross me out, remember, I've eaten mountain oysters. Calf fries. Yup, testicles. No need to eat them more than once, BTW. LOL

Annie

Lars, I know you're still getting used to your new home and the stove that came with it. Are you sure the burner you used isn't a "simmer" burner? My range has two "regular" burners, one "high-output" burner, and one "simmer" burner (I don't remember the different BTUs for each, but they are quite different). I hardly ever use the simmer burner because it is only good for simmering, not cooking anything; if I really need to use it, I have to turn the flame very, very high.

Maybe you have an (unmarked) simmer burner, or maybe it's a regular burner that is malfunctioning and isn't producing the correct BTU level. You would still see a flame, but the burner just isn't hot enough to boil water, let alone cook an egg.

Or maybe you did have alien eggs!

Sue

This is a little tech-y but maybe the answer is in here.

Here is a link that might be useful: Albumen Quality of Table Eggs

Thanks, barnmom, that is a bit technical but the conclusion supports my suspicion that it's a genetic trait.

Annie

I'll read about the albumen later, but to answer the question about my burners - I know exactly how many BTUs I get from each one - it's exactly the same as the stove I had in Venice with exactly the same placement. The two medium burners are on the left, the high heat burner is right front, and the simmer burner is right rear. The only difference is that the controls on the right burners are switched, and I do find that annoying. However, I tend to use the left burners the most, and that's what I was using for the eggs. I do use my simmer burner when I'm cooking beans, rice, grits, or other dishes than need to simmer for an extended period of time, but I never start cooking on that burner. I'm happy I have it, however, and I'm happy that it is in the back. On my original old stove in Venice, the high heat burner was in the back, and the simmer was in the front, which I hated.

I'm also convinced that the egg situation is related to genetics.

Lars

Annie, I forgot to mention that I bought the eggs at Ralphs. I have never set foot in a Walmart, and I never will. Besides that, there isn't a Walmart nearby, and so it would be a trek for me to find one, which is completely unnecessary. I'm even reluctant to shop at Target, but I will go there once every few years, but never on a regular basis. I'm thinking that I might start getting eggs at one of the Farmers' Markets. I just have to find out which day they are in Westchester. They were in Culver City yesterday (where Kevin works), but he didn't have time to go there.

Lars

"I used a thermometer to check the temperature of the custard, and it was only 150° after simmering for 35 minutes. Normally, I would want it to be 170°...."

This temperature difference needs to be explained, no matter what differences there might be in the eggs.

Are you a higher elevation? A drop in the temperature at which water boils could explain most of your results, although I would still expect the eggs to scramble. (Perhaps someone with high-altitude cooking experience could chime in.)

If not, is there anything else that's significantly different other than the stove? Otherwise, the stove deserves a second look because flame height doesn't tell the whole story.

Is the gas supply different? Aside from the difference of natural gas versus propane, it should also be noted that not all piped-in gas is the same. There could be a difference in the energy per volume of gas and/or the shape of the flame with respect to the hottest region, so that your previous experience may not be a reliable indicator.

Also, there could be something wrong with the stove that affects flame temperature. In industry they check and adjust burners daily for optimum performance, so clearly it is possible for them to go out of adjustment or get fouled.

Barbara

When I was in Venice, my altitude was about 20 feet (I was in a flood and tsunami zone), but now I'm at least 100 feet above sea level, but still quite low.

The burners otherwise work as my new stove in Venice did. I notice this because when I cook beans, I always put the same amount of water and the same amount of beans into a put, place it on a medium burner turned up on high and set the timer for 5 minutes and leave the room. When the timer goes off, I know that the pot has come to a boil, and I got the exact same timing in Westchester as I did in Venice. Therefore, I have no reason to think that the burner is working properly.

BTW, I made a custard earlier with a different batch of eggs using the same burner, and it reached 170° in about 10 minutes, using the same recipe. The only difference was the batch of eggs.

I've cooked at high altitude (Mexico City), and so I'm aware of what a different 7000 feet in altitude can make. I made pizza dough there that rose all over the place in no time!

Lars

P.S. While searching for the altitude of Westchester, I came across this information:

"2000 - At 2:00 p.m. a formation of ten objects was sighted flying south at an estimated 10,000 feet altitude in Westchester, California. (Source: Peter Davenport, National UFO Reporting Center, March 2000 web page)."

Lars,

The predicament was caused by run-away hens.

Bubbe

Lars :
Had to peep in here, because I was curious about the Title.

Did anyone ask " Was the water Boiling " ???
Everyone covered just about everything.

Temperature, Altitude, Latitude, Menstral, Organic,Generic,
Al burman,( who is he ? ) Heat resistant, Constipated, Genetics,
OR
Buy another Dozen ,
( sure !!! then you will have double trouble ) lol,

Supernatural !!!!! ????? That's it !!!

They are eggs from Hell !!!

See that , you could have made Deviled Eggs !!!
LOU

I think Annie might have nailed it. When I was 4 yr. old my aunt had Rhode Island Reds and White Leghorns. I was allowed to choose the egg I would eat and always chose the Red's brown eggs. Hated them--slimy. To this day, 50+ years later, I still hate eggs. Only eat them deviled. They deserve to be. I think Annie answered my life-long question of why I don't like eggs. But I dearly loved those chickens! They were sweet and had the nicest songs! Just did not like those slimy things they laid!

For the altitude to affect them that much, he'd practically have to be on the moon. (Ok, that's an exaggeration, I admit.)

Lars, it's probably not worth telling them you won't buy them again. Clearly they don't seem to care, judging by their response.

Annie, You got me on that one. I figured they probably were feeding the chickens fish emulsion or something to boost the Omega 3s. I figure they're not above it given they add everything from cow brains to concrete wash to industrial animal feed. Crazy thing is, I've never had a problem with eggs I've bought directly from farmers or local purveyors. (Except that one time way back when I think I accidentally got a fertilized one and that kinda freaked me out.) It's the ones from the chain groceries that taste like fish food smells, have fragile shells, yolks crack if you look at them wrong, and won't make nice fluffy curdles when scrambled that I hate. Unfortunately, I haven't found anyone out here selling local eggs. I told DH if he was going to stick me out in the middle of nowhere again, it needed to be a middle of nowhere where I could have some chickens!

Don't know the answer to not cooking problem except that perhaps the eggs froze in the shell during storage, but you'd probably have noticed a crack or two in the shells. So it's probably GMO egg weirdness If you think GMO eggs and chicken are fun I'd hate to enlighten you if you're a beef eater. I've been raising most of what we eat for about 30 years now. And beef and chicken are definitely the scariest things to come from your local grocery store although corn and canola oil are catching up.

Beanthere the runny eggs with yolks that cracked with a look were more likely then not because they were old eggs. The older the eggs get the flatter the yolks will stand when cracked and eventually just before they should be considered "eggstinct" they crack no matter how careful you are.

Annie you have trouble peeling your fresh eggs because of the lack of air space. I store my eggs pointed end down and if I'm going to be boiling them I try to set some aside a few weeks ahead of time. Also, if you take a thumb tack and prick a hole in the wide end just before dropping them in the boiling water and then cool them in ice water the peels will come off with ease (most of the time) I found my Americana and Aracana hens lay eggs that will slip the shell even when fresh. Don't know why but I usually try to grab the blue or green eggs for hard boiling.

Don't know about Ralph's but Wally World, never know what you'll get there. Check your paper to see if anyone has posted sales there or if you have a local feed store that would be a good place to find someone that sells real eggs.

You couldn't get me to eat a store egg if my life depended on it. I like orange yolks not white ones.

Enjoyed all the eggspert advice and eggcellent laughs from everyone.

If Inter-American is a commercial producer....then I'm thinking the eggs in any one carton came from multiple hens. Eggs are collected then mixed together as they are washed, sorted, 'candled' (if they still do that, they did when I lived on an egg ranch). Can't think of how that many hens (we had about 10,000 birds and we were a regular size, single family ranch) could have the same genetic fluke at the same time. I'm not discounting the theory, just putting out there how our operation worked back in the 1960s.

Mike, you brought up a pet peeve of mine. My dad had his packers place the eggs points down too. Bugs me to this day when I buy a carton that the eggs are every which way (well, at least not always point down). I was also taught to poke holes in the wide end before boiling.

Simple answer......it's the white yucky thing.

Chase, are you suggesting high chalazae content in eggs is not a positive feature? LOL!