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Monday 4 December 2023

What colour do you buy?

The question, 'what colour do you buy?' relates to eggs!

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know both Eddie and I enjoy eating eggs, and I always try to buy free range, medium size, brownish colour eggs. However just recently I've noticed white shell eggs in a lot of our UK supermarkets and stores which led me to research a little more about eggs.

Here in the UK, what is it that makes a tray of brown eggs sell quicker than a tray of white ones? Provided that the hens that lay the brown eggs have been given the same environment and feeding regime as those laid the white ones, they do (and it has been scientifically proven), all taste the same.

Nevertheless, position a tray of white eggs at the front of a stall at a farmer’s market and a tray of brown eggs at the back, and you will find that the brown eggs have sold more rapidly by the end of the day than the white.

Apparently, if you were to conduct the same experiment in America, you would probably discover that the white ones were favoured – something to do with white indicating cleanliness and purity in the mind of the average American consumer. Would you agree with this supposition?

There is a certain pleasure to be had from placing a softly boiled one onto the breakfast table, and for me, the fact that it is brown certainly adds to the attraction. 
More to read here


We all know how nutritious eggs are but what I wondered determines the colour of the shell, if like me you'd like to know more please read here

More Related Posts
Health Benefits of Eating Eggs - read it here
Eggs - Do They Need to Be Refrigerated? - read it here
What Is The Healthiest Way to Cook and Eat Eggs? - read it here
The Size of Eggs, does it matter? - read it here


Many thanks for visiting this blog, before you leave do please take a moment or two to leave a comment, and remember, you will find a variety of articles and recipe ideas within the blog, not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e., use your meter. If you have any concerns about your health, it is always advisable to consult your doctor or health care team.

All the best Jan

43 comments:

My name is Erika. said...

Here in New England in the US, brown are favored. But then we have to be different from the rest of the country. But of course, since you don't eat the shell and the inside is basically the same, I don't know if it matters. Did you read that? Happy new week.

Tom said...

...I buy white!

Divers and Sundry said...

I wouldn't have a preference given a choice, but white eggs are all I see here.

J.P. Alexander said...

Compro los marrones. Los huevos blancos son muy caros.

Anonymous said...

I have a lot of eggs this week, great topic! -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com

Dee said...

In the U.S., brown eggs are often more expensive than white eggs at the supermarket. I think that lends a lot to white eggs popularity.

Even farm eggs around here tend to be more on the white end than brown. But, I would buy either one.

aussie aNNie said...

Informative but we always buy brown shell eggs, I found from when my dad had chooks they were fed with good grain etc and always had brown eggs with bright yellow yolks. Also they shell easier after boiling x

Linda said...

Brown eggs seem more bucolic, hence healthier. I never refrigerated an egg.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

I enjoy eggs as well and we always buy brown ones in the local supermarket. To be honest I am not sure I would be able to tell the difference if I were to eat one of each color, white and brown.

Granny Marigold said...

Here in Canada brown eggs cost more than the ordinary white ones so those of us who watch our spending ( that's to say MOST of us) buy the less expensive ones. I prefer the large size because I do a lot of baking and I find those work best.
Granny Marigold

Margaret D said...

I have never seen white eggs down here they are all brown ones.

Rustic Pumpkin said...

Growing up eggs were always brown and there was something quite comforting about cracking open a warm brown egg with a rich orange yolk for tea, with soldiers of course! Dippy eggs! Recently I've been buying Blue Aracuna, with pretty blue shells, but, for me, brown will always be first choice. I swear they taste better than insipid white shell eggs.

Elephant's Child said...

I don't care what colour they are, but do care about the conditions they are kept in. Free range every time for me.

Lorrie said...

Oddly, brown eggs cost more where we live, so I purchase white ones.

Jules said...

Well I never knew that! I usually get my brown eggs directly from the farm. X

Breathtaking said...

Hello :=9
I have just read two whole articles about eggs and know a lot more about them now. Boiled eggs for breakfast and cheese omelettes any time are favourite meals of mine. I like the ones with brown shells, and always ask my daughter to choose those over the white, because my mother always told me that they were the best.Thank you Jan for this very interesting and informative post about the benefits of eating eggs, and all the links.
All the best
Sonjia.

Rosemary said...

Interesting thoughts - like you I prefer brown, and was surprised whilst travelling in the States to discover that they prefer white. I never buy blue ones.

eileeninmd said...

The color doesn't matter to me, but my hubby only likes the white eggs.

Take care, have a great week!

roentare said...

Your knowledge is so good for daily life nutrition

DUTA said...

I like eggs too. I've never given any thought to color. All I check is date, size, not broken. I'll be glad, however, to get info on the brown and white color significance, if any.

linda said...

I only buy packs of 6 free range eggs and they are always brown but if they were white it wouldn't bother me.

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

I'm stuck on brown eggs because they remind me of being closer to a farm.

Anne C said...

During the warmer months, I buy from someone I know who keeps chickens. Some are brown, some are white, and some are a pretty blue color. All have beautifully dark yolks and taste like an egg should. During winter the hens are not as productive and I have to buy from the store. I do choose brown more often because they tend to be labeled "free-range" which I prefer. In a pinch, I'll get the white ones because they're more readily available.

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

I buy the white shelled eggs. I know they are the same but the brown shelled eggs turn me off!

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

Hi, Canadian reader here. I have kept a small flock of hens for many, many years. The colour of the egg is just a result of the colour of the hen. It is a pigment sort of thing. I have four different kinds of layers and I get four different shades of eggs. There should be absolutely no difference in price, unless you are purchasing Omega-3 (6?) eggs because that means the hens were given an enriched type of feed. My girls just get chicken feed and in the warm months, they get greens from my garden, as well as kitchen scraps. The darker the yolk, the more varied their diet. When I had lots of grass and weeds in the chicken run, and the hens were consuming insects and many different scraps, their yolks were almost a dark orange. Hope this info helps! -Jenn

C.George said...

I always buy brown eggs

CJ Kennedy said...

There was a campaign several years ago from an egg producers group. The jingle for the ad was, "Brown eggs are local eggs and local eggs are fresh."

Rain said...

Interesting...if I have the choice, I always buy white eggs, I don't know why lol!

Bob Bushell said...

I always get farm eggs straight the farmer, you know where they laid. Cheers Jan.

Hena Tayeb said...

I used to only buy brown but when I learnt there really isn't any health benefits correlated to color I now buy either color. Depends on the store, the price etc.

happyone said...

I usually buy white because they are the cheapest, but really don't care what the color is. When my friend gave me eggs from her hens they were green and blue.

Norma2 said...

The color of the shell depends, in general, on the genetic line of the animal. White hens lay white eggs and colored hens lay brown eggs, i.e. of the hen breed. So I don't care. Greetings Jean

Lee said...

To be honest, I've never thought about it. Mostly, the cartons here carry a combination of both. I did notice, though, the carton I purchased last week consists of all brown-shelled eggs. Now, I'll be on alert every time I buy eggs! :)

sandy said...

Interesting article. We here in California usually buy white eggs. The cost for eggs skyrocketed here and we would go to Aldi where the eggs were much less expensive. I do like brown ones also.

sandy said...

I meant we meaning my husband and I, not meaning California people, lol

Sherry said...

I love a colorful aray of eggs. I raise chickens of diffrent egg color just for that reason, they are pretty. Have a wonderful day.

Rajani Rehana said...

Beautiful blog

Alicia said...

When I was a child and visited my grandparents house they had chickens that only laid brown eggs, so I grew up eating them, but now for some reason, when I see them in the store I don't even think to buy them. I instead always buy white eggs. Next time I need eggs I'm going to buy the brown ones and see if they taste like my childhood. Thank you for providing links to your research.

Conniecrafter said...

Before the bird flu that raised all the prices of eggs so dramatically I use to buy the free range brown eggs, well when the price went through the roof I went to buying whatever was the cheapest and I have stuck with that even though the prices have come down a bit. When I was younger I think I would always pick the white eggs over brown but then learned why they are the colors they are and it didn't matter to me what color my eggs were.

Carla from The River said...

Our hens lay brown eggs. :-) Our ducks lay white eggs.

Teresa said...

Tengo gallinas blancas, negras y marrones, las negras y rojas ponen los huevos marrones, las blancas los ponen blancos. Los colores no alteran el sabor ni la calidad de los huevos. Besos.

Lowcarb team member said...

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J.P. Alexander said...
Compro los marrones. Los huevos blancos son muy caros

I buy the brown ones. White eggs are very expensive

Teresa said...
Tengo gallinas blancas, negras y marrones, las negras y rojas ponen los huevos marrones, las blancas los ponen blancos. Los colores no alteran el sabor ni la calidad de los huevos. Besos

I have white, black and brown hens, black and red hens lay brown eggs, white hens lay white eggs. The colours do not alter the taste or quality of the eggs. Kisses

Snowbird said...

I would always go for brown eggs for hubs. I've never thought why until now, they just look healthier, like brown bread.xxx