Special Report - Twin Egg Phenomenon

After my wife told me that a few of the eggs she was going to eat had double yolks, she refused to eat the remaining eggs. So I took it upon myself to really test these eggs, plus we had purchased two-dozen of these Kimbo Grade A Jumbo eggs from the 99 Ranch Market. I believe Kimbo is 99 Ranch's house brand. Which is starting to explain a lot. Check out this video to see my test of cracking open 10 eggs open.

Special Report: Twin Eggs from Ray Huang on Vimeo.

I did some further research on the phenomenon of twin eggs, and it turns out that it is quite common in jumbo-sized eggs. By the sorting process, the eggs are sorted by size, and all the jumbo ones are put into jumbo carton, the similarity in size keeps the eggs from getting crushed in the carton by more evenly distributing the weight. But you don't car about the carton, you care about the yolk.

According to a website called www.countryhen.com, "Hens begin their laying process with small eggs, then medium, and eventually over the course of time are laying large, then extra large and finally jumbo eggs before they stop laying altogether. It is the jumbo eggs that have double and sometimes even triple yolks. The number of yolks reflect only on the age of the hen, not on the feed they eat or any other factor. The egg with a double yolk is still fresh and Grade A."

I consulted another website called PoultryHelp.com which stated, "Double yolks are a 'mistake' in the chicken's reproductive system that sometimes happens when a hen just starts laying eggs and her system is still trying to figure out how to do it correctly." The site goes on to say, "Double Yolkers appear when ovulation occurs too rapidly, or when one yolk somehow gets "lost" and is joined by the next yolk. Double yolkers may be by a pullet whose productive cycle is not yet well synchronized. They're occasionally laid by a heavy-breed hen, often as an inherited trait." PoultryHelp.com has an illustrative list of other egg oddities that is worth a read.

So after throwing ten eggs down the drain, it would seem that this string of twins is not too abnormal, but I still cringe a bit when you consider what hormones may or may not be pumped into the hens to make them crank out eggs faster. Much like women who go through fertility treatments are more prone to having multiples after getting pumped full of who knows what, that may be what is happening to these hens. So I'm still weary of eating these, and I think I'll stick with medium or large eggs purchased from more reputable markets.

I Pity The Hens.

Pizza Benedict

Friday night, as I was biking home from work wondering what to make for dinner, I took a mental inventory of what was in my fridge that I can make into a meal. I knew I had 1/3 bag of shredded mozzarella, a ball of buffalo mozzarella, ham, and some frozen bacon. I decided to make a quick pit stop at Trader Joe's* thinking I'd make a pizza, what better way to get rid of all that mozzarella cheese. I then thought about what flavors go with ham, and tomato sauce and ham didn't seem like it would go well together. So perhaps another sauce would work. I had a flashback to a brunch I had a couple months earlier at my neighborhood Café Aquarius--I had an Eggs Benedict Pizza.

I ended up making a hollandaise sauce (in lieu of tomato sauce), which started with with 3 egg yolks, 3 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl. I brought some water to a low boil and put the bowl of butter and egg yolks in it, forming something of a double boiler. I whipped that well with a fork, and after a bit, added a bit of salt, pepper, and cayenne. Normally when making a hollandaise sauce, you want it to get to about 140 degrees, but since I was baking the pizza, it wasn't a concern.

Next step was rolling out the pizza dough. I used the Trader Joe's Garlic and Herb dough and let it rest first for about 20 minutes before working it to a nice rectangle that fit my cookie sheet.

I nuked a few slices of bacon in the microwave between paper towels. This is a great way to cook bacon and absorb some of the fat, and not make your house smell like bacon (which isn't always a bad thing) or cause a hot greasy mess on the stove. I also saved the 3 egg whites and lightly cooked them in a frying pan with olive oil and a dash of salt.

Assembly Time

1. Preheat oven to 450-degrees
2. So pizza dough is spread out on the cookie sheet (lightly greased). 
3. Spread the hollandaise sauce evenly.
4. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese lightly.
5. Cut a few slices of ham into strips or pieces, and distribute a layer.
6. Cut or break the bacon into pieces and distribute.
7. Place pieces of the cooked egg whites.
8. Slice the ball of buffalo mozzarella and lay over the pizza (or sprinkle more shredded mozzy).
9. Top with sliced grape-tomatoes.
10. Place in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until the crust feels crusty and the cheese gets some color.

When its done, let it rest for a few minutes, then transfer to a cutting board. Cut in whatever fun way you like and enjoy a wonderful breakfast pizza for dinner... or breakfast or lunch.

*Trader Joe's co-owner, Theo Albrecht, passed away at 88 years of age on Saturday, July 24, 2010. He was one of Forbes Magazine's 20 Richest People. Read more about Theo Albrecht's passing...