DoctorOz: The Ultimate Guide to Finding the Freshest Eggs

It's a brand new supermarket alert. There are emerging headlines warning that you may be getting scammed in the egg aisle. Today we're investigating so you don't have to walk on eggshells and can enjoy your breakfast. We're taking on these allegations, egg-ations I should say, one by one. First off, organic eggs. Are they worth the extra cost? And what about omega-3 eggs? I'm seeing them everywhere. Are they really healthier? Because they're charging you for it. And the supermarket secret is going to go viral, right? How to tell how old your eggs really are. And it's not the expiration date. Cracking the case and unscrambling the facts is our supermarket power duo from the Institute of Culinary Education, James Brisson and his wife and grocery guru, Brooke Parkhurst. I know you guys both like to cook. Yes, we both cook. Who does the actual shopping? I say I'm the gopher, he's the chef. I'm out doing the shopping. Though she's the one up early in the morning scrambling the eggs and cooking the eggs for the kids because I'm a little bit of a bear in the morning until that coffee gets going, and I'm a little bit of a slow riser in the morning. Nocturnal beast. All right, let's start with the first egg controversy, which are organic eggs. So, Brooke, these things are priced usually three times more than the more conventional eggs. So the question is, I'll sort of swipe you through your egg-spectations. Do it. I stay up all night writing these little puns. Okay, so what do you think, as the woman who's doing the shopping in your household, about what you're going to get with organic eggs. You know what, Dr. Oz? I have big expectations for these expensive eggs. I want them outside in the sun. They're frolicking. They're exercising. They're really happy chickens out there in the field that are going to lay these beautiful eggs. And what are they eating? Okay, so I also think they should be eating worms, grass. That's going to make their eggs healthier. Also, it's going to make them taste better. They look so cute and so beautiful out there, aren't they? They're just really caught worm, right? Now, what's really going down? Recent headlines are exposing that reality, which is this. So the Washington Post looked into it, and organic regulations mean that chickens could be raised in giant buildings just like this, where there could be up to three hens per square foot. Which looks like that. But you're talking about 180,000 birds in one building just like that. And that's still considered organic, according to the USDA. Yeah, because as long as they can sort of see outside. Right. A screened porch counts as outdoor access, according to the USDA guidelines on organic eggs. So the reports say that the hens have outdoor access. So they do have the ability to do what Brooks is expecting, but they generally just do this. So when it comes to the feed, it's also a little different, right? They are given organic feed. This is important to understand. I mean, the manufacturers are doing this part as they're supposed to. So there's no antibiotics in it. They're not mucking with it. But, and that's a big step from a conventional egg, which these chickens, you know, in the conventional setups aren't given this kind of high quality produce and food to eat. But, and that's one of the reasons for the higher price, but it's not quite what I would have expected. So my bottom line is on organic eggs is they're not perfect, but they're still a better bet than conventional eggs because at least the feed that the chickens are getting are better for you and for them. And not all brands are created equal. So if you decide to buy organic, I want you to go to the Cornucopia Institute's organic egg scorecard. There it is. I'm going to put a link up to it at dros.com. It's a great cheat sheet to find the good eggs. All right, next up, omega-3s. This is something that has exploded for a lot of folks. But are they really healthier than regular eggs? Now, we know that omega-3s are great for our brain, they're great for our eyes, they're great for our heart. But these eggs are going to cost you. How much more are we talking about for omega-3 eggs, Brooke? You know what? Omega-3 eggs are up to twice as expensive. And so here we are, a family of four, James, I, our two kids, we eat eggs almost every morning. So that price really adds up. So explain to us omega-3s. I want you all to see this because you'll never forget it. So, first off, omega-3s generally, and then how do they get it into the chickens? So, the same way you and I would get them, right, through their diet, where we might be eating, you know, good, healthy, oily fish like a salmon or sardines or anchovies or something like that, or flax seeds we would have in our diet to increase our omega-3s, the chickens are actually doing the same thing. So, they're adding omega-3s to their feed, often through flax seed, but sometimes even fish oil is just being added to the feed so that those omega-3s then wind up in the egg yolks. So, the question is, how much do they actually get in the egg yolks? Most experts want you to have about 1,000 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids per day. Eggs have just a fraction of that. And I'll give you my bottom line. See the salmon over here? We saw, if you ate that serving of salmon, that's the equivalent to omega-3 content is 14 eggs. But my bottom line is I'm not sure it's the best use of your money. If you're struggling with money issues, you don't have to make that step. If you got the cash, I think it's worth the investment. Next, the supermarket secret that's going to go viral. Think of this picture right here. See that picture there? Here's the question. How old are those eggs? It's not the expiration date. It's something else. Brooke, what's the number we should be looking for? It's on every single carton of eggs. Yes, here we go. So you see that number that's circled next to the expiration date, okay? So you have 268. That means the eggs were put in the carton on the 268th day of the year. That would be September 25th. But the sell-by date is November 14th, okay? So that means 45 days might have passed until you eat that egg. Oh, my goodness. That's a long time. Yeah, I mean, I knew eggs lasted, but if I could, I'd probably buy the young gray. Why wouldn't I? Why shouldn't everybody? So that's my bottom line on old eggs. I'm not concerned about these eggs being dangerous. I don't think they're a problem in our grocery stores, but fresh eggs, I think it tastes better. I mean, your advice would be fresh eggs, wouldn't it, as a chef? Yeah, from a chef's standpoint and, you know, for us at ICE, it's the first thing we teach our students. You're a culinary student, you're a pastry student. How do I identify a fresh egg when we see it and why we want the fresh eggs? because they taste better, because they have more flavor, and they cook better. I'm following him. Coming up, ever wonder what the deal is with liquid eggs that come in a carton? Yeah, I know you're all thinking, I'm thinking too. Find out when we come back. They say you gotta crack a few eggs to make an omelet, but not anymore, because now you can buy your eggs in this. So today I'm asking, what's the deal with liquid eggs in a carton? How's that possible? Chrissy, Crystal, and Ashley are scrambling to tell us just how egg-static they are about liquid eggs. But Elaine here, she's a little more skeptical. I thought, wait, this is about eggs? Eggs. I'm allergic. Ha! I'm just yoking. That's all yokes. Elaine, she's terrible. This is terrible. So you're skeptical. You're an egg purist. Yeah, yeah. If it doesn't come from an egg, I mean, I don't see a, I mean, if it doesn't come from a chicken. Yeah. What's the point? What's the point? What's the point? A lot of people are thinking that, but they're so convenient, they're inexpensive, so people are beginning to use these. So I asked each of my guests to bring the liquid egg version that they're most comfortable with, what they would use at home to see if it would pass muster. You are going to give me your thoughts on the taste and the convenience. Just bring it alive. I'll cover nutrition. Okay. You good? I'm excited. Oh, please. You're killing me with the puns. I'm cracking myself up. All right. Now, I'm going to decide, together with you, if I'm liking it or if I'm letting it go. Ah! Ha, ha, ha, ha. All right, first up we got Christie's he's traveling off a zero zero cholesterol eggs up to do zero cholesterol No fat and very very low in calories and they look like eggs and they taste like eggs. Please confirm that Elaine We don't be a chicken Elaine This is terrible. Let's get worse. They're excellent. I'm gonna try it too. Or is it just me? They're just you I'm you're the royal tester. Okay, I'll just you're eating. I'm gonna tell you what I'm No, I'm good. Are you cracking up over that? I'm dying over there. It's good. Just good? Because it tastes like an egg, first of all. It tastes like an egg. So let me explain what I'm concerned about here. So first of all, to make egg substitutes, you know how you do that? You actually take the yolk out to get the cholesterol out. Yes. And then when you do that, you take out a lot of minerals, and a lot of the nutrients go out too, so they've got to add that back in there. When you add that back in there to make it look like a real egg, you might as well put some coloring in there, some thickeners, to make a deal like this and taste like it's supposed to. And then you end up with something that actually has 31 ingredients sometimes. Up to that many ingredients is what I've counted. So are you still that optimistic about it? Well, yeah, I was going to say. And what are they putting in it to keep it stay on the shelf? To keep it good on the shelf? Some of those 31 ingredients. It just doesn't make sense to me. It doesn't add up. And you like it because it's convenient? I like it because it's convenient. No mess. Don't have to crack eggs, especially myself. I'm on the run. And they're versatile for me. You can put them in lots of dishes. So, I respect that benefit, but I'm going to have to, you know, I got to make the right decision for what I think most of us. I'm letting it go. Yes, I'm letting it go. I agree. All right, that's one down. But I have an idea. There's a version of this, the pre-mixed liquid omelet, which might make sense, because Crystal's scrambling up something beautiful here. All right. What do you like about this? She's shaking it up. Yes, yes, I'm shaking it up. It's a little spicy. Omelet in a box, that's the promise. I love it, Dr. Oz. It has the peppers, the onions. It really smells really good. like home-cooked omelet eggs with like seasoning so i like things a little variety so i enjoy it again i'm not buying it you should taste it you gotta taste it first i'm gonna taste i'll taste it with you but if now the eggs are not fresh and now you're adding vegetables that are what are they really well the vegetables are real but the eggs have got the same issue that i had with the the low cholesterol zero cholesterol alternative you to me this tasted less like a real egg than the first one. Ooh. Really? Ooh, a harsh criticism. Love me, Miss Beyoncé. I'm sorry. It's just not convincing me. Well, I respect the fact that it saves you a lot of time. Saves time. It has a lot of flavor. It doesn't feel like something in a box. I could see someone going for it. In my household, I'm going to let this go. I'm letting it go. But, but, it's quick. I see that. But that's the problem, I think, nowadays, that everybody's going for quick. Oops. Everybody's going for quick. But there's a quick version that's out there called Liquid Egg Whites. Let's get to that over here. Ashley's scrambling up a real dish here. First, why do you prefer liquid egg whites versus just making them yourself? Well, I'm a mother of two. I'm always on the go, and so liquid egg whites are just more easier for me. And look at this when you crack the egg. You have to separate the yolk from it. It's just so messy. Nobody has time for that. No one has time for that. Try it. I think you'll like it. Ain't nobody got time for that. I added my sauces to it. I think you'll love it. Thank you. Let's see what I think about this. I want the taste here. Now, here's the part that I'm interested in here. They literally just took out the yolks, which is, I don't know, if you're okay with the taste on this thing. The rest is just egg white, basically. What do you think? I feel like less ingredients, the less that's in it, the better it is for us. Do you agree with me? You're right, I think. And there's no more ingredients in here. I think this one was the best. Yeah. Let me give you a couple things here. Yeah, what? These are 100%. It's all it says on the carton, 100% real egg whites. You're getting the real deal. It has to say that on there. So it's a little bit more expensive. And here's the catch. It only lasts seven days. Most eggs will last a lot longer. You see what I'm talking about? Those are probably good for two, three, four, you know, a month maybe. Longer. Longer. But if you're okay with the convenience benefit and you lose a little bit of longevity, I'm okay with it as well. So I'm liking it, guys. I'm liking it. I'm all fried up about this. She's all fried up. She's all fried up. You're happy too? I love it. Thank you all for being so much fun. All right, hands in. Teammates. Hey, teammates, teammates. One, two, three, teammates. Thank you for watching. Don't forget to subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss out on new videos to live the good life.