Weighing the options, is this recipe egg worthy?

March 21, 2020 by
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As we shared in our weekly roundup, many folks are looking to bake during this pandemic. In that article, we shared ideas for cultivating your own yeast, sourdough and other ideas for bread.

I am fortunate and have a larder filled with flours, sugars, yeast and every baking ingredient known to man. I have been able to find eggs and have enough for weeks of baking. I also purchased a carton of Egg Beaters that has a longer shelf life for recipe emergencies.

Even with a fully packed arsenal, I find myself debating the worthiness of a recipe if it requires a large amount of a certain hard to find ingredient. (Or, is this baked good egg worthy? Seinfeld fans will remember Elaine’s dilemma when a certain favorite product was being discontinued.)

This afternoon while whipping up a chocolate cake, I had second thoughts on moving forward when I realized that I needed to part with four whole eggs. But chocolate cake prevailed! Sometimes you just need chocolate cake.

Here are a few tips for hard to find ingredients:

  • King Arthur is temporarily out of stock on a number of ingredients but they replenish fairly quickly. I am a rewards member and order all my baking ingredients from them.
  • Also try places like Vitamin Cottage and health food stores for flour, yeast, and eggs. And remember when this is all over to support those smaller businesses who pulled us through this pinch.
  • 13 effective egg substitutes
  • Milk substitutes for baking

How is your family handling this time? I know in our house leftovers are eaten up and not taken for granted. Yesterday, I threw together a quick pizza with refrigerated dough, marinara, Italian spices, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese for lunch. Jim loved it. That dough was nearing the end of its life and I used it before having to toss it. Dinner was a quick macaroni and cheese from scratch but I added some frozen beer cheese that I had saved from pretzels. I am being more conscious of what I have in the fridge, pantry, and freezer.

Today, I was so happy to buy Brussels sprouts and broccoli to go along with this week’s meal. Today we are ordering pick-up to support our local restaurants. Stay safe and healthy!

Category: Cooking Tips

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9 Comments

  • matag  on  March 21, 2020

    When in doubt …chocolate

  • darcie_b  on  March 21, 2020

    I switched to a different recipe because I wanted one that used fewer eggs. I had been getting my eggs from a coworker but since I’m full time teleworking I have to buy them from the store. The last time I went they were almost out – the organic eggs were the only ones left, and only a couple dozen. I hope the panic buying calms down soon and stores can get shelves restocked.

  • hillsboroks  on  March 22, 2020

    When signing up for the CSA program from our favorite farmers’ market farmers I visited their farm store and was thrilled to see that they also sold fresh eggs. They hadn’t sold them at the market so I didn’t know I could get eggs there instead of the grocery. We decided to sign up for the CSA because we are worried there may not be any farmers’ markets this year.

  • arice  on  March 22, 2020

    Thanks for starting this kind of a discussion about cooking more intentionally. I’ve been looking in the nooks and crannies of my cupboards to see what I can do with what’s on hand.

  • Jane  on  March 22, 2020

    I had exactly this dilemma. It’s Mother’s Day in the UK and my 92 yo mother wanted a lemon cake. I didn’t want to use much flour as running low on that. I originally planned to make Lemon polenta cake with mascarpone and lemon curd from Delicious Magazine. But no polenta to be found. So I decided to do Melissa Clark’s Lemon almond cake but with the other recipe’s topping. But it needed 5 large eggs and my parents’ fridge contains only 7 medium eggs. I decided Mother’s Day was a good enough occasion to sacrifice 6 eggs. But it felt so odd having to do these calculations. I’m hoping eggs are back in the stores soon.

  • ToPieFor  on  March 22, 2020

    Thank you for starting this conversation! We all are tasked with making choices of what to cook (or bake) that will last, taste great, provide nourishment and comfort. After our conversation, I decided that using 4 eggs to make 2 loaves of my favourite banana bread was definitely worth the sacrifice. I use only organic eggs. In my regular grocery store they’re reasonably priced but I am no longer comfortable shopping outside my ‘zone’. The store downstairs, steps from my apartment, charges $9 for these eggs. A few days ago they had quite a few cartons. Today the shelf was bare! I still have a dozen and will be very careful how I use them. Enjoy whatever you’re cooking and baking and let your creativity flow with ingredients you have on hand. And please be well and be safe. Keep your distance!

  • anightowl  on  March 24, 2020

    I am certainly cooking more thoughtfully. I sure wish I had bought more eggs during my last shopping trip pre-isolation. I have some powdered eggs I am using for baking, not quite as good, but they work. I have started doing some things old school like my mom and grandma did – I had some seasoned meat that cooked out a lot of fat, and I saved it in a can for my next few sautes. Never thought I would be doing that! Breakfast is overnight oat groats in the rice cooker instead of dry cereal to save milk (which I have frozen in 1 liter containers – the amount I use for a batch of yogurt). Small modifications are making perishables stretch further. I’m just glad I have a garden so we have a fresh supply of vegetables. Maybe not all the ones we would like, but that’s the way it goes. We have kohlrabi, Florence fennel and green garlic in abundance – thank goodness for EYB, I can cook them up in different ways each night. Plus, it turns out kohlrabi leaves make a pretty good substitute for kale. 🙂

  • Fawndarellabakes  on  March 24, 2020

    You read my mind. You did the right thing. Chocolate cake is always worth it. Claire Ptak’s recipe for chocolate cake in the violet bakery cookbook only requires 2 eggs and it is very yummy! It can sink in the middle but reduce the baking soda by 1/2 tsp to avoid the dip. Also, white vinegar in a good sub in place of eggs.

  • Lglen  on  March 25, 2020

    For anyone low on eggs you might consider using the vegan filter. There should be loads of baked goods using flax eggs, aquafaba and other substitutes for eggs. Wonderful baking can still be done!

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