Dehydrating Eggs

[Shelby]

I'm getting ready to do some baking and one of the ingredients that I need is powdered egg whites. Running to the store is not an option for me as I live too far away...plus there is a raging snowstorm going on right now.

Anyway, I'm going to use runny egg white and see how it goes, but, I got to thinking...why not make my own by using the dehydrator?

I started by scrambling the whites in a skillet. I didn't add any butter or Pam because I want pure egg white.

Since I have an abundance of egg yolk, I decided to do those up, too.

I laid parchment on the tray and plopped the eggs on.

I have no idea how long this will take or what temperature to set the dehydrator at, so, I'm winging it (get it? chicken..egg...winging...ehem...)

I figure, after they are dry, I'll use the food processor to powder them. I'll take pictures and report back. Then, I'll have to do a taste test and reconstitute the eggs.

Obviously, you could do the white and yolk together if you're just looking to make dehydrated scrambled eggs.

Anyone ever done this before? Methods? Temperature? How to store? Shelf life?

Eggs are cheap, why not have some dehydrated on hand in case of emergency situations?

[Kat Tanaka Okopnik]

I used to live on a boat, so I tried out a bunch of dehydrated products...and dehydrated egg whites are meant to reconstitute to something like raw whites, not cooked. You're going to lose out on the coagulating effects of egg protein in the recipe.

[Pam R]

I was wondering if you could dehydrate the raw egg white. Put a little dish in the dehydrator? Would it work? Any food safety concerns?

[ChefCrash]

I was wondering if you could dehydrate the raw egg white. Put a little dish in the dehydrator? Would it work? Any food safety concerns?

Maybe whip the egg whites a little stiff first?

[Shelby]

I was wondering if you could dehydrate the raw egg white. Put a little dish in the dehydrator? Would it work? Any food safety concerns?

I wondered the same thing.

I was wondering if you could dehydrate the raw egg white. Put a little dish in the dehydrator? Would it work? Any food safety concerns?

Maybe whip the egg whites a little stiff first?

Good idea. I'll try that today and report back.

I'm on a mission.

[Pam R]

Whipping the egg whites! That makes a lot of sense. Shelby, please report on the results!

[Shelby]

Whipping the egg whites! That makes a lot of sense. Shelby, please report on the results!

I'm waiting on eggs lol. I ran out. I'll be back to report asap.

[dcarch]

A dehydrator still uses heat to dry. I don't know how that would change the protein.

The best way I think would be to use a vacuum pump to extract all the moisture. I know this is theoretical, not too many people have a vacuum pump. This is how freeze dry works.

Or you can try this out: leave the egg white out in the freezer, at some point, all the moisture will be gone by sublimation (like freezer burn).

dcarch

[hummingbirdkiss]

should I dehydrate some eggs? my ducks and chickens are dropping eggs like Pez dispensers and I wondered  if I should do this ? I can not imagine using them for "eggs" again..but as a protein in a smoothie? or to add protein to things ..

 

1, has anyone dried eggs and if so what was your results? 

 

2, what did you do with them when you used them? I have to have a plan to use them before I do it .

 

I have read all the stuff I can find online pretty straight forward doing it is like making fruit leather more or less ? then you can put them in a blender .….I can do it raw (that is the plan) or cooked (sounds disgusting to me and would smell awful) and either separate or mix them up  

I figured I would try 2 dozen eggs like this ..split one dozen and mix one 

 

but I really do  need ideas for using them and hope someone has used them and can tell me? do them blend up ok in a smoothie I wonder?  please and thank you

Edited July 21, 2015 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[Deryn]

Dehydrating eggs, either complete eggs or yolks and whites separately, can be done but the product will be cooked in the end (even if you don't do it beforehand) so it won't be any good for baking. Freeze-drying works great though if the eggs are uncooked - because very little heat is used to dry out the eggs - but frankly it is a lot of work and I don't think it is really worth it in the end. 

 

Either method requires that you 'scramble' the eggs first - you definitely cannot dry or even freeze-dry a whole yolk as far as I am aware. Since you should not try uncooked eggs in the dehydrator, you may as well scramble and pre-cook them anyway. The other issue I think with the dehydrator is the length of time it takes to dry them (cook out the water) - keeping them long term may not be a great idea after that long process - I am not sure I would trust there would not be a safety issue.  

 

So what can you do with dehydrated scrambled eggs? I would recommend you make a very thin sort of egg crepe, dehydrate that and then powder it. It should rehydrate but won't be your standard breakfast fare I am afraid.

 

I have made both dehydrated and freeze-dried and frankly, if all you have is a dehydrator, I would recommend if you want eggs to store for baking or even just for making scrambled eggs later, that you buy cans of pre-dried ones. Ova crystals are supposedly liked best by those who want their eggs for breakfast dishes/scrambles. Commercially dried egg whites are a staple for me - I bake with them all the time - but you can't make those with a dehydrator.

 

Others may report different experiences and be able to recommend better ways for you to try using the dehydrator for egg preservation. Wish I could tell you different but I have not found it worth the time and trouble.

Edited July 21, 2015 by Deryn (log)

[hummingbirdkiss]

I am going to bag this idea and just give extra eggs to the food bank I do not think I am up for dried eggs I have eggs every freaking place now ..thanks so much Deryn I appreciate the answer it really helped

[Shelby]

I am going to bag this idea and just give extra eggs to the food bank I do not think I am up for dried eggs I have eggs every freaking place now ..thanks so much Deryn I appreciate the answer it really helped

If I lived close to you I'd buy every last one.  Can't you sell them to someone around there?  Around here if someone puts a sign in their yard that says "EGGS $2.00/Dozen" people come from far and wide to buy them.

[hummingbirdkiss]

Shelby my granddaughter has a little business she sells to the neighbors and me LOL!!! ..the idea of smelling eggs drying just got to me the more I thought about it the more disgusting it sounds. 

Edited August 17, 2015 by hummingbirdkiss (log)