BoomerGirl Diary

Through the years, nutritionists’ opinions on eggs have flip-flopped more than a spatula at IHOP.

Sometimes knocked for having too much cholesterol, eggs also are a good source of protein — hence the dilemma.

But, at least at the moment, opinions are swaying toward the good egg.

“It’s on a good level,” says Karen Blakeslee, an extension associate for K-State Research & Extension in Manhattan, Kan. “A few years ago, they were saying, ‘Don’t eat so many eggs because of the cholesterol.’ Now they say, ‘One egg a day is fine.’ I don’t see any big problem with eating eggs.”

The problem might come when trying to figure out which eggs to buy — especially considering they’re all packaged basically the same in the supermarket case, and most eggs look exactly the same peeking out of the cartons.

Blakeslee says the USDA rates eggs with three grades, with the grades determined by individual inspectors who look at the inside of each egg by shining a light into it:

• Grade AA eggs are the best. Their whites are thick and firm when fried, and the yolks stand high. They have no defects or broken shells.

• Grade A eggs have less firm whites, and their yolks cook flatter than those of AA eggs.

• Grade B eggs, which aren’t typically found in the store, have thinner whites, even flatter yolks and may be stained on the outside.

If you’re into scrambled eggs, Blakeslee says, the differences are less important — especially the differences between A and AA.

“Probably the only time you’d be able to tell the difference is when you fry an egg,” she says.

As far as size goes, that’s determined by the entire weight of a dozen eggs. Jumbo eggs weigh a minimum of 30 ounces per dozen, extra large is 27 ounces, large is 24, and medium is 21.

Safety

Eggs keep well for up to five weeks after they’re purchased, Blakeslee says, and they’re best kept in the coldest part of the refrigerator — which isn’t the door. But she doesn’t recommend keeping them longer than a week after their “best by” date.

Blakeslee recommends washing your hands any time you’ve touched any part of an uncooked egg — insides or shell. And for those of you who are fans of runny yolks, she has some bad news.

“Cook them until they’re firm,” she says. “They don’t recommend people eating runny eggs anymore.”