Turkey Eggs: Have You Tried Them?

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I recently picked up a few turkey eggs at my local market, struck by how big they were — between 25 and 50 percent larger than a typical chicken egg. They were pretty, too, with speckled brown shells. Cooking with them, the first thing I noticed was the thick shell, making them harder to crack (no suave, one-handed crack for me!). Inside, the yolk-to-white ratio was much higher.

As for flavor, I expected them to be richer than chicken eggs, but they actually tasted quite similar, bordering on underwhelming. So why even bother? Well, I found that the large yolk-to-white ratio and thicker consistency of the whites made for excellent poached eggs, beautifully intact and creamy. The large yolks could also lend themselves well to velvety sauces. I haven’t tried these in baking, but the larger size and different consistency might necessitate recipe adjustments.

Turkey eggs aren’t cheap to produce; the birds require more room, more feed, and lay fewer eggs than chickens. I paid $1.50 per egg and they can sell for even twice that much.

(Images: Emily Han)