Duck Egg Benefits

When I have offered duck eggs to my family they get a little freaked out.  Don't worry, they really are just a larger egg.  They do taste slightly different and baked goods made with duck eggs are more likely to rise better, be moist and fluffy, and hold their shape better than eggs made from chickens.  In addition, bakers prefer duck eggs for cream and custard fillings because they contain less water and more healthy fat. If you cook duck eggs like you will chicken eggs they will have a creamier, richer taste.  

Healthy Eating

Duck eggs are an extremely important source of nutrition.  Their yolk holds more antioxidants, more omega-3 fatty acids, and 50% more vitamin A than their chicken counterparts.  

In addition, duck eggs offer more protein than chicken eggs, even taking size into consideration.  This positive protein will help you maintain a healthy weight, build lean muscle, and recover from exercise.

And if that's not enough duck eggs will even support your mental health.  According to WebMD, "deficiencies in zinc, magnesium, and selenium have been linked to depression and fatigue. Eggs contain all three of these minerals. Duck eggs are an excellent source of selenium, providing almost half of the daily value in one egg."

Also in the winter duck eggs are a great source of vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin. Low levels of vitamin D are associated with depression and seasonal affective disorder. Duck eggs are one of the only food sources of vitamin D, which also helps our bodies absorb calcium to power bone growth.

Physical Differences

It may seem obvious, but the duck egg is slightly larger than a farm fresh egg.  Once you crack into it, the yolk is almost 50% larger than a typical chicken egg.  In addition, the white is really clear.  Until you see how clear the white of a duck egg is, you will notice how the chicken egg white is actually more yellow. 

When cooking with a duck egg you might notice that duck eggs have a much thicker shell than chicken eggs.  It takes much more force to crack a duck egg that you might typically be used to.  To avoid cracking a piece of the shell into the egg, try using a flat surface to break it instead of the edge of a bowl.

When cooking with eggs, you can substitute three eggs for two duck eggs.  

Also, if you are allergic to chicken eggs, the proteins in duck and chicken eggs are similar but not identical, and there are cases of people experiencing an allergic response to one type of egg but not the other. So even if you have a reaction to chicken eggs, you may still be able to eat duck eggs.  I am not a licensed doctor though, so please speak to them about doing a scratch test before eating!

When storing duck eggs, they will have a slightly longer shelf life due to their thicker shells.  In general, you will store duck eggs in the same way as you will store our farm fresh chicken eggs.  In the fridge!