Freezing Eggs

Freezing Eggs

Freezing a whole egg is not possible because it will crack under the expanding liquids, so food manufacturers solve this dilemma by breaking the eggs open at the processing plants where the contents are frozen whole (whites and yolk mixed together) or separated as whites or yolks. Prior to being frozen, the liquid whole eggs are usually pasteurized. Eggs whites by themselves denature if pasteurized, so prior to this process they are often combined with a small amount of lactic acid and aluminum sulfate. There are several drawbacks to using frozen pasteurized eggs: they are costly to freeze and keep frozen, they must be thawed, they are cumbersome to portion, and they have lowered functional quality.

Fortunately, separated egg whites are not adversely affected by freezing. Some commercially frozen egg whites have added stabilizers and whipping aids to improve their ability to form large, stable foams. For separated yolks, sugar, corn syrup, or salt is added to prevent them from becoming viscous and rubbery when thawed. Salt is used in frozen eggs only if they will be incorporated into sweet foods that will partially mask the salty taste. When freezing eggs at home, 1 tablespoon of sugar (corn syrup) or 1/2 teaspoon of salt is added for every cup of blended eggs. Raw egg whites can be frozen with no special measures taken.