Double Yolk Eggs

Vlads Quiff · Aug 12, 2011

A few weeks ago there was a bit on the news about a woman that found like 29 double yolk eggs in a batch brought from Asda.

British woman cracks open 29 double-yolked eggs in a row

Wednesday, 29 June 2011

A British cake decorator was 'egg-static' over the weekend after cracking open 29 double-yolked eggs from the same carton.

Given that the odds of finding a double-yolked egg in the UK are one in a thousand, Charlotte Matthews hit the equivalent of egg gold.

According to a report from the local paper, Matthews was preparing breakfast for her family in Rochdale, north of Manchester, when she started cracking into a carton of eggs. One by one, she realized that each held two yolks.

After breaking open 12 double-yolked eggs in a row, Matthews enlisted her husband Gavin to record her lucky streak with a video camera as she broke open the rest of the 30-egg carton, reported the Rochdale Observer Sunday.

"Are we doing scrambled egg for tea?" she jokes in the video as she breaks the third double-yolked egg in a bowl - and the 15th overall.

The tray of 30 Smartprice eggs was purchased from her local supermarket retailer Asda for £2.39 (€2.67).

In what could only be described as a near cinematic finish, all but the final egg held two yolks.

The phenomenon usually occurs when a hen's ovulation occurs too rapidly and their egg production cycles are not completely synchronized. Two egg yolks will mature at the same time and pass through the hen's reproductive system.

Hybrid breeds of hens from West Bengal and India have also been known to produce double yolk eggs.

Though safe to eat, they can change the outcome of a recipe. As a general rule, one large egg yolk is equal to one tablespoon or 15 ml.

The texture can also be longer and thinner than an ordinary single-yolk egg.

Last year, another British woman from Cumbria made headlines for cracking open six double-yolkers.

Superstition has it that finding two yolks in a single egg can portend an imminent marriage or the birth of twins.

Watch the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVxYT-bQ4lU.

now the Yanks have been at it

Dave Bakke: Egg oddity is no yolk

Two of the 17 double-yolked eggs found so far sit frying in Joni Deere’s home in Pana. Photo courtesy of Joni Deere

The old saying about the road to success goes like this: You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. Breaking a few eggs made for an odds-defying event at Jim and Joni Deere’s house in Pana.

Joni usually fixes breakfast for the family after church on Sundays. A couple of weeks ago, she was doing just that when something unusual happened. She cracked a few eggs and each of them had a double yolk.

She cracked a few more. Same thing. Now this was getting weird, and it drew a crowd to the kitchen to watch. “Seven! Eight! Nine! Ten! Eleven! Twelve!”

All dozen eggs in the carton, 12 for 12, were double yolks. The odds of that happening are through the roof. Some people never see one.

I know what you’re thinking: They’re serving a lot of baloney with those eggs — or words to that effect. I did not see this happen so I can’t vouch for its accuracy. But Jim Deere does.

“It’s such a strange story,” Jim says. “I admit, people are saying ‘Bull!’ They’ve got a right to do that. I’m Irish and a BS’er myself, but this is for real. Since I work for the city of Pana, they won’t let me lie.”

Jim is Pana’s director for grants and development. This strange interlude sent him to the Internet to research double-yolked eggs.

As far as Jim has been able to determine, the world record for cracking eggs with double yolks appears to be 29 in a row. It happened in England only a few weeks ago. There must be something in the air. Are the hens being affected by sunspots?

After the 29-for-29 happened, the English papers did their own research. According to the British Egg Information Service, the chance of getting a double yolk is one in 1,000. So the odds of opening 29 “on the trot” as they say over there, “in a row” as we say in the Colonies, were calculated at one in 1,000 to the power of 29 — or one followed by 87 zeros.

But, then, this is the British media, and considering what they’ve been up to at some of the tabloids lately, take that as you will. At least it doesn’t appear they had to hack anyone’s cell phone to get those numbers.

I called the American Egg Board office in Park Ridge. Elisa Maloberti called me back. She wasn’t too impressed when I told her what happened in Pana.

“I’ve heard of it before,” she said. “I’ve been at the Egg Board for 20 years. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard of 12 out of 12.”

Geez, these egg people are hard to impress. Maybe what happened next will do it.

The Deeres bought their 12-for-12 double yolkers from Hometown Food Center in Pana on July 30. The store got its eggs, Grade A Jumbo, from the Good Earth Egg Co. in Bonne Terre, Mo.

Before breakfast last Sunday, the Deeres went back to the same store and bought another dozen eggs. First egg out of that carton? Double yolk. As was the second, as was the third. Here we go again.

That’s 15 double yolks in a row — halfway to breaking the unofficial world record.

You might wonder, as I did, why didn’t they just keep going and break the other nine in the second carton? Most people wouldn’t be able to stand the suspense. Is this going to be 24-for-24 or not?

“It’ll be this weekend before we have breakfast again,” Jim said. “We’re keeping a running count.”

But on Monday night, they got curious. Joni broke two more eggs. Both were double yolks. Then they stopped, prolonging the suspense.

”That makes the count now 17 in a row,” Jim said. “Now (Joni) is talking 30 to break the world’s record.”

I told Jim the next thing I anticipate is that a TV news crew will show up and broadcast the breaking of the rest of the eggs live from the Deeres’ kitchen.

I interviewed him just after he had gone home for lunch. Egg sandwich, I asked hopefully? Nope.

Darn. Double darn.

Well Vladders has been at it too!

Not on the same scale but a box of ten Tesco Barn eggs has over the last few days given up 7 double yolk eggs. I can't remember the last time that I had a single random one.

Call me cynical , but I are they pumping these hens with something that is causing this?

regards

Athens · Aug 12, 2011