Egg yolks
Egg yolks are the yellow or orange part of the egg. They contain lots of vitamins and minerals.
Egg Yolks are the round, yellow or orange middle of an egg. Despite popular belief, the colour of an egg yolk doesn’t indicate its quality, the colour of the yolk reflects the diet of the chicken that laid it. Yolks have a much more intense flavour than egg whites and are used in recipes such as mayonnaise and custard.
A greenish ring around the yolk of a hard boiled egg is a result of the sulfur and iron in the egg. The greenish colour may occur when the egg is overcooked or when the cooking water contains high levels of iron. This discolouration is in no way dangerous and the eggs are safe to eat.
Egg yolks nutrition
Egg yolks contain higher levels of protein and fat than egg whites. Yolks are high in many vitamins, essential fatty acids and nutrients, but remember the leaves may vary slightly between eggs. Yolks contain nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium. Iron, magnesium and zinc can also be found in egg yolks. Egg yolks are rich in vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B-6 and cobalamin. They also contain some levels of calcium and iron.
Each egg yolk contains about 186mg of cholesterol. In the past consuming cholesterol was thought to impact negatively on the cholesterol levels of your blood. We now know the cause of high cholesterol are trans fats and added sugars, not dietary cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol is actually needed by the body as it produces testosterone, which helps increase energy levels.
There are about 322 calories per 100 grams of egg yolks, about 55 in a single yolk.
The bottom line is that eggs and egg yolks are rich in vitamins and minerals and can be very good for you as part of a balanced diet!
Uses for leftover egg yolks
There are a lot of recipes that require just the egg whites so what can you do with the leftover egg yolks? Thankfully yolks have many uses so they won’t go to waste!
- They can be added into carbonara along with a few whole eggs to increase the flavour and give the dish a great vibrant colour.
- Yolks are the main ingredient in hollandaise sauce. It is great on eggs benedict or grilled asparagus.
- Lemon curd can be made with only egg yolks (They make the colour is even more intense than usual)
- If you have enough of them you can even use them to make ice cream!
