Equivalents for Eggs

Being perishable is the property of every animal product like raw meat, poultry, and fish, and so eggs too are similar in this case. When you eat such perishable foods after a certain time limit, you tend to unknowingly consume bacteria which are harbored in them, which further leads to severe food-borne illnesses and poisoning.

Thus, if you want to eat eggs, they should be handled, refrigerated, and cooked well before consumption. But many a time, certain food products and dishes require egg as an ingredient. At times, some dishes need to be stored for a longer period of time.

This is when you can use egg substitutes which are nothing but alternatives used in place of eggs. These particular ingredients have all the components of an egg and are non perishable, thus making storage convenient. Read on to know more about these alternatives.

If you think that egg substitute is a replacement for eggs, it is not so. The substitute mainly contains only the egg white, not the yolk of the eggs. It is prepared in many ways like freezing, powdering, and also processing it at times.

These equivalents are the best alternatives if you want to reduce on the fat and cholesterol intake in your daily breakfast. Let's take a look at what are the various ingredients present in this egg substitute which can be used just as eggs are used in your daily dishes without the fats present in them.

The substitute of various brands contain:

• 99% egg whites
• 1% undefined natural flavor
• Coloring agent
• Spices
• Salt
• Onion powder
• Xanthan gum
• Guar gum

(varying amounts of iron, zinc, folate, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamins A, E, B6, B12, and equivalent amount of protein as whole eggs)

There are many ingredients which can also be used as complete replacements for egg, if you are allergic to them. Here are some more alternatives for the same.

• 1 egg = 2 tbsp. potato starch
• 1 egg = ¼ cup mashed potatoes
• 1 egg = ¼ cup canned pumpkin or squash

• 1 egg = 2 tbsp. water + 1 tbsp oil + 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg = ¼ cup puréed prunes
• 1 egg = 1 tbsp. ground flax seeds simmered in 3 tbsp. water
• 1 egg white = 1 tbsp. plain agar powder dissolved in 1 tbsp. water, whipped, chilled, and whipped again.

Many a time, if you don't wish to buy these equivalents belonging to commercial brands, you can simply make them at home as well. All you have to do is add all the earlier mentioned ingredients in the right quantity. For your convenience, we have mentioned a short method of making homemade egg substitute in the next section.

Ingredients:

• 4 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons instant nonfat dry milk powder
• 3 drops yellow food coloring (optional)

Directions:
Simply combine all these ingredients in a small bowl and use it just like you would use eggs. You can prepare any dish you want by using this substitute. It can also be refrigerated for a certain period of time.

There is a proper conversion of this egg substitute, as it includes how much nutrition would a particular amount of it give, when compared to an egg. This conversion is as follows:

1 egg = ¼ cup egg substitute
2 eggs = ½ cup egg substitute
4 eggs = 1 cup egg substitute
8 eggs = 1 pint carton egg substitute

Thus, with the information mentioned earlier, you can get the nutrition of eggs without actually bothering about the calories. So stay healthy with these egg alternative equivalents and these are the best options if you are a vegetarian too.