In the Kitchen with Sidra: Eggs, Explained

No matter how you like 'em—scrambled, poached or hard-boiled—eggs actually are all they're cracked up to be. The whites are loaded with protein, which is more satiating than either fat or carbs, and the yolk contains powerful antioxidants. If you're worried about the cholesterol in the yolk, you probably shouldn't be. Research shows that saturated fat is more of a concern than dietary cholesterol when it comes to raising blood cholesterol levels. (If you happen to be someone who's sensitive to dietary cholesterol, you could always stick with egg whites. And even if you're not cholesterol-sensitive, there's a case to be made for using egg whites or liquid eggs if you're watching your weight, as explained below.)

But decoding labels and deciding which dozen to grab can be pretty confusing. If you have the opportunity, buy from a local farmer; you can easily find out how the chickens are raised and what they're fed in this case. If you're buying from a grocery store, you can use the egg guide below to make the healthiest choice:

Color. The color of the eggshell, which is determined by the type of chicken that laid it as well as the chicken's diet, has nothing to do with its nutritional value. (It's not like white bread versus whole wheat bread.) In fact, one of the farmers that I buy eggs from has Araucana chickens, a breed that produces blue eggs!  

Grade. There are two choices when it comes to grade: A and AA. This info basically tells you how fresh an egg is. Freshness is measured by the amount of air between the egg and the shell; AA has less air, so it's considered fresher. In general, fresher eggs are slightly more flavorful. Two things to keep in mind about the grade: The fresher the egg, the easier it is to separate the white from the yolks. However, if you're hard-boiling an egg, it's easier to remove the shell if the egg is a little older and has more air in it. I've tried to make hard boiled eggs with extremely fresh eggs from the farmers market—it's nearly impossible to peel them neatly.

Organic. This label guarantees that the chicken has some access to the outside and that their feed is generally antibiotic free. They're more expensive than other types of eggs but both the flavor and nutrition are superior. Note: Any carton that does not specify  probably contains conventional eggs. These eggs are the least expensive, but the chickens that lay them are usually kept in overcrowded cages and as a result are unhealthy and are often given antibiotics.

Free-Range and Cage-Free. This label guarantees that the chicken is outside for at least some of the time—the amount varies greatly from producer to producer. This distinction has nothing to do with what the chickens are fed. Organic eggs are free-range and cage-free but the opposite isn't necessarily true—free-range or cage-free eggs may not have been treated by organic standards unless specified on the label.

Liquid Eggs. These products are primarily egg whites. Best Life approved AllWhites, for instance, look like regular egg whites and come in a handy container. Better'n Eggs are also egg whites that bear the Best Life seal, but they're actually closer in color to a whole egg that has been scrambled; that's because they contain added nutrients found in yolks as well as natural beta carotene. The benefit of using egg whites is that they're low in calories, and are fat-free and cholesterol-free. Liquid egg whites do one better: Because they come in small milk-like containers, they're very easy to use—no cracking, no spills, no mess. There's a slight difference in taste between liquid eggs and whole eggs, although you can generally use liquid eggs in most recipes that call for whole eggs. The one exception for liquid egg whites is that you cannot whip them into a stiff peak because they're heated during the pasteurization process.