photo: Premium Eggs (Source: The Straits Times)
Premium eggs from Japan have entered the Singapore market with a price tag of just over S$2.00 compared to eggs from Singapore and Malaysia, costing about S$0.14 cents each.
But are premium eggs better?
The Sunday Times (ST) conducted a blind taste test to determine if Japanese eggs, with their distinctive orange yolks and flavor are worth the price, compared with local ones.
The jury comprised ST food editor Tan Hsueh Yun and senior food correspondent Wong Ah Yoke. Nobuyasu Sato, Director of Japanese restaurant group, Keisuke Singapore served as guest judge. The eggs were assessed for taste and texture, with each judge awarding a maximum of 10 points per category.
Nine brands including three from local producers were shortlisted for the tasting. Two of the Japanese eggs came from egg producer Sanei Keiran, while the other four were from Japanese food importer kokonoE. Keisuke Singapore, with a chain of 20 eateries across Singapore presented the final “surprise eggs.” Keisuke uses eggs produced in Singapore by Tamago-Ya, sister company of local egg producer N&N Agriculture.
The eggs were cooked sous vide for one hour and 15 minutes over a temperature range from 26 C to 64 C.
The judges were very impressed with the Tamago-Ya eggs from Japanese discount chain Don Don Donki, compared to the Japanese imports. It ranked No. 2 in the taste test against the pricier Japanese eggs, which goes to show – locally produced eggs are just as good as premium eggs from Japan!