Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Works For Me Wednesday - Unbelievably Cheap Eggs




So I was reading back through my frugal bible, The Tightwad Gazette, (see sidebar to get one for yourself, you won’t regret it) and I came across an egg substitute in baking that will save TONS of money. It said you can use 1 heaping tablespoon of soy flour to 1 tablespoon of water to replace an egg in all your baking.

I tried it and it works!

No kidding and no cholesterol.

I used it in muffins, a chocolate cake, pancakes, and bread in my bread machine and you couldn’t even tell the difference.

And the best part is….

I found soy flour in the bulk bins for 99 cents a pound. It took ½ an ounce to make an “egg”. I figured there are 16 ounces in a pound so 99 cents divided by 16 equals 6 cents per ounce. And using only ½ an ounce brought it down to 3 cents per “egg”. That would be like paying 36 cents for a dozen eggs.

Hello!

I’m paying double that at Win-co. So now I’m going to use this method for all my baking and save the fresh eggs for breakfasts.

For more Works For Me Wednesday ideas go see the lists at Rocks In My Dryer.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've been using 1-2 TBSP of cornstarch to replace an egg when I run out. I don't buy eggs like I used to because they are almost $3/dozen here. I heard applesauce could replace them too. I use applesauce to replace the oil in cakes and cookies with better results. Now if I could only find a healthier replacement for chocolate!!!

BKicklighter said...

can you email me and let me know where you have "bulk bins"? j dot bkicklighter at sbcgobal dot net.
Thanks

Unknown said...

That is a very interesting tip. I may have to try that next time I bake!

Miriam said...

You're kidding! I don't go through LOTS of eggs, being just the 2 of us, but if I could use something cheaper that works just as well... I'm all for it!! Thanks for the tip! I shall hunt down some soy flour - and hope it's just as cheap as yours. I doubt it, but I will get an E for effort, at least!!!

Amy said...

This is a great tip - thanks for sharing. I am definitely going to have to try this.

Anna @ Feminine Adventures said...

Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely have to give it a try (if I can find soy flour around here). I tried an oil substitute I read about somewhere, but with disastrous results and my husband strictly forbade me to try it again. :)

Couldn't agree more Jennifer-- though I figure that if dark chocolate is full of anti-oxidants, I just need to eat twice as much milk chocolate, right? :)

Stacey said...

Another great and healthy replacement for egg is ground flax. The proportions are the same as the soy flour. If a recipe calls for 2 eggs I generally replace at least one with the flax. I'm not sure about the finacial breakdown of it though. I'm certain it isn't as great as the soy flour, so I may give that a try!

Becky @ BoysRuleMyLife said...

I used 1/4 cup applesauce for an egg in my baking. I haven't figured out the price comparison yet, but I really should! I have soy flour on hand already, too. Hmmm.... maybe I'll do some baking today! :)

Cathy said...

Three cents an egg should only be 36 cents for a dozen, shouldn't it? I've read your paragraph explaining the cost and I'm a little confused, so I could be wrong... Either way, it's tons cheaper than real eggs.

I ahve a question though - do you mix the water and soy flour together and then add to the recipe? And if not, do you add to the wet ingredients or to the dry? I'm thinking when you make cookies and you cream the sugars and butter and then usually add the eggs... would you just dump the soy flour and water into that, or would you add the water to the wet stuff and the soy flour to the other dry stuff? Help!

Love this idea, I just want to do it right... =)

Kaye said...

Wow...I'm emailing this to myself because I've NEVER heard this and it sounds awesome! Thanks for the tip!

Jenny's Vegcafe said...

I've tried this before and it does work. I just keep forgetting where I put my baggie of soy flour. I should put it in a tupperware container next to my tins of flour.

Sarah said...

Seriously?!

Anonymous said...

Being a fan of soy I will certainly enjoy modifying my recipes to add this little delight. And the fiancee won't notice at all which is even better!

Audra Krell said...

This is a great tip! I am highly allergic to soy, so I have really enjoyed reading all the comments talking about other substitutes as well.

me said...

Whoa. Serious thanks here! Gas, food and housing through the 'roof'. This is a lifesaver!

Lisa@BlessedwithGrace said...

That is great.

Cori said...

Wow, who would have thought?!? I'm definitely going to have to try this.

I love reading your blog!

jody said...

The only thing i would caution is that the uncooked batter tastes GROSS with the soy flour--but don't be fooled, the finished product does NOT taste gross at all-it is the weird magic of baking. But it totally works and you don't have to worry about spoiled eggs if you don't use them often, etc-just be prepared for the batter to have a bean sprout taste, which is pretty icky with brownies :) (not that I've ever experienced that or anything....)

The Domestic Goddess said...

I can't tell you guys how you saved my morning. I was all set to make Baked Oatmeal and then realized I had no eggs. Thanks for the substitutions!

Miriam said...

I just made Apple Pie Muffin's using the soy flour/water egg replacement. I mixed the flour and water together... I'm wondering if that was the right thing to do as it was a pastey blob that didn't mix into the rest of the ingredients very well. Are you supposed to mix it together, or add the water with the wet ingredients, and the flour with the dry ingredients? THe muffins are in the oven now, so we'll see how they turn out :)

Gayle said...

I don't premix it. I just throw it in all together or put the flour in with the dry ingredients and the extra water in with the wet.

Miriam said...

Thanks, Gayle. I will do that in future recipes. And the muffins seem to have turned out great! I had one after they cooled a bit, and they are VERY good. Of course this is the first time I've made them, so I wouldn't know what they taste like without soy flour :)

Paula said...

oh my goodness! Where do you live??
"That would be like paying 36 cents for a dozen eggs...
Hello!
I’m paying double that at Win-co"

I would be thrilled to get eggs for 72 cents a dozen!
(I'm in NY...)

Great tip on the soy substitues and also will try the flax and applesauce too. These are great healthy tips - not just for money reasons.

Great blog btw - I just subsribed to my yahoo homepage and look forward to learning from all of you :) ~paula

solitaire said...

Dang it! I have a thyroid disease and soy isn't good for the thyroid. My daughter refuses to eat egg yolks. She knows what they are : ) We made baked ziti last night and she did NOT want to put the egg in. I doubt if I could substitute applesauce in baked ziti!

solitaire said...

also...regarding the tightwad gazette newsletter...is it no longer available? does anyone know?

Gidget Girl Reading said...

great ip i use Flaxseed in place of eggs or oil in baking is more expesive then the flour but has added health benefits!

Janine said...

Great tip! For my birthday this year, my husband took my girls to an Amish store in Va. where you can buy in bulk, and he let them pick out anything they wanted for me. My oldest daughter picked out soy flour. I'll try this in my banana muffins this weekend! Thanks!