battle of the eggs : chicken eggs vs. duck eggs

have you ever wondered the differences between chicken eggs and duck eggs? it never occurred to you? well, i'm sure you would like to know now that i've brought the subject up. theres a lot we can actually learn from the dissimilarity of these eggs. 

first, obviously we all can tell the difference by the size of the eggs. chicken eggs are smaller than duck eggs. by comparison, a large *and sometimes extra large* chicken eggs is the normal size of duck eggs. but this is also debatable since ducks are varied in types and sizes too. 

next, it's the colors. where duck eggs usually are off-white in color, chicken eggs have more variation. normally they're brownish or white. but don't be surprise if the eggs are blue or even green! *i haven't seen chicken eggs with blue or green in color here in malaysia...*  the variation also due to the many breeds of chicken, the size of chicken and not to forget what the chicken eats. 

for the flavor, it is hard to describe. the eggs do taste slightly different from each other. the whites of duck eggs is thicker than chicken eggs when thoroughly cook. and i don't know how to explain the texture but the egg whites also feels more chewy?! hahaha...okay, so now i'm confusing myself. while for the yolks, of course  the duck eggs has bigger yolks than chicken eggs. and i think that duck egg yolk taste richer than chicken egg yolk.

i've also learnt that duck eggs are higher in cholesterol compared to chicken eggs. but personally, i do not agree since duck eggs are not commercially produce like chicken eggs. what i meant here is, while duck eggs usually came from free-range and hard to come by, chicken eggs laid by hens in confined cage and sole purposely fed with hormones to produce more eggs. *that explains the cartons of eggs in supermarket* when i think about it, free-range vs. confined cage...it's just about the same in the cholesterol part at least.

and last but not least, it was said that duck eggs give better and more stable result in baking due to the high fat content compared to chicken eggs*now that's a rejoice!  ^_^* but i have not try this yet *duck eggs are pricier than chicken eggs. and i do bake a lot...urgh...still, knowing about this...i have to try it at other times.* 

now, aren't you glad you know the differences?  i know i am  ;-)