They’re two ingredients: eggs that look almost identical. The large eggs on the left is from Rhode Island Reds. On the right are speckled little eggs laid by a Serama bantam hen. See what you’ve got? Breakfast in each.
To the watchful eye of a baker, the differences are structural. For cooking with care, it matter that you know the peewee egg size chart. Most home cooks assume any egg can be used as a substitute, but that changes when you’re making soufflés and other light, structured dishes like delicate custards. Volume alone won’t cut it.
Why Peewee Eggs Are Special
These are comparative sizes of peewee, small, medium, large and jumbo eggs. Here’s what those look like compared to one another in the visual guide. You can see why using peewee eggs (less than 1.25 ounce/dozen) would be much lighter then large eggs (which most recipes call for), especially if you’re measuring out a cake.
Until that point, it doesn’t seem like such a big deal. The progression go from jumbo down to peewee. From the chart, the lesson isn’t that peewees are a specific size; rather it’s the consistency within each category. When we read a recipe calling for a large egg, we know what to expect: consistent size and amount of protein as established by USDA standards. With peewees, we don’t. We has to think differently about cooking with them.
And where do you find them? Not many conventional grocery stores. Specialty markets. You can also find them from backyard flock owners who tends to raise bantam breeds, such as Dutch Bantams or Silkies. Those chickens lay distinctive eggs with their own set of rules.
With the peewee eggs, you’re taking advantage of their particular characteristics. Because they have a higher yolk-to-white ratio than larger eggs, peewee eggs impart a richer color and creamier texture to dishes like custards and flans. “That means they impart creaminess and richness to things like flans and custards.” That’s something many cooks misjudge when they switch between egg sizes without considering what changes: “You’re putting more yolk compared to the white.”
Peewee eggs take less time to cook through if boiled. Their whites don’t overcook as much. Soft-boiled peewees require just four or five minutes, resulting in a jammy-yolk center that makes for the perfect dipper for salty broth. And it also works as a nice salad topping.
Those infographics show us how small the eggs are. They are about 48 millimeters long. That’s the size that fits snugly into little mason jars (a great way to pickle them, with no waste).
When you’re baking, substituting peewee eggs for larger eggs require precision. Thinking that two small eggs equal one large egg won’t work. There are small differences in shell weight and moisture content. The best way is to weigh your cracked eggs. Keep cracking them into the bowl until they adds up to the same amount as a regular-sized large egg. That’s roughly 50 grams. You won’t have to guess anymore, and you won’t end up with failed cakes. You will no longer have runny custard. Yes, it will take more time but not enough to prevent ruining a batch.
When using the peewees in savory applications, such as scrambled eggs, just double- or triple-up on the number of peewee per serving. You get all the great flavor, but with slightly smaller servings. Instead, you can enjoy these little gems for what they are. They are the handiwork of a young pullet perfecting her laying system (or from a dedicated bantam breed).
Every egg bears a tale about the hen that produced it. Accepting the small size of your eggs requires accepting different practices, and different expectations, for them. Perhaps you purchase them as something unusual to eat: they are nutritious and delicious but definitely small.
Deviling your first peewee egg will be more gratifying then you imagined. You should of tried them sooner! Good things really do come in small packages.