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A recipe I am indexing uses 3 whole eggs and 3 egg yolks.

If I take the notes on eggs literally, I should not list any eggs, as there are less than 4 whole eggs (or equivalent) and less than 4 yolks. But this seems very illogical for two reasons:

• If there were no whole eggs in this recipe, I would have to list the egg yolks. The egg yolks are not listed because there are whole eggs, and then the whole eggs are not listed because there are too little of them.


• If I want to make this recipe, I need 6 eggs. This does seem like a lot not to list.

So, could you clarify? What should I do?

We'll have to see what the EYB indexing gurus say.  But here's another hopefully helpful hint on eggs:

For the longest time I couldn't find an ingredient item for hard boiled eggs, so I just listed them as eggs.  It turns out there is a hard boiled egg ingredient, but it's hyphenated!  So when you're listing ingredients and type as much as hard- the listing will show up!  If you leave the hypen out the ingredient never shows up!  

Since this recipe requires 6 eggs, I'd list them.  

After re-reading all of the notes on indexing eggs (there are a lot of them), I would think that in this scenario you should list eggs as the indexed ingredient.  

Where did you find the notes on indexing eggs?  In the Store-Cupboard Ingredients section on eggs there is a reference to some other notes, that are supposed appear somewhere below the reference, but I can't find them.

Under the heading ingredients there is a list of bullet points, one of them is 'notes on eggs'. Click on that and you will find extensive information on how to list eggs. It takes a while to get your head around it but should help with decision making on how to list eggs!

Here is where the Notes on eggs are in the Indexing manual. Be sure to click on the "See more information on eggs" link to get the full set of instructions. It does take a few reads to get your head around.

#7, #8: I wrote this post because (IMHO) the notes on eggs as given have illogical consequences, such as not listing any eggs or yolks in this recipe, whereas with three eggs less I would have to list the yolks. Not because I couldn't find them.

I wrote: If I take the notes on eggs literally. What other notes on eggs could I possibly refer to?

wester. my link to the notes on eggs was not directed at your question, which I thought had been well-answered already.

To answer your specific question, I would apply the guidelines regarding mixtures of whole eggs and egg whites or yolks. Since you've got 6 whole egg equivalents, but neither the whole eggs nor the yolks individually are more than the 4 egg threshold, I'd index it as "eggs."

Then you have a different idea of a whole egg equivalent than I do.

For me, the only thing that is equivalent to a whole egg is a yolk and a white. As the recipe only uses the whites of the 3 whole eggs, I don't have 4 egg whites in the recipe, and therefore no 4 whole egg equivalents.

Thanks for posting the link.  I had clicked on the link for the Store-cupboard Ingredients List and it seems that link just brings up the cupboard list without the later text.

We're taking a look at the Notes on Eggs section of the online manual to see how we can clarify these guidelines, which can be a bit tricky when there are both whole eggs and yolks/whites called for in a recipe.  As to wester's specific question about the recipe requiring 3 whole eggs and 3 yolks, robm and schambers are correct in stating that 'eggs' should be listed since there are 6 eggs needed.  The confusion seems to be caused by the term "whole-egg equivalents," which we intended to mean the number of whole eggs the cook would have to crack in order to yield the amount of eggs, yolks, and whites called for in a recipe.  Any suggestions on how to simplify this eggy mess?

Of course I have suggestions :-)

Try to make it one rule, in stages. A suggestion:

• Do you use only yolks? Then list egg yolks. Else, go on to the next question.


• Do you use only whites? Then list egg whites. Else, go on to the next question.


• Say you have only whole eggs in your fridge. How many do you need to crack? If 4 or more, then go on to the next question. Else, list nothing.


• How many are only used half? If 4 or more, then list the half used (yolks or whites) and go on to the next question. Else, only list eggs.


• How many are used whole? If 4 or more, then list eggs as well.

I think this should give the same results as the rule used now.

I just noticed that at the moment a recipe with 1 whole egg and 4 yolks would be ambiguous under the current rules, as it is both 

1. less than 4 whole eggs but 4 or more “whole-egg equivalents", so list eggs;


2. less than 4 whole eggs but 4 or more whites and/or yolks above the # of whole eggs, so list egg yolks.

The rule as given above would amount to choice #2.

Really, people...how fussy can you get about eggs (angels dancing on the head of a pin)?   Eggs can usually be purchased in only a couple of structured volumes...12 eggs, or possibly 6 eggs.  Is this ingredient rangling for the shopping list?  If you have "some" eggs, you may need to buy more for a specific, like lemon curd (both whole eggs and yolks).  If one has doubts, wouldn't one at least check one's own *recipe*, in the book that one owns, rather than just going by the indexed ingredients? 

I use the ingredients list to check if I have all the stuff.  THEN, I go to my book (which is why EYB has just lists of things, and not the actual recipes) and make sure I don't need more eggs [having just checked and seeing that I only have 4 whole eggs in the fridge]. 

Common sense may be victim of over-zealous member indexers.  Please don't scare off other volunteers from attempting indexing by arguing to death how many eggs....well, dance on the head of a pin.