A simple (visual) guide to eggs - take 2

(click image for larger viewing options on flickr)

This week I finally had a chance to work in some more of the great feedback I got on the egg infographic from earlier this year. Thanks again to all those who provided encouragement and constructive feedback. I know there's always room for improvement, but here's my humble attempt at V2. Once again, the standards and regulations referred to in this infographic are U.S. specific. If you'd like to learn more about eggs, the original egg infographic post has more explanation, background information, resources, and some great suggestions in the comments.

This version was also made to be print friendly, and at the request of some readers, I've put the infographic up on Zazzle here for print/poster purchases. Note that the product link defaults to the largest (and thus most expensive) size - be sure to check the print options on the right sidebar. Proceeds will go to charity.

A simple (visual) guide to eggs

>> Update on 3/30/11: Thanks again to all those who provided great feedback. An updated version of the infographic had been added below and you can read more about it here. The infographic is also available for print here.

When I got a question asking about the different labels on eggs and shortly thereafter had a brunch-time discussion about how to order eggs, I realized that it was time for another Culinaut infographic (check out the previous one on the dangers of cooking with teflon).

So here's my attempt at capturing egg basics in an infographic guide. For simplicity, I stuck to chicken eggs in their most common forms. The top of the graphic covers info relevant to buying eggs from a store, and the bottom has some of the basic egg cooking/ordering options. It's also worth noting that the sizes, grades, and farming methods here are based on US guidelines and differ in other countries.

What we're all having for Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! For obvious reasons, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I end up spending almost all day playing in the kitchen and then all night being gluttonous. This year I have much to be thankful for and I especially want to give thanks to all of you who have been reading this blog!

By now, it's too late to be shelling out recipes (plus there are plenty of folks out there who have done an amazing job of that already). It is pretty fun to get an idea of what's going on in everyone else's kitchen today though ...

Dangers of cooking with Teflon

(click image above for high-res infographic)

Nonstick pans are a huge convenience when it comes to cooking. You don't need to spend forever scrubbing your pans and you can get away with using a lot less oil when you cook. But for all the good, there's some potential dangers that every cook should be aware of when it comes to nonstick.

Nonstick pans are coated with the synthetic polymer polytetrafluoroethylene - better known as Teflon®. What you may not know is that Teflon can release toxic fumes when heated above certain temperatures. One of the gases, perflurooctanoic acid (PFOA) aka C-8, has been linked to cancer and birth defects in lab studies, and is suspected to be the culprit behind the birth defects found in children of DuPont (maker of Teflon) employees who were exposed to the substance.