Are egg whites generally available at the store?

Question

Can you buy egg whites at the store, or must I take the yolk out my own? I assume if so they would be sold in some sort of carton.

My plan is to just use them for scrambled egg whites in the morning. It just helps speed up the process this way for work days.

Answer 1

Many stores sell egg whites. Organic Valley Liquid Egg Whites as an example.

They can be both pasteurized (useful if you want to use the whites in a non-cooked application) and non-pasteurized.

In my US grocery stores, I find egg whites in the refrigerated section, near the eggs in cardboard cartons, similar to those that cream comes in.

Depending on your application, beware of egg substitutes; these aren't quite the same thing.

Answer 2

Depending on your application, you may also (in addition to @hobodave's answer) be able to buy just powdered egg whites in your baking section. These have a longer shelf life than the liquid form and are suitable for some baking applications.

Answer 3

Yes.

This is probably a question better asked of an employee of the grocery store(s) you frequent. They should be found in the refrigerated section of the store that contains whole eggs.

Eggology is a brand that can be found in the USA. I've used it before for making omelets and mixing into cocktails.

Besides convenience, an added benefit of buying egg whites is storage lifetime. Egg whites sold in bulk should be pasteurized which can extend their storage life up to four months after opening. Compared to the two to four days that raw egg whites can last, this is quite significant.

I do not use them for baking since I find that the aggressive pasteurization denatures the proteins some. This can subtly affect the rise and stability of some baked goods.