What Does It Really Mean When Your Egg Has Double Yolks?
If you've ever cracked open an egg and found a double yolk, you've probably heard the myriad of superstitions that accompany it as an added bonus. Per How Stuff Works, a double yolk can really trigger the extremes. Two egg yolks out of a single egg can signify great luck and fortune are coming your way. Crack open that egg and find two of those yellow eyes staring back at you and it could mean that someone you know is pregnant with twins, but if you are someone who follows Norse legends, a double yolk is a harbinger that someone you know is going to pass away. There are many superstitions, but only one in 1,000 eggs actually contain a double yolk.
What does a double yolk egg really mean? According to Food and Wine, you might be disappointed to learn that a double yolk egg means you have a double yolk egg. No more, no less. But if you are a fan of the yolk, it also means you get double of that yellow center goodness in your scrambled eggs, omelets, or whatever way you like to enjoy your eggs. Why does the double yolk happen? It's actually pretty common.
Eggs can have multiple yolks or no yolks
Food and Wine shares that an egg with two yolks is simply the result of a hen whose ovaries are shooting out yolks without any real time in between one yolk to the next. Typically, the time between yolk releases is an hour, but it can sometimes shorten, causing the double yolk in one shell. Not to sound like an ageist, but this generally only happens with younger hens. How do you know if you've purchased a double yolk egg? Apparently, double yolkers tend to be bigger than normal eggs and are often packaged with super jumbo-sized eggs. There's even a brand called Sauder's who sells double yolkers as a specialty (via Sauder's).
Sauder's Eggs notes that there are also times you can find more than two yolks in an egg. As a matter of fact, nine yolks in a single eggshell is the current record. Conversely, you can also have eggs with no yolks. Yep, it's true. Per Atlas Obscura, no yolks tend to be smaller and are often called fart or fairy eggs. What happens if you crack open one of these babies? We recommend scrambling up some egg whites. But alas, eggs with two or more yolks or eggs with no yolks at all really don't have any magical or mysterious meanings. They just taste good when you cook them up.