from 100-percent free-roaming, pasture-raised chickens All of the eggs were served scrambled The results? Indeed the pastured eggs and omega-3–enriched eggs fared better than the standard supermarket eggs But I also noticed another correlation: the color of the eggs varied quite a bit, with the pastured eggs on the more intensely orange end of the spectrum And the more omega-3s the eggs contained, the deeper orange the yolk The plain organic eggs and standard factory eggs were the palest of the lot This difference in pigmentation can be attributed to the varying diets of the chickens Pastured hens eat bugs and flowers, both of which contribute color to yolks Chickens bred for eggs with high omega-3 acids are fed with a diet enriched with flaxseeds and sea kelp, which contribute color Chickens that lay these more expensive eggs are also sometimes fed pigmented supplements, like marigold leaves, that make their yolks nice and bright Could it be that the flavor differences tasters were reporting had more to with their reaction to the color than to the actual flavor of the egg? These eggs were dyed green in order to figure out just how big a role color plays in our perception of flavor Hint: it’s a lot In order to eliminate color as a variable, I cooked up the same kinds of eggs, this time dying them green with some food coloring When I re-administered the tasting with green eggs, there was absolutely no correlation between flavor and provenance People liked the regular supermarket eggs just as much as the eggs that had come straight from the pasture Want to see the same effect for yourself? Take a look at these two (identical save for some Photoshop color tinkering) pans of eggs and tell me which one you’d rather eat: ... this time dying them green with some food coloring When I re-administered the tasting with green eggs, there was absolutely no correlation between flavor and provenance People liked the regular supermarket eggs... People liked the regular supermarket eggs just as much as the eggs that had come straight from the pasture Want to see the same effect for yourself? Take a look at these two (identical save for some Photoshop color...These eggs were dyed green in order to figure out just how big a role color plays in our perception of flavor Hint: it’s a lot In order to eliminate color as a variable, I cooked up the same