How much does an egg weigh?

A large egg — the size stocked by default in most shops — weighs about 57 grams as it comes, shell and all. Cracked into a bowl it is closer to 51 grams, and that second number is the one a recipe means.

Egg sizes are set by weight rather than by eye: medium, large and extra large are graded categories, each with a minimum weight per dozen, and the grading is done with the shell on. The shell itself is only about a tenth of the total, so the gap between one size and the next shows up almost entirely in the white and yolk. That is why the two figures on this page differ. Put an egg on a kitchen scale and you get the first one; follow a recipe that says one large egg and you are being asked for the second.