Decide which kinds of eggs you need. Most people buy chicken eggs, but there are other kinds of eggs available at stores and markets that may better suit your needs: Turkey eggs are very similar in nutrition and flavor to chicken eggs, but larger. Since these eggs are difficult to produce on a commercial scale, they are usually not available. Duck eggs - These eggs have more protein in the whites and fat in the yolks than chicken eggs so substituting them for chicken eggs in certain recipes is not recommended unless you can adjust accordingly. Goose eggs - These have more fat content than chicken eggs, so they can make for richer dishes, but they're not good for frying. Ostrich eggs - These massive eggs are usually opened carefully with a hammer. When scrambled, the texture is lighter and fluffier than that of a chicken egg and it has a milder, faintly sweeter taste. Quail eggs - They taste pretty much just like chicken eggs, but their small size can make for unique presentation. They are also hard to open without breaking the yolk. Sometimes they are eaten raw in sushi.
Become familiar with how eggs are graded in your area. Most countries have grading systems for chicken eggs, usually based on weight. See the section below for information from various localities showing the different standards used by consumers to purchase eggs.
Look further into the standards for "premium" eggs. Organic eggs generally come from chickens that are fed organic feed (little or no pesticide and herbicide use, non-GMO) and are not given antibiotics unless necessary to control infection. They are given access to the outdoors for at least some part of the year, although that does not mean they actually go outdoors. "Free range" and "cage free" are terms not regulated in the US, which means anyone can label any egg "free range" no matter how the chickens were raised. The best way to determine how the hens are raised is to purchase your eggs from a farmer whose farm you can visit to see for yourself.
If you will be consuming the egg raw, look for pasteurized eggs. This will help you avoid food poisoning in raw cookie dough, homemade mayonnaise, eggnog or any dish that has uncooked or lightly cooked eggs.
Look for the expiration date and date code (Julian date) to determine freshness. The Julian date (JD) is a 3-digit number that corresponds to the calendar day, out of 365, that the eggs were packaged. If you want fresh eggs, try to find a JD that is as close as possible to the current day.
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