How To Choose the Best Eggs

A few weeks ago my husband and I were whipping up some veggies and eggs for breakfast. We finished off one carton and started digging into the second, cracking the eggs into a bowl. What a stark contrast! Eggs from one carton had flattened into low, pale-yellow yolks with thin, runny whites. The eggs from the other carton looked “perkier.” The yolks had more height and were golden, almost orange. The whites looked thick, milky-white, and just more appealing.

I double-checked the dates on the cartons, and they were both fresh, organic, and free-range. I thought the eggs I had purchased were similar. So what made the difference? What DO all of those labels mean on an egg carton? Is it worth the extra two or three dollars to get the most expensive variety?