Shaped, ready-to-cook or ready-to-eat egg product having low amounts of binder additive

A method of preparing raw shaped, ready-to-cook egg products comprising,

• a) providing a liquid egg composition comprising from about 60 wt % to 100 wt % of liquid egg based on the total weight of the liquid egg composition, wherein the liquid egg composition is flowable at 35° F.;
• b) providing solid food inclusions, wherein at least 50% of the solid food inclusions have a longest dimension size of from 0.6 to 12 cm;
• c) mixing the liquid egg composition with the solid food inclusions to provide an extrudable egg-based matrix having a total egg content of from about 15 wt % to 90 wt % based on the total extrudable egg-based matrix, and comprising from 30 wt % to 90 wt % of the solid food inclusions;
• d) forming the extrudable egg-based matrix into a raw shaped, ready-to-cook egg product having a predetermined shape that is self-supporting;
• and
• e) cooling at least one of:
• (i) the liquid egg composition and the solid food inclusions during the mixing step of (c);
• and (ii) the extrudable egg-based matrix during the forming step of (d), wherein during the forming step (d) the extrudable egg-based matrix is at a temperature of from 16° F. to 34° F.;
• wherein the extrudable egg-based matrix additionally comprises a binder additive selected from the group consisting of starches, hydrocolloids, gums, soy bulking agents, and mixtures thereof, wherein the binder additive is present in an amount effective so that the raw shaped, ready-to-cook egg product is self-supporting for at least two minutes at an ambient temperature of 40° F.