Eggs are a valuable food product that is used in every family. They are eaten as an independent dish or used as an additional ingredient in various recipes - soups, pastries, meatballs. They buy them in dozens and spend them gradually as needed. However, there are times when the expiration date is called into question. How to determine the freshness of eggs at home?
The freshness of a chicken egg depends on the production time and storage conditions.
Eggs can be divided into several types.
- Dietary - the freshest, the shelf life of which at low temperatures does not exceed 7 days.
- Canteens - 25 days at room temperature and 90 in the refrigerator.
Boiled chicken eggs can be refrigerated for up to 14 days if they are hard boiled. And if soft-boiled, then no more than two days. Cracked and peeled - no more than three days, and broken raw - only two days.
Easter, dyed in natural dyes (onion peel, vegetable juices), are stored for no more than two weeks. If dyed with artificial dyes, then the shelf life increases by another one or two days. A colorful thermal film that does not allow air to pass through greatly reduces freshness, such eggs should be eaten within the next three days.
And if you keep chickens, you can safely store fresh eggs for up to 3 months, in the refrigerator, of course. When buying homemade eggs on the market, even from a trusted seller, do not store them for a long time, make an amendment that they have been collected for more than one day for sale.
Most people keep their eggs in the refrigerator, there is a special shelf for them on any door. But it turns out that they are not recommended to be stored in this way, because the refrigerator is often opened and closed, so the products on the door are subject to temperature changes, which does not affect their freshness in the best way. But the vegetable compartment is best suited for eggs - these are closed containers with a constant temperature. The optimal mode is from +2 to +4 degrees.
Before putting the eggs in the refrigerator, they should not be washed - the shelf life will decrease to 12 days, because the protective film is washed off, the pores open, and the penetration of bacteria inside increases.
The shell has a porous structure and easily absorbs odors, so put the eggs in a closed container with a sharp nose down, then the yolks will be located in the center, and nothing will interfere with the supply of oxygen to the contents. Try not to let the eggs touch each other.
Many housewives keep eggs out of the refrigerator in the old fashioned way, for example, in enamel pans. This method of storage is possible if the temperature does not exceed 20 degrees. Eggs stay fresh for up to three weeks. It is recommended to wrap each in any paper and lay it with the sharp end down.
Salt is an excellent preservative. Dissolve salt in water at the rate of 1 tablespoon per liter of water, dip the eggs there and place in a cool, dark place. Eggs can be stored this way for up to one month.
How to know if eggs are fresh
Determining the freshness of an egg at home is quite simple. If you suspect that an egg is stale, try a few proven methods.
If the eggs are of industrial production, that is, they were laid down by chickens at a poultry farm, then each of them is stamped with the exact date of manufacture. This is very convenient, because you can always check how fresh the egg is.
Diet eggs are marked in red, table eggs are stamped in blue with the obligatory indication of the category:
- higher (CB) - large, reach 75 g;
- selective (CO) - quite large, 65-74.9 g;
- the first (C1) - from 55 g;
- the second (C2) - from 45 g;
- the third (C3) - from 35g.
Be sure to check the date of manufacture when buying and give preference to poultry farms in your region.
into the light
There is a special ovoscope device, by the way, it is easy to make it with your own hands in just 5 minutes. It shines through the eggs and determines their freshness. If the yolk is in the center, then the product is good for consumption. The presence of dark areas near the protein means that the testicles have lain for a week or two, but they can be eaten without problems. And stale eggs do not shine through at all.
Since you most likely do not have a device, then bring the egg to a light source with a power of at least 100 W and take a good look at it through the light. The following factors indicate stale eggs:
- an air gap of more than 9 mm between the shell and the protective film;
- blood ring or large clots (pinpoint blood inclusions are allowed).
If you have an ultraviolet lamp, then a fresh egg will show a bright red color, and a spoiled egg will show a pale purple or gray color.
One of the most popular home methods is to determine the freshness of eggs in water. This method was also used by our great-great-grandmothers, who did not have a refrigerator and were not familiar with GOST for storing eggs.
Immerse the testicle in a glass of cold water and watch the result:
- lies at the bottom on its side - the freshest, recently demolished;
- at an angle: a sharp nose at the bottom, a blunt one surfaced - a week-old egg;
- stands in the middle of the glass with a blunt tip up - the egg is two to three weeks old;
- floats on the surface - rotten.
Eggshells are porous and breathable. The moisture inside evaporates over time, leaving air, which raises the testicle up. The older the egg, the higher it will rise in a glass of water.
visual inspection
Start the inspection with the appearance of the shell, it should be rough and matte. Stale eggs have a characteristic sheen and gloss. The presence of cracks and chips is not allowed, only if you yourself did not save the egg on the way home.
Fresh eggs smell like lime, if there is a smell of hydrogen sulfide, the egg is rotten.
Shake the egg. Fresh will not make sounds, and spoiled content can gurgle.
Crack an egg onto a plate. Protein may have a greenish or yellowish tint due to carbon dioxide, which gives color. If the yolk is round and convex, and the protein holds its shape, then everything is in order. If the yolk is loose or flattened, the protein is transparent and does not separate from it, then the product is edible, but the expiration date is already running out. Sometimes there are pinpoint blood blotches in a broken egg - this is normal and not scary. If you are uncomfortable, remove the clot.
Perhaps you noticed protein flagella along the edges of the yolk? They are designed to hold it in the middle of the egg so that the embryo is in the warmest place. The presence of these flagella indicates freshness, over time they dissolve.
A stale egg will have an unpleasant odor, spread - the protein is liquid, and the yolk becomes flat.
The color of the yolk or shell does not indicate the statute of limitations, it depends on the feed of the bird and its breed. This also does not affect the nutritional value, except that brown eggs have a stronger shell.
Eggs are the third leading cause of food poisoning after meat and dairy products. Poisoning often occurs due to salmonella bacteria, the incubation period is only 72 hours, it develops rapidly, and if urgent measures are not taken, then death is possible. The biggest danger of infection is eating raw eggs, the bacterium "lives" on the inside of the shell under a protective film.
Recently, quail testicles have been very popular, it is impossible to get infected with salmonellosis from them, because when quails rush, the egg comes out at a temperature of 40 degrees, while all bacteria die.
If you have allergic reactions to egg products, then you need to eat only fresh dietary eggs. The longer they are stored, the greater the likelihood of allergies.
Try not to buy dirty eggs with sticky droppings or feathers - this indicates poor hygiene in keeping chickens.
Conclusion
If in doubt, break the egg into a separate container before adding it to food, make sure that there is no unpleasant odor or foreign matter. Dirty shells should be washed beforehand so that harmful bacteria do not get into the dish. If the eggs in the recipe are not cooked, then use only dietary or freshly laid homemade eggs.
Buy fresh eggs and don't use them past their expiration date.
Mother of two children. I have been running a household for more than 7 years - this is my main job. I like to experiment, I constantly try various means, methods, techniques that can make our life easier, more modern, richer. I love my family.
How do you know if an egg is raw or boiled without breaking it?! and got the best answer
Answer from Natalya[guru]
twist. raw stops quickly, boiled spins for a long time.
Answer from Nikolay[guru]
twist on the table if it does not rotate, then it is raw if it is boiled to spin))
Answer from Dima Kashtanov[active]
spin! spinning fast - boiled, slowly - raw))
Answer from Cheery[guru]
How to be, if necessary, without breaking the shell, to determine whether the egg is cooked or is it raw? Knowing the mechanics will help you successfully get out of this little predicament.
The fact is that boiled and raw eggs do not rotate in the same way. This can be used to solve our problem. The test egg is placed on a flat plate and two fingers tell it a rotational movement (Fig.). A boiled (especially hard-boiled) egg rotates noticeably faster and longer than a raw one. The latter is difficult even to make rotate; meanwhile, a hard-boiled egg spins so quickly that its outlines merge for the eyes into a white flattened ellipsoid and it can itself stand on a sharp end.
The reason for these phenomena lies in the fact that a hard-boiled egg rotates as a solid whole; in a raw egg, its liquid contents, not immediately receiving a rotational movement, delay, due to its inertia, the movement of the hard shell; it plays the role of a brake.
One has only to touch a boiled egg with a finger, it stops immediately. The raw egg, having stopped for a moment, will rotate a little more after taking the hand away. This happens again due to inertia: the internal liquid mass in a raw egg still continues to move after the hard shell has come to rest; the content of the boiled egg stops simultaneously with the stop of the outer shell.
Similar tests can be done in other ways. Cover raw and boiled eggs with rubber rings “along the meridian” and hang them on two identical strings. Twist both strings the same number of times and release. The difference between boiled and raw eggs will immediately be revealed. Boiled, having come to the initial position, will begin to twist the thread in the opposite direction by inertia, then unwind it again, and so on several times, gradually reducing the number of revolutions. The raw egg will turn once, twice, and stop long before the hard egg calms down: the movements are inhibited by the liquid content.
Answer from Button Button[master]
Take an egg and place it on a flat surface. you rotate. if it stops quickly and oscillates a little during rotation, it is raw. if it rotated evenly for a long time - boiled
Answer from Nahual"[guru]
fasten it on the nose and scroll if it falls -
raw
Answer from Vasily Martsenishev[active]
Spin it on the table, if it spins for a long time - boiled, if 1-2 turns - raw.
Answer from 3 answers[guru]
Which nourishes well and satisfies the feeling of hunger due to its high calorie content. This is a real gift of nature, because one eaten egg contributes to the intake of protein, calcium, iron, vitamins A, E, B and other microelements.
Sometimes eggs are stored in the refrigerator for a long time and it is hard for the hostess to remember how long they have been there. Before using them to prepare certain dishes, you need to check the suitability of each of them in order to protect yourself and your family from food poisoning.
Ways to determine the freshness of eggs at home
We will not consider complex experiments to determine the freshness associated with the use of ultraviolet light, temperature measurement, etc. After all, you can check the suitability of the product at home using simple methods.
How to find out if an egg is rotten or not on the water
This is the most popular method . If the egg is fresh, it will immediately sink in water and will continue to lie at the bottom. If it rises with the blunt end up, while the sharp end lies in the water, then most likely the egg is already a week old. If the testicle floats freely in water, then it is at least two weeks old. And if it pops up like a fishing float, then it is better to throw it away, since its freshness is more difficult to establish, but one thing is for sure - it is more than a month old.
Salt solution can be used instead of plain water. To prepare it, one incomplete tablespoon is dissolved in 500 ml of water, although the concentration is no longer so important here, since the “old” product will float even in pure water.
This is due to the fact that under the shell there is a shell consisting of two layers, which freely passes air, light and moisture unilaterally. The shell in the blunt part of the testis is divided, forming an empty airy part (pugu). It is of great importance for the embryo, because through it the exchange of gases between the body and the external environment is carried out. The more the product "lives", the larger the size of the pug.
At the same time, the shell passes through itself not only the natural gas mixture. Bacteria, including those that cause decay processes, freely penetrate through it. Before a hen lays an egg, it is considered sterile. But as soon as it is “born”, its contents become vulnerable to microorganisms. When putrefactive bacteria get inside, gases and an unpleasant “aroma” begin to be released. The specific smell of a rotten product is the smell of hydrogen sulfide, a gas that accumulates due to protein rotting. The gases that accumulate in a spoiled product have a lower density, so such an egg will certainly float in water.
Checking for freshness with light
Contents can be viewed through a light source with a power of at least 100 watts. The freshness of the product is determined by detecting puga, as mentioned above, puga is the air layer between the thin egg film and the shell. It is located at the blunt end of the product. If the product is fresh, then there is no scare, it appears after a while as a result of evaporation of moisture and compaction of the contents under the shell.
In a dietary product, the puga should not exceed 4 mm, in the dining room - 8-9 mm. A dietary protein product should have a uniform and dense yolk. When the testicle is translucent, the yolk should be placed in the center. In a table egg, a slight shift is possible, but if the yolk is nailed to the shell, then there is only one conclusion - it is no longer fresh. Visibility of an embryo in any category is excluded.
Sometimes, when viewing a product in the light, you can see slight blood inclusions, they are acceptable even in fresh products, but under one condition, they must be small and punctate. If the droplets of blood look like a ring, then such a product should be thrown away, since even heat treatment will not make such a testicle suitable for consumption.
If the protein has a pinkish color, and the yolk is orange-red, then this indicates that the blood got in during its formation. The presence of dark spots indicates that microbes have begun to multiply under the shell.
External signs of a spoiled egg
- Look closely at the surface of the shell. In fresh products, it will be dull or slightly rough. Old eggs have a smooth and shiny shell with a bluish tint.
- The next step is to take the product in your hand and squeeze it a little so that you can feel slight vibrations inside, then shake it. Fresh product is always full inside, therefore, shaking will not let you feel any changes.
- If, when shaking, you feel as if something is flopping and pouring inside the egg, then you are holding a "talker" in your hand, which is unsuitable for use. However, this method does not give a 100% guarantee of egg freshness, it only allows you to weed out the "talkers".
How to determine the yolk and protein
If you bought eggs in the store, but when you came home you suspected their unsuitability, then break one on a plate. A fresh egg should have a fluffy and voluminous protein, more like jelly, with a less dense layer located on top. If the layers of protein are almost indistinguishable, and the yolk is flat, then this egg can no longer “boast” of its freshness, but it is suitable for eating.
What happens if you eat a spoiled chicken egg
The use of products of dubious quality is always fraught with unpredictable and ill-advised consequences. It all depends on the organism, its persistence and the degree of spoilage of the product. For example, in some, a spoiled chicken egg will cause mild indigestion, while in others it will provoke a severe form of poisoning. Whether doctors will save a person who decides to eat an unsuitable product, or whether the victim of poisoning will earn a lifelong gastrointestinal disorder, there is no exact answer here.
Video: how to check the freshness of eggs at home
Eggs are used to prepare many dishes and snacks. But unfortunately, like any other products, they deteriorate over time. The freshness of a chicken product can be tested using several methods. Some we have already discussed with you in this article. And to consolidate the material, we suggest watching a short video on how not to spoil dishes with a rotten product.
The egg is an important, extremely diverse food product from a culinary point of view, since in addition to the actual egg dishes, egg components (yolk and white) are used in the preparation of many other dishes: for example, soups and sauces are seasoned with egg yolk, and whipped whites are often necessary to stabilize e.g. soufflé. The nutritional and biological properties of eggs are due mainly to biologically valuable proteins - one egg covers 15% of a person's daily protein needs. In terms of nutrient content, protein and yolk differ significantly from each other: the former consists mainly of water and about 11% protein, while the yolk is rich in protein-phosphorus compounds, fat, minerals and vitamins. Along with fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E, it contains calcium, phosphorus and iron. The protein contains water-soluble vitamins, sodium, potassium and chlorine. The nutrients of eggs can be absorbed by a person almost completely, namely up to 95%. And, nevertheless, you should not eat too many eggs (more than 3 pieces per day) because of the high cholesterol content in the yolk.
By rotating the egg on itself, you can know if it is a hard boiled egg or a raw egg. A fried egg will spin like the top while a raw egg will stop spinning fast. To easily peel a hard egg, run it under cold water after cooking. When two small balls of egg yolk arrive at the same time in the hen's body, it contains an egg containing two yellow ones. Sometimes a small blood vessel breaks open in a chicken's ovaries, which may explain the presence of some blood in the egg. It is wrong to believe that such an egg is fertilized. A small trace of blood is easily removed with a moistened spoon, and sometimes the egg is surrounded by a membrane, without a shell, and if heated or cooled very quickly, the egg may explode. This is why eggs cannot be microwaved, because the rapid heating of the interior causes the shell to press too hard. Eggs are a rich protein food with high biological value, often mistreated due to false commonplaces.
The decisive influence on the quality of eggs is exerted by proper storage. Eggs are sensitive to the environment, as odors and bacteria can enter through their porous shell. They should always be stored at a cool temperature (8 to 10 C) and high humidity. Best of all - in a special compartment of the refrigerator, away from strong-smelling products. In such conditions, eggs in the shell are stored for 3-4 weeks. broken eggs are stored for 2 days, the yolk covered with water is also 2 days, and the protein is up to 14 days. Frozen egg mass, no matter in what composition, is stored for about 4 months.
When you hit the egg shelf in the supermarket, you are fascinated by the many different eggs that are out there, fascinated by reading, comparing packages, and watching news such as those that are fortified with omega. Before you see how to choose eggs, let's analyze their characteristics.
Nutritional characteristics of eggs
A medium-sized egg consists of 5% fat, of which only 1.5% saturated fat and about 12% noble proteins. These are the proteins that contain all the essential amino acids that we can only enter with food and that are used by our body to maintain and build cellular structures.
How to determine the freshness of an egg? In appearance, it is almost impossible to determine whether the egg is fresh or not. But there is simple ways to check:.
- If you shake a fresh egg it won't make any sound
- There is also a rule - the older the egg, the more moisture evaporated from it through the porous shell. Due to this, the air chamber increases and the egg becomes lighter.
- Buoyancy test. If an egg in a glass of 10% sodium chloride solution (10 g of salt per 100 ml of water) sinks to the bottom, then it is fresh. An approximately 7-day-old egg has a larger air chamber. The egg rises with the blunt end up. If the egg floats completely on the surface, then its air chamber is even larger, it may already be several months old.
- Test by breaking an egg. In a very fresh egg, the yolk is strong, well convex, beautifully rounded and surrounded by two rings of albumen: an inner compact one and a thinner outer one.
- Cooking eggs. The easiest way to cook eggs is by boiling in the shell. It may be recommended to lightly pierce the blunt end of the egg with a thin needle to remove air. Then the shell will not crack during cooking. If you need to hard boil several eggs, then it is better to put them in boiling water in a sieve. Cooking time is counted from the moment when the water boils again. But this can only serve as a guide, as the cooking time depends on the place - the higher above sea level, the longer the process of boiling the eggs, as well as the temperature of the eggs before they were put into boiling water. They don't need to be boiled too long, though, or the protein will release the hydrogen sulfide, and then the eggs will smell bad. After boiling, it is recommended to rinse the eggs well with cold water to make them easier to peel.
Among the substances present in abundance, it is necessary to mention the role of choline. Choline, found mainly in egg yolk, stimulates bile secretion, binding to phospholipids prevents oxidation and accumulation of fats in the liver, thereby improving liver function. Choline is the precursor to acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter involved in the transmission of nerve impulses. For this reason, egg consumption is beneficial during moments of low concentration or mental fog.
These two carotenoids have a beneficial effect on vision, prevent macular degeneration, and reduce the risk of developing cataracts. Egg consumption should be encouraged especially in the elderly for two reasons. Their consumption is also recommended for pregnant women or after a heavy menstrual cycle due to a good dose of iron and B vitamins that can compensate for this "deficiency".
Boiling time:
4-5 minutes: protein is solid only on the outside, the yolk is still liquid and dark yellow.
5-6 minutes: the protein is solid, the yolk is still liquid inside, the outer edge has already hardened a little.
6-8 minutes: the whole protein is hard, the yolk is a little soft in the middle, the rest is soft.
7-9 minutes: protein and yolk are solid; the yolk in the middle is slightly creamy, its color becomes lighter.
10-12 minutes: protein and yolk can be cut, the yolk is already pale in color. 15 minutes: The yolk loses its color even more, becomes dry and crumbles when cut.
How to read codes on egg packs
Egg consumption is contraindicated in two cases. Have you ever noticed the codes printed on the eggs we buy at the supermarket? These codes give us different indications regarding the eggs we buy, from the type of breeding to the country of production.
Among all these codes, which we must carefully look at the quality of what we eat, is the first numerical code that we find on each individual egg, and which, in essence, determines the type of breeding that the hens that laid the eggs in the package.
Enjoy your meal!
You can’t look inside the egg, and no one wants to run into a rotten one, especially in those cases when they take a large batch for future use. But people have long come up with many ways to check the freshness of eggs without breaking the shells. Our grandmothers knew how to do it, so we will learn too.
Organic rearing means that the animals are raised outdoors, with an area of at least 4 square meters per hen, fed on organic feed, mainly corn and wheat. Animals are left outdoors only at certain times of the day, in a smaller space than in organic breeding. They are fed regular food.
Chickens are not kept in cages, but are reared on the ground in sheds enclosed in small spaces. Hens are intensively reared in stacked cages where they never see sunlight. European legislation divides eggs into different quality categories, which are directly related to the freshness and hygiene characteristics of the eggs. The categories are expressed in packages and are as follows.
visual inspection
By weight
You need to take the egg in your hand, feel its weight and think if it is too light. A fresh egg is completely filled with protein, so its weight is noticeable. The longer the egg is stored, the more it dries out. As a result of moisture loss, the weight of the contents decreases, the air chamber (at the blunt end, this is the so-called "puga") increases, the egg becomes lighter and lighter.
In light of these codes, how do you choose eggs?
Category A or "fresh eggs" category B or category "second quality or canned eggs" category C or "eggs intended for the food industry". For ethical reasons and to ensure the best treatment of animals, we can focus on the choice of organic breeding eggs, in some ways similar to outdoor breeding, but with its own production discipline, more complete and strict. Organic farming usually involves the use of local chickens that are more resistant to diseases, wider standards for free space, and an optimal ratio between rooster and hens.
By sound
Taking an egg in your hand, you will probably shake it involuntarily. And you will do it right! This method is also very good when you are thinking about how to determine the freshness of eggs. A good egg will have no sounds or vibrations inside. If the contents, when shaken, obviously dangle and beat against the walls, throw away such an egg without hesitation, it is definitely rotten!
In terms of nutritional aspects, there are no significant differences between organic eggs and outdoor chicken eggs. The exceptions are some organic productions that diversify the diet by integrating, for example, foods rich in Omega 3. In this case, you get large eggs and are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Eggs that come from type 2 and type 3 farms should be avoided as they do not guarantee the welfare of the animals, but detract from the nutritional quality of this precious food. Another important factor that leads to a conscious purchase and a healthy choice is the expiration date printed on the packages, usually next to the expiration date. This date tells us when the eggs were laid. Egg freshness is highest in the first nine days after laying and gradually decreases until maturity, usually on the 22nd and 28th day after laying.
By type of shell
If the egg was laid recently, literally a day or two ago, its shell is matte. If it is demolished many days ago, the shell will be shiny. If the egg looks too clean, as if “washed”, it will not be stored for a long time, because during the “water procedures” it has lost its protective film. Such eggs remain fresh for no more than 10-12 days, and “unwashed” eggs can be stored in the refrigerator for at least a whole month.
It is important to choose eggs whose settling time is as close as possible to the time we buy them. However, if you want to buy them, always read the ingredients on the packaging. Are eggs difficult to digest? Wrong, be careful in cooking mode.
Eggs should not be boiled, as the iron and sulfur present in it at the boiling point form iron sulfide, a poisonous substance that gives the all too typical grey-green color to the egg. The ideal would be to put them in cold water, keep the container on the stove until boiling, then turn off and let them cool if you want to boil them first, or remove them if you prefer to boil them. Boiled eggs are tastier than boiled one long and very digestible.
into the light
There is a special device - "ovoscope", where the eggs shine through with a directed beam. At home, you can simply hold the egg up to a bright lamp and see if there are any dark spots inside.
Buoyancy test
The most reliable test for egg freshness is the salt water immersion test. If the egg has sunk, it is definitely fresh. The longer the egg is stored, the more it dries out and becomes lighter. So if it floats in a salt solution, does not sink, but does not float up, this indicates that it is, of course, not the first freshness, but it is quite suitable for food. If the egg joyfully emerges to the surface, this is a sure sign of its absolute unsuitability for eating.
Another quick way to cook eggs is, for example, scrambled eggs in the microwave: break them in a dish, add curry or paprika and put them in the microwave for 3 minutes. Eggs have "pseudo seasonality", which means that hens produce more eggs when they have at least 14 hours of sunshine, which is easier to achieve in summer and increasingly difficult in winter.
Egg freshness can be achieved by immersing the egg in a solution of water and salt. Do you know how to properly buy, store and process vegetables, fruits, meat, poultry or dairy products in organic quality. If you succumb to the organic food spell, you'll soon realize that it's not just a matter of choosing an ever-growing offer. You also need to know what to do when buying them, how to store them when they're out of the question, and how to process them as hard as possible to preserve all the healthy, successful ingredients we give them.
Salts for this experiment usually take an incomplete tablespoon, designed for half a liter of water, but the concentration of the solution is not so important here, because a spoiled egg will float even in clean water.
