Every week you bring home huge packages with a variety of products presented on the shelves of markets and supermarkets. On the one hand, this makes your life much easier, and on the other hand, it complicates it, because not everyone can constantly keep in mind the expiration date of all this gastronomic variety. Remember how often you opened the refrigerator door and wondered: “How long have these products been there?” We are sure that this problem is familiar to many people firsthand. This is especially true for eggs. Despite the fact that this is a very delicate product, its appearance does not change over time, and therefore it is almost impossible to determine the freshness of an egg “by eye”. Of course, it's no secret to anyone that you can break an egg and try to determine its freshness by smell, but there are other ways. Here are some ways to check the freshness of eggs:
1. Submerge the eggs in water
Place the eggs in a deep bowl of cold water. If they remain lying on the bottom in a horizontal position, then they are very fresh. Eggs, slightly raised with an obtuse angle upwards, are no longer the first freshness, but can still be used in the preparation of hot dishes. Eggs that float to the surface are spoiled and should not be eaten! We recommend that you get rid of them as soon as possible.
Eggs float to the surface because, over time, the moisture inside evaporates through the shell and the resulting "free" space is replaced by air. The more air inside the egg, the higher it floats. And, of course, the older it is.
2. Check the white and yolk
Break one of the eggs and pay attention to the condition of the yolk and protein. If the yolk is convex, and the protein is viscous and tightly gathered around the yolk, the egg is very fresh. However, if the yolk is flat and the protein is liquid, this is a sign of a stale egg.
Cause: over time, protein chains (different substances associated with each other) break down, in connection with this, in an old egg, the yolk and protein do not adhere tightly together.
3. Shake the egg
If, when shaking, you do not hear extraneous sounds, then you can safely eat the egg - it is fresh. If at the same time bursts or squelching are heard, it means that air has got inside the egg and expanded the natural air bubble. This egg is not to be eaten.
4. Pay attention to the expiration date
On the packaging of eggs there is always information about the expiration date, which should be paid close attention. The supplier guarantees that the product will remain fresh if the storage rules are followed. As a rule, eggs can be eaten for some time after the expiration date, but before that it is strongly recommended to check their freshness by the methods described above.
When eating eggs, special attention must be paid to hygiene. Pay attention to the following recommendations:
- Buy only fresh eggs and use them before the expiration date.
- Store eggs in the refrigerator - at temperatures below 6 ° C, Salmonella bacteria do not multiply. At room temperature, their number increases. Please note that subsequent cooling will not save the situation.
- When cooking with raw eggs, use only very fresh eggs.
- Boil the eggs for at least 5 minutes in boiling water.
- If the eggs have expired, then for some time they can still be eaten, but only if carefully cooked. Salmonella bacteria are killed at 70°C.
- If the shell of the egg is damaged, then it must be cooked immediately. It is no longer possible to store such a product.
Where is the best place to store eggs in a Liebherr refrigerator?
Eggs can be stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 15 days. In the zone of freshness
Eggs are a product that can be found in any refrigerator. Have you ever boiled eggs and noticed that they are spoiled? Or perhaps the packaging does not indicate the date by which the product must be consumed, is it possible to eat them at all or is it better to send them to the urn? Determining a spoiled egg is not difficult. In this article, we will tell you how to determine that an egg has gone bad, and how to determine that it can be consumed. If eggs have been in your refrigerator for a very long time, you just need to determine if they are fresh in order to eliminate deplorable situations.
How to test a rotten egg
What does expiration date mean? This is the period of time when the products are the freshest, tastiest, recommended for cooking culinary dishes. It does not mean at all that after this period has passed, the eggs have deteriorated, they are simply inferior in taste to those that are fresher.
The manufacturer's code (letter and number) is indicated on the product.
In many countries, it is customary to indicate the packing time on the eggs themselves. Because they can be sold without packaging by the piece. The manufacturer is obliged to inform about the period of consumption.
In order to avoid a temperature difference, the eggs should be in the coldest part of the refrigerator. The refrigerator door is categorically not suitable for this, because it is here that the temperature regime can fluctuate.
Do not put unwashed eggs that have lain on the table in the refrigerator. In many countries, it is customary for eggs to be kept in kitchen cabinets and not put in a refrigerator. Given that the chickens are given all the necessary vaccinations, nothing will happen to the eggs in the cabinets.
If you do not know if the eggs in your refrigerator are fresh, or there are such suspicions that they have been lying for more than 1.5 months, you need to know the signs of rotten eggs, with which you can easily determine if these eggs can be used in cooking .
How to spot a rotten egg
When a boiled egg has a greenish tint, it has been boiled for too long or there is an excess of iron in the water. It can be eaten.
If you find blood spots in the egg, it can also be eaten, it is quite fresh. This does not affect the taste of the egg itself.
How to tell if an egg is rotten or not
Ideally, if the egg is of good quality, it should be in a glass on its side.
If the egg is located in a vertical position in water, it was packed a relatively long time ago, but nevertheless it is still suitable for cooking.
An egg that is not fresh enough will not sink. It can still be used in cooking. It needs to be broken into a bowl in order to determine if it is fresh, pay attention to the protein. Eliminate that it is spoiled by smell. An egg that cannot be used is with a pungent odor.
A fresh egg will not make any sounds.
When there are any sounds in the egg, this does not mean that it cannot be eaten, such an egg is quite fresh.
In an egg that is far from the first freshness, the yolk will burst very quickly.
If it floats on the protein, this is also an indicator that the egg is old and it is better not to use it in cooking.
Pay attention to the color of the protein itself. A white with a gray tint means that the egg is very fresh. A transparent protein indicates that the egg is not very fresh, but you can eat it and this will not affect your health in any way.
- The yolk should always be round, if it is flat - such an egg should never be used.
- Do not store eggs with the rest of the ingredients, as they will absorb odors in a very short time.
- If the egg is cracked, it must be consumed within a short period of time.
- Villagers increase the period of consumption of eggs by lubricating them with sunflower oil.
Be careful:
Children and the elderly are not recommended to eat eggs with an expired shelf life. It is not necessary to rely on the fact that eggs can be consumed for some time after the expiration of consumption, you must definitely know how to check eggs. Be careful not to harm yourself and your family. Always pay attention to the date of manufacture.
If you've forgotten how long eggs keep in your fridge, you can run a few simple freshness tests:
shaking
If you hear "squishing" sounds when shaking, then the air chamber has already reached a large size and the protein has become watery. The yolk "tumbles" in the egg if it is not too fresh.
breaking up
Crack an egg onto a plate.
Fresh eggs have a high bulging yolk holding a ring of albumen. If the yolk is flat and the watery white is spreading on the plate, the egg is not particularly fresh, it needs to be processed quickly in the kitchen.
Immersion in water
Place the egg in a tall glass of water. Very fresh eggs will remain at the bottom. Week-old eggs will be angled flat end up. If the egg floats on the surface of the water, then it is already at least three weeks old. The air chamber of this egg has reached such a size that the egg floats.
translucence
Hold the egg, the freshness of which you doubt, to a bright light source so that the light falls from behind. Fresh raw eggs let in light.
No matter how you turn the egg, the yolk is always centered. In older eggs, the yolk begins to "wander".
And finally some more interesting facts
Do brown hens lay brown eggs?
But no! The color of a hen's plumage has nothing to do with the color of the eggs. The color of the egg shell depends only on the genes of the chicken.
Do brown eggs taste better?
And again you are on the wrong track! The taste of eggs is directly dependent on the feed and the health of the chicken. Under equal conditions, there are no differences in the taste and nutritional value of white and brown eggs.
Good afternoon, site visitors and regular readers. Today we will tell you about ways to check eggs for freshness - a rotten egg or not? Eggs are a source of protein, vitamin A and riboflavin, some nutritionists claim that this product can lower cholesterol levels.
The ingredient is often used in baking, for making batter and scrambled eggs, fried, baked, boiled, or eaten raw. give us the most dietary product!
A rotten or simply spoiled egg that does not yet have a characteristic odor can cause severe food poisoning. Low-quality products are found both on the market and in large supermarkets, so you need to know how to determine the freshness of the purchased product.
A dietary egg - up to 7 days of proper storage - is the freshest to eat.
If the egg is a baking ingredient or just a frying dish, it must be broken into a flat plate before use, and take a closer look.
- In fresh specimens, the yolk looks like a ball or oval around which the protein gathers.
- The transparent liquid has an elastic consistency, sometimes has a greenish or yellowish tint caused by the presence of carbon dioxide. But such a product can be safely eaten.
- The yolk, which has sunk almost to the bottom of the plate, indicates that the expiration date of the egg is coming to an end. It is worth using the ingredient only when the protein is transparent and gathers around the oval base.
- It is necessary to throw away the component if the yolk has literally spread over the plate, although its shell is not damaged, and the protein is more like water with an unpleasant fragrance.
How to check eggs for freshness video
Swimming lessons
How to check eggs for freshness in water? A product that needs to be cooked without breaking can be tested with a bowl of water. There should be a lot of liquid so that the egg can be distinguished: the egg sank to the bottom, or floated to the surface.
Fresh ingredients usually fall like a rock and don't move. Ingredients that are a little over a week old also sit snugly at the bottom of the container, but the blunt end rises slightly.
Eggs aged 2-3 weeks take a vertical position, the sharp end looks down. They are still suitable for consumption, but preferably after careful heat treatment.
A product that has completely floated to the surface of the bowl should be thrown away without regret, because it is definitely spoiled.
This method works because, over time, liquid and carbon dioxide evaporate from the chicken ingredient, but the concentration of oxygen rises, which pushes the egg out of the water.
shake and listen
You can’t test products with water in the store, and in order not to buy a dozen rotten copies, experts advise bringing each one to your ear, after shaking it, and listening.
If nothing is heard, and the hand does not feel how the yolk hits, the component can be taken. But eggs that make a squelching sound should be returned to their place, because they are not suitable for consumption.
Identify by color or smell
Some people claim that a spoiled chicken product has a specific flavor that comes from the shell. But this statement will be true for rotten specimens that are too stale on store shelves.
Others argue that fresh eggs have a matte shell, with an even color without spots and inclusions, while the coating of old ones acquires a bluish tint and becomes shiny.
Light and temperature will reveal the truth
In good light, the product is worth looking at in the sun: if the yolk is clearly visible and floats strictly in the middle, you can safely buy. For rotten components, the yellow filling is closer to the shell, sometimes sticks to it, and is difficult to see.
There are suggestions to try the blunt and sharp end with the tongue: if the first is warmer than the second, the ingredient is fresh. Missing eggs have the same temperature on both sides.
The method is very doubtful, because it is quite difficult to fix the difference without a thermometer. Additionally, there are risks of licking off some kind of bacteria, or even tasting salmonella.
Marking to help
How to check eggs for freshness? The “young” dietary eggs, which are no more than a week old, fall into the category of the highest grade. The first indicates that the product is from 7 to 14 days old, the third indicates that the chicken ingredient will soon become unfit for human consumption.
Sometimes eggs are divided into dietary and table eggs, which can be seen on the blue label. On some varieties, they put the date when they were demolished. Therefore, when buying a product, you need to carefully examine it, and read the corresponding inscriptions.
The only way to test the freshness of a boiled egg is to break the shell, because they pass the water and shake tests. The approximate shelf life of such varieties is about a week, provided that the shell remains intact.
Blood blotches are just pieces of blood that got into the egg from a burst capillary at the time of formation. They are a kind of guarantor of freshness, because over time they dissolve in protein.
How to check if a quail egg is rotten or not
We told you how to check eggs for freshness at home using water and candling. Watch the video, let's just say - disgusting!
People who at least sometimes go into the kitchen to not only eat, but also cook something, notice useful little things over time. For example, that eggs do not float during cooking, but lie on the bottom. Therefore, the vague suspicions that arise when a raw egg floats in water are not unfounded.
What is there inside?
The difficulties of determining the freshness of such a product when buying are obvious. Especially in supermarkets, where eggs are often sold in closed, opaque packaging. But everything becomes clear when we bring them home and start cooking. If at the same time you have to break them, then the following signs should alert you:
- The smell of hydrogen sulfide.
- Opaque white.
- When broken into a pan or bowl, the yolk immediately spreads.
But how do you test the freshness of an egg without breaking it? Just immerse in water. If the egg floats in the water, it is spoiled or stale.
Why does a spoiled egg float?
Contrary to popular belief, an egg is not hermetic at all. The shell has pores so that the chick can breathe. But in addition to oxygen, microorganisms also penetrate through them. As a result of the vital activity of some of them, putrefactive processes develop and gases are released. If an egg floats in water, it means that a lot of gases have accumulated in it, which are lighter than water.
By the way, even if there are no harmful microorganisms inside that cause rotting and an unpleasant odor, the old egg will still float. Air gradually accumulates between the protein and shell membranes on the blunt side. For the same reason, a stale egg is very light.
By the way, this is why it is recommended to store eggs with the blunt end up so that the yolk does not come into contact with the air chamber. And it is better not to put them in a compartment in the refrigerator door, as its frequent opening leads to the fact that they deteriorate faster.
If the egg does not fully float
When, when immersed in water, the egg immediately goes to the bottom and takes a horizontal position, then we have a very fresh product. But over time, the chemical processes occurring inside change the consistency of the protein and yolk, making them more liquid. Therefore, if the egg floats in the water with a blunt end up, then it is about a week old. So, you can still eat it. If it takes a vertical position, then it is about 2-3 weeks old. An egg that is more than a month old floats completely and cannot be eaten.
deceptive salt
Knowledgeable people add a little salt when boiling eggs so that accidentally broken eggs do not leak out. Therefore, it should be noted that if you first added salt to the water, then the correct definition of freshness will be in question. The fact is that salt increases. If an egg floats in water that has previously been salted, this does not necessarily mean that it is stale. But if it lies horizontally even in salt water, then there can be no fresh product.
How to determine the quality of eggs in the store
So that it does not happen that all three dozen eggs bought suddenly surface, you should try to determine their freshness when buying.
- Look It must be borne in mind that the class of the product must be indicated on the packaging. There are diet eggs that are stored for no more than 8 days, and there are canteen eggs (blue print), which we most often buy. Their maximum shelf life is a month. There is also a class of long-term ones. They can be kept in the refrigerator for about six months, but these are rarely found in stores.
- Examine the surface. The shell should be matte and slightly rough. It is smooth and shiny only in stale eggs.
- Weigh the egg in your hand. If it is old, it will be very light in weight.
- Shake the egg. When it is fresh, the yolk does not move inside. This means that you will not feel that something is hanging in the shell, and you will not hear any sounds when shaking.
Well, now we have figured out what's what, and realized that if the egg floats completely in the water, then it is stale, or even rotten. However, a boiled egg may float up, mistakenly placed next to raw ones, but such confusion rarely occurs. Therefore, it is better not to save on health and throw away a stale product.
