There are often many myths and half-truths about eggs: What’s the point in the egg yolk? What is the best way to store eggs? And can you freeze them? We have followed the most common questions about the egg.
1. How should you store eggs?
Eggs are best kept in the egg compartment of the refrigerator with the pointed end down. Because that’s how the air chamber is at the top and the eggs last longer. The other way round, it can happen that the air bubble rises at some point, the egg skin peels off and germs penetrate.
2. The egg smells strange – is it bad?
Eggs taste or smell strange, a storage error is usually responsible. Because the shell quickly absorbs odors with over 8,000 pores. If eggs are kept in the refrigerator, for example, next to onions or spicy dishes, they not only take on the smell, they also taste different. By the way: You cannot smell a possible Salmonella infestation, because the pathogens are odorless.
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3. What does the brown dot in the egg yolk mean?
Do not worry: the dark inclusions in the egg yolk do not indicate a fertilized egg. Because that would require a tap. But this is usually not found when laying hens are kept. Farmers speak of blood or meat stains on the brown spots in the egg yolk. These are small pieces of tissue. Because egg formation can lead to abrasion and tiny bleeding in the fallopian tube. This happens more often in older hens than in young hens.
And what about eggs from a rooster farm? Even then, you run no risk of finding a chick embryo. The fertilized egg must be hatched so that life can arise. However, since it is taken away from the hen in time for sale, no chick can develop – even if the egg is already fertilized.
4. Liquid egg white: is the egg still good?
Sometimes you break an egg and the egg white melts. Another time it forms a stable, gelatinous mass. Does that allow conclusions to be drawn about the freshness of the egg? Chicken breeders say there are two reasons for the different consistency: the season and the freshness.
The egg white consists of over 80 percent water. If the hens drink more water in summer, this affects the egg. It becomes more fluid. However, the egg white also spreads more clearly with older eggs than with fresh ones. So that no spoiled egg ends up on the plate, you should keep an eye on the expiration date or try the egg trick.
5. Can you freeze eggs?
Eggs can be frozen if they are raw and shelled. At minus 18 degrees Celsius they can be kept for about ten months. Hard-boiled eggs, on the other hand, are not suitable for the freezer. The protein then gets a spongy consistency and tastes watery. Important: Freezing the egg does not kill Salmonella. The germs only die when they are cooked or roasted, i.e. at temperatures of over 70 degrees Celsius.
6. Do eggs need to be cooled?
Eggs: They keep longer in the fridge with the tip down. (Source: alimdi / imago images)
For the first 18 days after the egg is laid, it can be stored outside the refrigerator. During this period, the shell is protected from pathogens by the protein component lysozyme. However, this protective layer must be undamaged. If the egg is washed or the shell is dirty, it will be lost. Since consumers do not know which way the egg has already taken, it is best stored in the refrigerator.
7. Why shouldn’t you eat eggs with a silver spoon?
Egg spoons are often made of plastic, mother-of-pearl or horn. There is a reason for this: If a silver spoon touches the egg yolk, a chemical reaction takes place. Hydrogen sulfide and silver sulfide are formed. As a result, the egg not only tastes bitter and metallic. The connection also ensures that the metal “tarnishes”, ie turns black.
8. Are brown eggs healthier?
The color of the shell has nothing to do with the keeping or feeding of the hen. Whether the animal lays white or brown eggs depends on the breed. The brown color is created by pigments formed in the shell gland. Hens that lay white eggs do not form these dyes.
White and brown eggs have the same taste and quality. By the way: It is the “earlobe” of the chicken that allows conclusions to be drawn about the egg color. A white ear disc indicates white eggs, a red one indicates brown eggs.
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