Rotten eggs can in some cases be the “last dot” that thwarts the entire food being prepared. Rotten eggs are a fear of all who prepare food.
Sometimes it is necessary to know not only whether the egg is spoiled, but also how old it is. Because the fear of using rotten eggs seems to have existed since the person consumed the eggs, a relatively reliable methodology for recognizing rotten eggs has already developed. These procedures are nothing new. But it doesn’t hurt to remember them.
Why we want to know the age of the eggs
We are interested in the age of eggs:
- on the one hand, for general reasons (no one wants to consume a corrupt thing),
- for economic reasons (no one wants to pay for spoiled food),
- furthermore, if we intend to prepare eggs for a risk group of boarders (young children, the sick, convalescents, people with reduced immunity, the elderly),
- if we have a special intention with eggs.
- Sometimes we don’t need to know if the egg is spoiled, but also if the egg is not too fresh.
Water test of egg freshness
The most well-known trick to the general determination of the age of an egg is to immerse it in a higher column of water.
- When it sinks to the bottom and does not move, it is a fresh egg. In this case, we can cheer up and mix the egg on butter for both the toddler and the old grandmother.
- On the contrary, the “warning light” tells us that this egg is not suitable for hard cooking because it cannot be peeled without tearing the egg white.
The fresh egg is full of egg mass. The mass pushes the egg membrane all the way to the shell.
- There is no air = the egg in the water drops to the bottom.
- But also: There is no air = a boiled egg will be difficult to peel without ordering a boiled egg white.
We are continuing the water test
- If the egg in the water stands on one top but still touches the bottom, it is already ripe, but you can still consume it without any worries.
- When the egg floats on the surface, it is not fresh. However, this does not necessarily mean that it is necessarily spoiled or dangerous to eat. However, such eggs must be knocked over the test dish and inspected by smell. We will not modify the eggs floating to the surface for direct consumption, but we will use them in the dough, to wrap the cutlets, in meatballs and the like.
Check also: How to peel fresh eggs
Check the beaten egg
It is good to beat an egg whose freshness we are not sure about, not directly into the prepared dish, but first into the work bowl.
- Knock the eggs into a plate or bowl and check the color and quality of the yolk and protein.
- An egg that spills or is watery, has a thinner white, is already behind the peak of freshness.
- A white cloud indicates that the egg is very fresh.
- Translucent white means that the egg is older (but may still be edible).
- The egg white, which does not firmly embrace the yellow center, but spreads to the sides and out of the shell, is no longer in the best condition, but if it does not smell or does not have an unusual color, it will fit into the dough.
- If there are black or green spots inside the egg, it has been contaminated with a sponge and the egg should be discarded.
It is necessary to smell the raw beaten egg. An unpleasant hydrogen sulfide odor is the best indicator that an egg is spoiled.
