in the kitchen: how fresh are your eggs?

If it wasn’t for bylaws, I’d be thisclose to setting up a coop in the backyard seeing as how my family eats about 80ish eggs a month. Does that seem excessive? The general reaction when friends and family find out this little tidbit is a sudden jaw drop.

But I did the math and it makes sense. Each of my boys (toddler, preschooler and husband) eat about 2-3 eggs each at roughly 3 breakfasts a week. Add me to the equation, plus baking, plus egg salad lunches, more baking, hardboiled egg snacks for 4 people….it all adds up.

Since we eat them so quickly, I buy them in big ‘ol free-range flats and have never come across a bad egg. I have, however, come across some not-so-fresh ones that didn’t look as happy and healthy as they should. So out of curiosity I googled around for a way to test an eggs freshness (short of cracking it open and sticking your nose in the bowl) and came across some great info to share.

Most grocery stores would like you to believe the eggs arrive within 2-3 days of being layed. Not the case. They’re usually closer to 2 weeks to a month old.

Generally the best before date cannot be 30 days beyond the “packing” date.   Refrigerated raw shell eggs will keep without significant quality loss for about 4 to 5 weeks beyond the pack date or about 3 weeks after you bring them home.

Fill a deep bowl with water and lower the egg into the water. A very fresh egg will immediately sink to the bottom and lie flat on its side. This is because the air cell within the egg is very small. The egg should also fee quite heavy. As the egg starts to lose it freshness and more air enters the egg, it will begin to float and stand upright. The smaller end will lie on the bottom of the bowl, while the broader end will point towards the surface. The egg will still be good enough to consume. However, if the egg fully floats in the water and does not touch the bottom of the bowl at all, it should be discarded, as it will most likely be bad.

Break the egg onto a flat plate, not into a bowl. The yolk of a very fresh egg will have a round and compact appearance and it will sit positioned quite high up in the middle of the egg. The white that surrounds it will be thick and stays close to the yolk. A less fresh egg will contain a flatter yolk, that may break easily and a thinner white that spreads quite far over the plate.

There’s lots of ideas and I’m not sure which of them work. Seems like some days they peel nicely, other days they don’t. Here’s what I’ve come across:

– add baking soda to pot

– old eggs won’t peel easily

– new eggs won’t peel easily

– leave eggs on counter overnight to boil in the morning

– leave eggs on the counter all the time  (my children would have a hay day!)

– shock them in cold water immediately after they’re done boiling

– bring water (and eggs) to a boil, then cover, remove from heat and let sit for 11 minutes

– add eggs to boiling water and let cook for 12 minutes

– boil eggs then let sit in fridge overnight

– roll the shell under your palm instead of picking at it

– blow the shell off the egg (will have husband try this tomorrow)

Have a tip to add that works for you?  Add it in the comments below!

Testing methods found via.

 

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