Really basic question about eggs!

[alisontomsmum]

i buy my eggs from the market and they are usually really frsh, but i have some that havent had in the frdge and when i break them they arnt so fresh (they dont have the raised bit around the yoke all the white is one levil KWIM?)

they are lion eggs (so chickens vacinated from samanella), are still a week within there best before date and dont smell or look bad! i dont know if im just being paranoid cos im use to having such fresh eggs or whether to just throw them away. we havent got tons of money (as im a sahm) so dont want to needlesly throw away food.

 

[auntdot]

Lion eggs tells me you are in the UK, I don't know of any similar product in the US.

KWIM and sahm I am confused by, don't know what they mean.

But I would use the eggs if they seem OK. We always put ours in the fridge.

I have one guideline however. And that is if I would not feel comfortable serving the stuff or eating the stuff, for whatever reason, it gets tossed.

Not sure I helped you but that is my take.

Good luck.

 

[CanadianMeg]

KWIM and sahm I am confused by, don't know what they mean.

Know What I Mean
stay at home Mom

I'm not familiar with lion eggs either. If they have been refrigerated, they should be okay. If you aren't comfortable using them, just toss them.

 

[ChefJune]

Aunt Dot, KIWM = know what I mean, and sahm = stay at home mom!

Alison, same as Aunt Dot. seems as if you are asking this question because you are unsure of their safety. In that case, throw them out. You sure don''t want to make your kids sick! Nothing's worth that.

It is true that many eggs sit for a long time unrefrigerated in a warehouse before they get to the supermarkets, even tho they say "Keep Refrigerated" on the carton, and few if any get sick, but if you have any doubts, don't use them.

...and welcome to DC!

 

[Uncle Bob]

Sorry...IMO opinion I would toss them from a lack of freshness if for no other reason. Next time store your eggs in the refrigerator.

Goof Luck!

 

[pacanis]

Vaccinated for salmonella? I hadn't heard of that before.
Unless they smell rotten, they are still OK to eat, but that doesn't mean they are fresh by any means.
Give them the float test. A fresh egg will sink and an old egg will float because the air pocket gets bigger as they age, but again, that doesn't mean it's a bad egg, just old.
I didn't think folks on your side of the ocean (as the others are indicating) refrigerated eggs. I know I don't anymore and don't have a problem, but my eggs have been layed and eaten within a week's time.

 

[Maverick2272]

Yea, there is a difference between rotten and not fresh. If they are not fresh, just use them in mixes or as scrambled eggs with other ingredients to help hide that they are not so fresh. IE I wouldn't just fry one up and eat it plain.

 

[Andy M.]

A newly laid egg, when cracked into a dish, will have a high, rounded yolk surrounded be a thick white around the yolk with a thinner white at the outer edges. As the egg gets older, the yolk and thick white will flatten out. That's a sign the egg has aged, not spoiled. It's perfectly fine to use as long as it has not progressed beyond that stage to spoiled. It will smell bad if it has.

 

[LadyCook61]

testing freshness of eggs

How to test if an egg is fresh

Firstly, fill a fairly deep bowl with water and carefully 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 feel quite heavy.

As the egg starts to lose its 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, whilst 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.

A bad egg will also feel extremely light in weight and give off a pungent smell.

The second method to test the eggs freshness is by breaking 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 cloudy colouring to the egg white is a sign of extra freshness, as this "cloudiness" is in fact carbon dioxide, which is present when the egg is laid. Over time, the egg white will become more transparent, as the carbon dioxide dissipates.

A less fresh egg will contain a flatter yolk, that may break easily and a thinner white that spreads quite far over the plate.

Very fresh eggs are ideal for frying or poaching, but less fresh eggs should be used in sauces, cake mixtures or omelettes, where the shape and texture of the egg is not as noticeable

 

[alisontomsmum]

newly laid egg, when cracked into a dish, will have a high, rounded yolk surrounded be a thick white around the yolk with a thinner white at the outer edges.

Thats what i was trying to say when i said they dont havre the raised bit around the yolk! i knew what i meant but couldnt explain it properly! I know all the tests to check if an egg is fresh or not but its been so long since i had a unfresh egg i couldnt remember if unfreshones were bad or yust not as tasty!!

Thanks for the help, as long as they dont smell bad will use them in something, as i really dont have the money to be too picky!

Sorry about the abriviations! I also go on a parents chat room, and they are so common there (lots of sahm ;-) ) i forgot people may not understand them!

 

[archiduc]

Hi Alison,
If you can, why not try to store eggs in the fridge. They are such a useful product to use for any meal in the day.

If you are buying eggs but not able to use them all up in a time that you feel comfortable with would you like some ideas as to how to use them? If so, let me/us know?

How many eggs are you buying at a time? I know this is difficult - sometimes there are special offers on for eggs and I buy them, but by storing the the fridge, they keep for longer and I`ll keep them for a couple of weeks (plus) before using them.

Maybe, as I`ve said what you need are a few ideas as to how to use eggs in cooking meals. If this is the case, please reply - one of my favourites as a child was curried eggs - OK sounds revolting but I can assure you it is delicious, a Spanish omelette or Frittata makes a fantastic evening meal and a hardboiled egg in a fish pie means that you don`t need so much fish.

Curiously enough, there are some egg dishes where it is to your advantage to use older egg - I`m thinking here of meringues.

Hope this helps,
Archiduc

 

[alisontomsmum]

I usually do stor eggs in the fridge, but cos i was making lots of cakes last week, i kept some out to keep at room temp for the sponges, just forgot to put them in fridge, and the kitchen was really hot that day due to s much baking!!!

My eggs dont usually have a chance to go off as we get through about 12-18 a week!!! and the eggs i buy are really fresh.

I didnt know merangues worked better with oldereggs!!

 

[Barbara L]

...Curiously enough, there are some egg dishes where it is to your advantage to use older egg - I`m thinking here of meringues...

Fresh hard-boiled eggs don't peel as easy as older eggs either.

Barbara

 

[miniman]

If I'm unsure about an egg, I always crack it into a cup on its own - the smell will then show an egg that is bad. We also use the older eggs for cakes etc and I much prefer an older egg for boiled eggs.

 

[Ask-A-Butcher]

Here is some basic info on eggs

The 5 things you need to know about eggs

and maybe a few more things, too

 

[pacanis]

Here is some basic info on eggs

The 5 things you need to know about eggs

and maybe a few more things, too

Cool link. I don't know whether to save that in my cooking stuff folder or my chicken stuff folder

I just got an email from my sister last night. She has a friend who wanted to know if my eggs were organic. I had to tell her technically no, as I feed them regular veggies and not ones labeled organic, but if her friend really knows what "organic" is... that's the question....

Thanks for that link Butcher.

 

[pacanis]

Everyday is like Christmas when you have chickens.
Wednesday they batted five for five. Yesterday I got one..... odd as I've never gotten just one egg in a day's time once they started laying, but I felt they needed a break anyway.
Thirty minutes ago I gathered three warm ones out of one nestbox and had a hen setting in the other nestbox as I was doing so.
Just like opening a present