No one wants to eat bad food. Especially eggs! Cathy Isom has some ways to tell if you’re eggs have gone bad. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
When it comes to enjoying the benefits of farm-fresh food one distinct disadvantage is that you don’t always know when it’s gone bad. Such as eggs, for example. Because of their hard shells, it can sometimes be difficult to tell if they’re fresh.
One way to find out is by cracking them in a pan or bowl. A fresh egg will have a bright orange yolk along with thick, cloudy whites. Old eggs won’t stay together in a uniform fashion when you crack them in a pan – instead, they’ll spread way out, might look thin and watery, and the yolk is also more likely to break.
A rotten egg also has a strong sulfur smell. This is because, as the egg ages and breaks down, it produces hydrogen sulfide gas. If you detect this smell, toss your eggs. Also, avoid eating any eggs with cracks, as this makes it more likely that Salmonella bacteria has entered the egg itself.
One of the easiest ways is to do the egg float test. To do this, place the egg in a glass of water. A fresh egg will sink, while a bad egg will float. This has to do with the distribution of gasses in the egg that builds up as it ages.
Another way to tell if your eggs are fresh is to candle them. This is a helpful strategy if you aren’t planning on eating your eggs but instead want to incubate them. Candling eggs is simple – all you need is a bright source of light in the darkroom.
A final option is to hold the egg to your ear and gently shake it. If it’s fresh, it won’t make a sound. But if it’s on the older side, you may hear sloshing inside the egg.
I’m Cathy Isom…