Bad eggs?
Question:
From Andrea...
Dear Al's Mom,
I've heard that a way to tell if eggs are bad is to put them in water and see if they float. Does that mean they actually float to the surface if they're bad, or are they bad if they're just standing up, so to speak, in the water?
Answer:
Good morning Andrea! I haven't heard from you in a long time. I missed your questions because I always learn something while doing research for you. I'm sure Al's told you I know everything but I really don't. Don't believe him when he tells you I do.
I had never heard that was a way to find out if an egg is fresh or not. I always go by the date on the box (in fact, I cleaned out my refrigerator on Saturday and I had a dozen eggs that had expired (two weeks ago) so I threw them out.
What I found out is that you fill a bowl with cold water to about three times the height of the egg. Put the egg in the water. If it sinks, the egg is edible. If it floats, the egg has gone off and should be thrown out.
The reason the egg floats is the little pocket of air at the large end of the egg, which is caused by the contraction of the egg's contents as they cool after laying. This gets larger the older an egg is, as moisture and carbon dioxide are lost through the shell.
Eggs really should be eaten within a week of being laid, as aside from the taste factor, after three or four days they start to lose their nutritive value. The way they're gathered, stored and handled also has a big impact on their flavor and freshness. Ideally, they should be stored somewhere dry and cool, preferably under 5ºC/40ºF.
If you crack the egg and it smells that's also another sign. When in doubt, throw it out! Hope this answers your question.
Al's Mom will be out of my office until next Tuesday. Going away to see daughter, son-in-law and baby Kaitlyn who by the way turns 1 today.