Eggs are a complete source of protein, so fans of a healthy lifestyle love them. But it is very important to monitor the quality of the product used. You can check the eggs for freshness immediately after purchase, as it is unlikely that such an opportunity will be in the store or on the market.

How to choose eggs in a supermarket

You can determine the freshness of eggs in appearance. The matte surface of the shell indicates that the testicle was laid recently, if the shell is glossy, then, most likely, the product is stored for a long time.

Unfortunately, this method is not able to give complete information about the state of the egg, as sellers often wash and rub them.

It is almost impossible to determine even completely rotten eggs by eye, but you should carefully study the color of only a dozen. If the colors are different, then this may indicate that the old and new eggs were mixed. It is better to purchase a product from one batch, because in this case the chance to buy unusable eggs is significantly reduced.

Check the rotten egg or not, you can right in the store, just shake it in the air. If it is noticed that something is rolling inside, then you definitely should not take such a product.

Popular methods for checking eggs for freshness

At home, checking eggs for freshness is much easier, as housewives have long come up with several effective ways to do this. Can:

• lower the product into water;
• twist on the surface of the table;
• immerse in saline solution;
• inspect the contents of the shell;
• detect by smell.

Method number 1. Submersion in water

This is the most proven method by which you can determine the freshness of the product. To do this, simply place it in a transparent container with water. If an egg floats in cold water, this means that it is far from the first freshness. If it balances in a liquid, then it is undesirable to eat it anyway, since this indicates that its shelf life is running out. A fresh egg sinks and lays on the bottom in a horizontal position.

Method number 2. Torsion on the table

This method is very easy to use, just place the egg on a flat surface and twist it. An unsuitable product will make twice as many turns around its axis as a fresh one.

Method number 3. Saline solution

You can understand that the egg has deteriorated by using saline. To do this, pour 1 liter in a glass dish. pure water, and add to it 1 tsp. salt. Mix everything thoroughly until the crystals are completely dissolved in the liquid. Next, you need to act in the same way as in the method with water, the indicators will be the same.

If the egg surfaced during cooking, but during the experiment remained closer to the bottom, that is, such a product is categorically not recommended.

Method number 4. Visual inspection of protein and yolk

If a person has already purchased the goods, but when he comes home he doubts his quality, then you can examine the contents of the shell. To do this, break the egg, pour into a plate and evaluate the condition of the product.

Fresh yolk will be thick and lush protein. The stale yolk spreads quickly and has a liquid consistency. If there is no characteristic unpleasant odor, then the product is still usable, but it is better not to do this if the yolk is flat in shape and has a whitish color.

Method number 5. Determination by smell

Egg freshness can easily be determined by smell, as the shell is susceptible to foreign odors. Fresh product has a slight smell of lime, and an egg, which is stored for a long time, can smell anything.

In addition to the basic methods, there are others, for example, a device for checking eggs. It is called an “ovoscope”, and with its help you can check the freshness of products. It acts on the principle of a conventional lamp, which shines through the eggs, and makes it possible to detect various defects in the contents of the shell.

It can be done at home, for this you need to find a small box, make a hole in it to put a lamp there. At the top of the box, you need to cut out another, but very small hole, so that the eggs do not fall into the homemade ovoscope. After that, you can turn on the light in the device, lay the egg on top, gently scroll and examine its contents.

Before using the product for food, it is necessary to observe some rules that relate to hygiene. First of all, you should not forget about the expiration date and carefully study the packaging. Before cooking eggs, you need to wash them with a detergent. Do not put them in water immediately after purchase, as this reduces the shelf life.

1. It is necessary to purchase only fresh goods, and do not delay with their use, since unwashed eggs are stored for 4-5 weeks, and washed 4 days.
2. Store the product in a refrigerator at a temperature not exceeding 6 ° C. If the eggs lie at room temperature, then Salmonella bacteria will actively multiply. Putting such a product back in the refrigerator no longer makes sense.
3. When cooking food where you need raw eggs, you need to use only fresh products. Cook for at least 5 minutes.
4. If the shell of the egg is leaky and cracked, then it can no longer be stored. If you immediately prepare something from it, then it is completely allowed to eat it.
5. Salmonella die under the influence of high temperatures from 70 ° C, therefore, if the shelf life of the eggs is out, but they look normal and have no unpleasant odor, then you can try to cook them.

It is easiest to test eggs for freshness in water, this is an old method that has fully paid off. If you need to know the degree of freshness of a quail egg, then this method can also be used. The rules will be the same as for chicken eggs.

On our site you can find a lot of whys about eggs. For example, or. Today we’ll talk about why rotten eggs tend to float in water.

In general, our distant ancestors began to check this product for freshness in this way. Even then, they knew that spoiled eggs do not drown in water. Let us explain this phenomenon from the point of view of science. So, under the shell is the shell-shell, consisting of two layers. It has the ability to pass air and moisture through itself. As you know, eggs have two edges: one is sharp, the other is blunt. In the latter, this same shell exfoliates, resulting in a small air chamber (called the puga). The larger the age of the eggs, the larger the volume of the pug in it.

Interestingly, even though the shell looks completely protected from the influence of the outside world, this is not at all the case. She, for example, easily passes microbes through herself. Moreover, this happens almost immediately after the chicken laid the egg (up to this point, being in the body of the bird, it is a sterile-clean product). When putrefactive processes due to microbes begin under the shell, a gas is released that forms an extremely unpleasant odor of hydrogen sulfide, which is obtained as a result of the decomposition of protein. Since air and the gases formed are much lighter than water, a stale egg just pops up, you should put it in a pan.

Everyone knows how to determine the freshness of eggs. Put in water and see what happens. A very fresh egg calmly lies at the bottom, a medium-fresh one rises, a not very fresh one floats in the middle, a really bad one hangs on the surface like ... like ... like a leaf in an ice hole. This is with chicken.

But what about quail eggs? Can I check their freshness in the same way? Let's get it right.

School. Physics. Archimedes law and body buoyancy, remember? Bodies with a high specific gravity (i.e., with a higher density) swim worse, less dense - better. Having refreshed this knowledge, we pass to the eggs.

All eggs breathe, moisture evaporates through the pores, and air, accordingly, gets inside. And if water is replaced by air, then the density of the egg becomes less, and its specific gravity decreases. The thing is that the smaller the egg, the faster this process occurs.

Within a couple of days after laying, any virtually fresh egg begins to lose moisture. Quail "dries out" faster, 5 times heavier chicken - slower. And the contribution of each cubic millimeter of water replaced by air, for the tiny testicle, is naturally greater than for the larger

And what is the result? A few days after the quail is laid, the quail egg gains enough air to tear itself away from the bottom of the pan with water. Chicken takes less air during the same time, and its contribution to the total mass of the egg is not so great, and it still lies peacefully at the bottom.

A couple more days, and the quail egg dangles confidently somewhere in the middle between the bottom and the surface. And the chicken is just beginning to unfold one end up. At this moment, the hostess usually lifts her arms to the sky, indignant that "oh, the quail eggs are completely rotten, probably just float" Excuse me, ma'am, the egg is only five days old, but it is quail, small, light!

Realized? Then we add theories. Density of water.

You yourself like swimming, okay? And where are you right here, just a mermaid-ichthyander, in a fresh river in the country or in salty sea water? It is clear that in the sea - both the temperature of the water contributes and the landscape stimulates, but in general everyone remembers that it is easier to stay on the water in salt water. For physics again. The density of water is higher, and therefore the buoyancy of the body is higher. So, this also applies to eggs.

Many salt water when boiling eggs so that the shell does not crack. In such water, almost any egg will pop up, even a fresh ostrich egg probably (although it depends on how much salt). Do not rush to get scared if eggs float in salt water, remember yourself at sea.

There is still a lot of interesting things. About the processes of decay, which develop in chicken eggs rather than in quail eggs, about the unevenness of the sharp and dull ends, about the change in protein over time, about the dependence on the breed and method of feeding ... But there are already many letters, so stop and let us down results.

The freshness of eggs for inexperienced housewives is always a mystery. The intrigue lasts until the shell breaks. But experienced homegrown cooks know: if an egg pops up during cooking, something is wrong with it. It is better to cook the dish from other ingredients, and send the spoiled product to the basket.

When cooking, the egg surfaced: what does it mean

When eggs float in water, it is interpreted unequivocally: you have come across a product not of the first freshness. By moving the item in the pan, you can determine how long it lay on the shelves of the store. To do this, pour in a container of cold water, lay the eggs before cooking. Wait for the local storm to subside, observe.

Mostly the housewives see the following stages:

• a dietary product, which is no more than 8 days old, falls to the bottom, makes no attempt to rise to the surface;
• the egg, which has lain for a week, begins to tend upward with a blunt end;
• 2-3-week goods hang in an upright position somewhere in the middle;
• the one that was taken away from the chicken more than a month ago pops up completely.

See how the shelf life of a product is visually determined. This is how eggs of various freshness behave in cold water.

These characteristics relate to chicken, quail eggs. The experiment gives reliable results, it is impossible to make a mistake in determining the freshness. Unless if you start using a boiled egg instead of raw or salt water. Salt increases the density of the liquid, the experiment will change under such conditions.

This situation occurs: you are sure that the instance is fresh, but it still pops up. You should not scold the experiment, just examine the egg. There are probably cracks in the shell through which air has entered. This is also better not to eat this food - it is not known how the bacteria that penetrated inside affected the quality of the protein, yolk.

Why do eggs float in water

The question can be answered using the same simple observation. As the opportunity arises, compare 2 products: only from under poultry and lying down. They will have a couple of significant differences, due to which the eggs float to the surface.

What does it mean? Properties change because the shell is not airtight. It has pores that allow oxygen through, microorganisms, so that the potential chick has the opportunity to survive. A specific environment is formed inside the product. If it is not cooled in time, not thermally treated, pathological microorganisms will prevail.

Why does it pop up? During storage, the eggs lose moisture, the existing carbon dioxide. Protein becomes more liquid, takes up less space. Inside, an air chamber is formed - a pug. It makes the laid eggs tend to the surface of the water.

Why does an egg float in water when cooking

During heat treatment, even a fresh egg can change its position relative to the bottom. This does not mean that the product suddenly spoiled. The puga is to blame again - it is the main reason that the boiled egg has surfaced after cooking.

Under the influence of high temperature protein, the yolk coagulates. Their volume decreases, excess moisture evaporates, the vacated place is occupied by air. The chamber pushes the product out of the water after cooking.

Is it possible to eat eggs that float in water

If an egg floats in water during cooking, its further fate depends on freshness. It is absolutely forbidden to eat a completely surfaced product. Send this to the basket immediately. It is allowed to eat something that has been lying down for 2-3 weeks, only the egg must be boiled until fully cooked. Poached, scrambled eggs with semi-liquid yolk and protein is better not to do. Health is more expensive.

Eat daily, weekly specimens boldly. First of all, try to use the latter so as not to deteriorate. To avoid unpleasant consequences, choose dishes that involve high-quality heat treatment of eggs - salmonella is also found in the freshest.

Consequences if eggs float in water when boiled

If the explanation of the reasons why an egg pops up during cooking does not seem convincing and you don’t want to refuse spoiled eggs, pay attention to the consequences of eating them. Yes, the product may have a normal appearance, smell, but a freshness test warns that pathological changes inside are already in full swing. If you eat, you risk earning serious poisoning.

The latter appears 6-8 hours after eating. Depending on the degree of damage to the body, the symptoms may be different:

• nausea, severe, frequent vomiting;
• abdominal pains - pulling, in the form of colic, cramping;
• lack of appetite;
• diarrhea, in the worst case - with an admixture of mucus, blood;
• general weakness, chills, inability to fall asleep;
• temperature rise;
• dizziness;
• dehydration;
• numbness of the limbs.

In the event of such, you should immediately seek medical help, otherwise the consequences can be dire. This is especially true for egg poisoning in children. As self-medication, it is only useful to induce vomiting, rinse the stomach until an ambulance arrives. If you have a home, you can also drink a sorbent like activated carbon, enterosgel. Drugs will reduce the number of pathogenic organisms, alleviate suffering.

If you feel sorry for the money spent so much that you are ready to eat a spoiled product, learn to determine their freshness in the store. To do this, it is useful to remember 5 elementary rules. They will not allow sellers to deceive you or inattentively choose the goods which have lain.

1. Check expiration dates. On the box, each copy should be stamped with the dates of production, expiration date.
2. Purchase the product in trusted locations with quality certificates. Buying eggs from the hands of neighbors, at the farmers' market, from lovely grandmothers is an attractive idea. But where are the guarantees that the birds are healthy, and the goods did not lie in the owner’s refrigerator for a couple of weeks?
3. Use an ovoscope. In large supermarkets, next to the egg shelf is a device for determining freshness.
4. Look through the product into the light. If there is no ovoscope, use any other light source. A fresh specimen is fully visible, has no inclusions. Thin veins usually have thin veins, and the monthly differs in dark spots.

More interesting on our website.

We buy eggs in the market or in the supermarket. Unfortunately, it is impossible to check this product for freshness right at the counter, you have to trust stickers with an expiration date. And only at home can you understand whether freshly bought eggs or not.

It is simply impossible to determine the freshness of eggs, which is called “by eye”. This product can lie for a long time at room temperature and no external manifestations imperceptibly. Often buyers ask the seller how fresh the eggs are and the answer is always the same: "Fresh eggs, take it." Check whether the egg is really fresh, you can: break it and understand the freshness of the characteristic smell. If it is repulsive, then the egg is spoiled. But everything to break eggs is not in our plans, so we will check the freshness of eggs in other ways.

  How to check the freshness of eggs in water

Take a large container, such as a pot. It is necessary to pour cold water directly from the tap (no more than 10 cm) into it, and then place eggs in it. You can take turns, so as not to get confused and determine the freshness of each product sequentially.

How to understand the freshness of eggs:

• If the eggs fell to the bottom and do not float up, then you are lucky - you bought fresh-fresh eggs.
• If you see that the eggs are slightly raised with a blunt tip up, then this means that the eggs are not very fresh. They can still be used, but not fresh, but to cook hot dishes (pastries, scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs).
• If the eggs have surfaced, then they are definitely damaged and such a product is generally forbidden to eat. Such eggs must be urgently thrown away. Do you know why it turns out that an egg floats to the surface in water? Every day, moisture gradually evaporates and this space fills the air. The older the product, the more air in it, and therefore the eggs float.

There is also a similar way to test eggs, you need to pour salt into the water to make the solution concentrated. You also need to lower the eggs and see: if they are at the bottom, then the "age" of such a product is from about 2 to 7 days. If the egg rises with a blunt end, and the sharp one remains “glued” to the bottom, then such a product is about 10 days. If the eggs float in saline, then such eggs are already about 2 weeks old. If the eggs float to the surface of the saline solution and “protrude” from it, then such eggs are forbidden to eat, they are not fresh.

  Other methods for checking eggs for freshness

An egg can be broken if one of the eggs tested in the water floats, and then examine the protein and yolk. In appearance of these components, we can say the following:

• if the protein is liquid, and the yolk has become flat, then the egg is not fresh;
• if the protein is dense and viscous, and the yolk is convex, then the egg is fresh.

Another way to check the eggs for freshness: you just need to shake the egg, if you haven’t heard anything, then you can safely eat eggs if you heard “squelching” or a splash, as well as any other sound, this means that there is air inside, which means this egg is no longer fresh and cannot be eaten.

  About the expiration date and egg storage rules

The manufacturer always indicates the expiration date of the product on the package. If the eggs were stored correctly, in compliance with all the rules, then they will be fresh.

What you need to pay attention to when buying eggs:

• You need to buy fresh eggs, so pay attention to the shelf life of the product. If expired - not worth the risk.
• You need to store eggs in a cold place - in the refrigerator at a temperature not higher than + 6 ° C. If you keep the eggs at home on the table, they will deteriorate faster.
• Cook eggs for at least 5 minutes.
• If the expiration date has expired, then these eggs can be eaten, but only if the eggs were stored in the refrigerator and you need to cook such a product at a sufficiently high temperature (from +70 ° C).
• If you see that the egg burst, then it is forbidden to store it. It is advisable to cook something from such a product.