Eggs are nutritious, an excellent source of protein and provide essential nutrients. Two large (105g) Grade A eggs contain 13g of protein and only 160 calories. Canada’s Food Guide considers eggs to be a valuable source of high-quality protein.
Including eggs in your diet is beneficial for your health but have you ever questioned the best way to store your eggs to keep them fresh. Eggs.ca gives us a few answers:
Always keep eggs in their carton. Your egg carton protects the eggs and prevents them from absorbing strong odours and flavours of other foods in your fridge through the thousands of tiny pores in the egg shell. The “Best Before” date is always visible to you so you can guarantee freshness. Eggs should always be stored with the large end up, the same way they are packaged in the carton to help the yolk remain centered.
Eggs should not be stored on the refrigerator door, but in the main body of the refrigerator to ensure that they keep a consistent and cool temperature.
Leftover raw egg whites and yolks should be put in airtight containers and stored in the refrigerator immediately. To prevent yolks from drying out, cover them with a little cold water. Drain the water before using.
When storing hard boiled eggs, you may notice a “gassy” odour in your refrigerator. The odour is caused by hydrogen sulphide, which forms when eggs are cooked. It’s harmless and usually dissipates in a few hours.
The recommended storage times for fresh shell eggs are by the best before date, leftover yolks or whites within 2 to 4 days, and hard boiled eggs within one week.
The easiest way to tell if your eggs are fresh is by the Best Before Date on your egg carton, so it’s best to always keep your eggs stored in their original carton. Here are a few more simple ways to determine the freshness of your eggs:
Grade A eggs have a firm white, a small air cell at the wide end and a centered yolk.
A fresh egg will sink in water while an older egg will float. As an egg ages, the size of the air cell inside increases, causing it to float.
• In a fresh egg, the yolk sits up high, and the white is thick and closely surrounds the yolk. An older egg has a flat yolk that breaks easily and a thin, watery white.
• To differentiate between hard boiled eggs and raw eggs, simply spin it. A hard boiled egg will spin longer than a raw egg. The liquid centre in a raw egg prevents it from building up enough momentum to keep turning.
• A cloudy egg white is a sign of freshness, not age: the cloudiness is the result of the high carbon dioxide content when the egg is laid.
