Delicious, and most importantly healthy, eggs have long been included in the human diet. But so that they do not lose all their useful properties under the influence of the environment, it is necessary to properly observe the conditions for their storage.
What you didn't know
Everyone can remember how to store eggs, but you also need to understand what this or that storage condition affects, and, believe me, there are many facts that you will hear about for the first time. For example, that the egg "breathes". Despite the fact that the shell looks solid in appearance, it consists of several thousand pores. Outside on the shell there is a protective layer that allows only air to pass through the pores and does not allow microorganisms to penetrate inside. Incidentally, the color of the shell does not affect its nutritional value or quality, it depends on the breed of chicken. However, brown eggs have thicker shells, so their shelf life is slightly longer and during transportation they rarely form microcracks. True, blood stains are more common in brown eggs, but they do not spoil the taste in the least and do not affect health. But if there is a blood ring on the yolk, such an egg must be thrown out immediately - this means that an embryo began to form in it, but for some reason died.
Shelf life
The standard shelf life of an egg is: if it is raw and not cracked and stored at a temperature of 5 to 15 degrees - a month, from two to 5 degrees - up to three months. If the egg is boiled and has lain for more than four days at a temperature of 5 to 15 degrees, you should not eat it, and if it cracked during cooking or you have already peeled it, it will most likely deteriorate by the third day. At 2-5 degrees, a boiled egg can be stored for up to 20 days. Cooked dishes with eggs will deteriorate in four days, a raw, broken egg in a closed container will last only two.
How to check for freshness
If you are in doubt about the freshness of eggs, check them before cooking - dip them one at a time into a deep container filled with water. If the egg is completely fresh and has not been stored for more than a week, it will lie horizontally on the bottom. If the blunt end rises, it means that it is stored longer - over time, during storage, an air bubble forms inside the egg, because moisture gradually comes out of it, and air takes its place, and the egg, as it were, “dries up”. If the egg hangs in the middle, it means that it has been stored for a long time, and there is more air in it, but you can still eat it. But if it has already surfaced, then it's time to throw it away. Even if the egg has passed this test, it should first be broken into a separate container and inspected. If the protein is cloudy and whitish, then it is fresh (turbidity is given by bubbles of carbon dioxide, which also all evaporate over time). If the protein has darkened or an unpleasant smell is present, it has deteriorated.
