A good day starts with a good breakfast – and what can be better than some fresh yummy eggs! You reach for eggs but can’t remember how long they have been sitting there. Are they still good to eat? When in doubt, there are several methods you can use to determine if your eggs are good or bad. One of the most popular is the float test.
More light – more eggs!
Summer is chickens’ favorite time of the year. Long warm days give them plenty of opportunities to wander in search of delicious worms to slurp, insects to peck, sweet flowers to savor, and anything and everything else that catches their eyes. On the other hand, daylight is a crucial component to encouraging chickens to lay eggs. Chickens lay eggs during the day, most frequently in the morning. They need at least 12 hours of light per day, whereas 14 to 16 hours of light exposure will keep them performing at their full potential. The breed of chicken you have can significantly impact the number of eggs you should expect to receive each day. For example, Leghorn chickens can produce 4-6 white eggs per week, while Sultan chickens produce only one egg per week.Here are some tips on how can you help your chickens lay more eggs:
MORE EGGS FROM CHICKENS
If you have many chickens in your flock, you can somedays pick up more eggs than you and your family can eat. You can safely store unwashed freshly-laid eggs from backyard chickens or a local farm at room temperature for several days or even a couple of weeks. Storing them in the refrigerator can increase their shelf life (up to 2 months). But what if you are not sure which are the fresh ones? Maybe you heard about the float test.
Try float test to identify the freshness of the egg.
Eggs are a few foods where age, and shelf life are challenging to identify, as their content and appearance do not change, even after the expiration date. However, a straightforward test helps us to check if the eggs are fresh. All we need is a glass container and water. This test is called the float test for eggs.Here’s how it works …Process:Pour water into half of the glass bowl and place raw eggs in the shell in it.Egg freshness indicators:
1. The freshest egg
The egg is freshest if, as soon as you place it in a bowl of water, it sinks to the bottom and remains motionless there.
2. A week-old egg
The seven-day-old egg sinks to the bottom of the bowl but not to the entire surface. One part remains elevated.
3. A three-week-old egg
After three weeks, the egg, which is still within the shelf life, seeks its balance in a bowl of water and quickly rises from the bottom of the container.
4. Old egg
If the egg is immersed in water and floats to the surface, it means that it is old and potentially expired. Therefore, you should do a sniffing test before eating it.
Why does the float test work?
A thin membrane is in each egg, and there is a small air cell between the membrane and the shell. This air pocket grows larger than an egg, so a very fresh egg will have smaller air cells than an older egg. When you place an entire egg in water, the air cell affects its buoyancy. The bigger the air pocket, the more floating ability the egg has. The more it will float, showing you the egg’s age. This information is basic egg science that you can use to your advantage in the kitchen.While this method may tell you whether an egg is fresh or old, it doesn’t mean whether it is good or bad. For example, an egg can sink and still be bad, while an egg that floats may still be fine to eat. Fortunately, other methods can help you decide whether you should eat this egg or throw it away.
Shine a light on your egg
Candling is used to identify which eggs are fertilized and how each embryo is developing. You can also use this information to tell whether eggs are fresh or old. All you need is a dark room and a small, bright source of light. In the past, people used candles, hence the name “candling,” but you can use a small flashlight or reading light instead. With a little bit of practice, you will tell what’s going on inside the shell.First, hold the light source up to the large end of the egg, tilt the egg, and turn it quickly from left to right. You should see only a sliver of air (thinner than 1/8 inch, or 3.175 mm) at the top and a light yolk in the middle. If there’s a slightly larger pocket of air and a darker yolk, the egg’s still okay, but you should use it soon. If there’s a gaping area of air and some coagulated yolk, you better toss it. Candling can be helpful, but it cannot tell you if an egg has gone bad like the float test. Trust your senses before using eggs for meals.
Trust your nose, ears, and eyes.
Use your eyes, ears, and nose to check if an egg is good before cooking. A cracked shell or broken protective membrane can let bacteria in, so avoid using cracked eggs. Shake the egg if you hear movement, the yolk is likely runny, and the egg is unsafe. After cracking, fresh eggs have thick whites that don’t spread and yolks that stand tall in a dome. Thin, watery whites or flattened, fragile yolks indicate older eggs. Cloudy whites show freshness, while clear whites suggest an older egg but not necessarily a rotten one. When in doubt, rely on smell. A rotten egg has an unmistakable odor. If it stinks, discard it immediately, and wash any utensils or bowls with hot, soapy water before using them again.
