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blowin · Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 3:12 am Post subject: what do we know about eggs ?

I was taking me ages to peel a hard boiled egg because the white wouldn't part from the shell without the whole lot breaking up . I eventually remembered that this is the downside of using really fresh eggs for this purpose . Slightly older ( 3 - 4 day ) ones peel much more easily .
So what other little gems of knowledge are there ?
- Chinese Thousand Year eggs aren't old , they just look it after being cracked all round and boiled in tea for several days . I think !
- When you crack a really fresh egg onto a flat surface , then look at it from the side , you will see that it rises in 3 distinct layers or mounds -- the thinish white on the outside , then more jelly-like white , then the yolk standing pround . Older eggs have only 2 layers -- the two types of white just merge and spread out together .
- If you are daft enough to put a hard boiled egg in the fridge then can't remember which one it was , lay it on a flat surface and spin it reasonably firmly . ( If you spin it really hard it will stand up on end -- which is one way to win that bar bet , but has nothing to do with the original tip ) . Then bring it to an abrupt stop ( but not by whacking it ) and immediately let it go again . The boiled egg will stay still . A fresh one will start to turn again .
- If you place an egg in water it should lay there with both ends at about the same level . If one is noticeably higher , say 45% , the egg is either addled ( blood vessels ) or going stale . If vertical and / floating off the bottom you definitely would not want to break it in the kitchen !
..... There is also something about the age of the eggs and sponge cake rising ???

chook · Joined: 14 Mar 2007 Posts: 305 Location: North Clare

What fascinates me about eggs is that they are like little spaceships. The mother bird kind of sends it out into the world and, if fertilized and if the parents were well nourished, the egg contains not only the genetic code for making a new bird but also all the nutrients required to make this little creature.
Imagine popping out a baby PLUS all the food it needs until it is ready to run around! Laughing

wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1171 Location: Campile. Wexford

I tend to allow a 45deg egg but no further. I dont think that this shows a bad egg but one that is not that fresh. My old dog loved the rejects which I would break into his bowl and they looked and smelt fine Wink

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keithrawlins · Joined: 18 Feb 2007 Posts: 152 Location: banbridge

i peel my boiled eggs by rolling them with a bit of pressure from the heel of my hand, you lose less white on a fresh egg as there is less shell for it to stick to.

blowin · Posted: Thu Mar 22, 2007 3:57 pm Post subject:

I love that spaceship anology .

- washing hens eggs takes the natural sealant off them , so they will go bad more quickly .
- on average the age of a supermarket egg will be .. ???? .. days by the time its use-by date comes around .

keithrawlins · Joined: 18 Feb 2007 Posts: 152 Location: banbridge

not sure but i cracked one of my 10 day old eggs in to the pan and the white still wasnot as runny as a shop bought still in its date
so your ges is as good as mine.

chook · Joined: 14 Mar 2007 Posts: 305 Location: North Clare

GB · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 317 Location: Ireland

Chinese thousand year eggs are boiled in sulphur water, it makes them go black........ghak, as if eggs wernt sulphurous enough

and if you spin a hard boiled egg it will spin freely
spin a fresh one and it wobbles

oh, and you can squeeze an egg in your hand as hard as you like and it wont break..........this ones false, as my youngest brother proved at a get together one day. SPLAT, egg dripping from between his fingers. We still laugh at him for that one Laughing

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wayland · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 1171 Location: Campile. Wexford

A point about washing eggs. We must use warm water as this will make the inside expand. This stops the egg drawing into its self dirt through the pores in the shell if it was to contract by using cold water. Very important with duck eggs as the pores are bigger.
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chook · Joined: 14 Mar 2007 Posts: 305 Location: North Clare

Quite true. Methinks this should only be done directly prior to consumption though, as washing does destroy the cuticula.
Actually, as regards duck eggs, I have been wondering about that lately since I saw a friend wash fresh duck eggs which would then have been stored for consumption/sale at a later date. Didn't want to say anything but I thought it was a bit dicy? Embarassed

chook