Today, snooping around blogs and forums, I came across an interesting article about eggs. Eggs are fun. In Europe, they are not refrigerated. In the US, they are recommended to be refrigerated. I knew that, but how necessary it is. I think the bottom line about eggs is that as long as you keep them in a cool, dry place and at a constant temperature, they will last. That article said that refrigerated eggs will last three to four weeks. I agree, but since I go through about three dozen eggs a week, I’ve never had a chance to taste it.
I grew up on a dairy farm, and once we sold it when I was three years old, we moved into a farmhouse. He had a shed. He also had an older sister. She was in 4-H. 4-H was a country thing, a club that boys and girls could join to improve or increase their skills in home life, gardening, cooking, or animals. The four H’s stand for Head, Heart, Hands and Health. My sister took care of the animals, I went to cook. His animals consisted of thirty chicks that were turned into chickens. The roosters were slaughtered in infancy by the seller. Agway comes to mind. Roosters became oven roasters elsewhere. Jenny, my sister, was interested in eggs.
I think I was about seven when we had those birds. I learned a few things about them. They are not cute beings. If a bird is in a nest when it comes to collecting eggs, it may be pecked. I broke and cracked a lot of eggs trying to get one out from under an old whore. It was a reflex of pecks and jerks. They are also stupid. I bring them food and water and they never seemed grateful for that. You can see that these birds also became part of my responsibility. So it is in family life.
If you have read my article on ‘Amateur in the kitchen’, you will know that I started cooking at a young age. Seven, actually, with a mishap when making whoopee cakes. So with this early start in baking, I got used to really fresh eggs. I have some things to tell you about them.
Based on the article I mentioned earlier, the eggs will last three to four weeks. So if they smell bad, well, they are bad and they throw them away. I think it was obvious. But after years of chickens and eggs, knowing which to use for fried eggs and which to use in baked goods comes in handy. A really fresh egg has a cloudy white. As it ages, the white lightens. A really fresh yolk is deep yellow in color and sometimes more orange than yellow. When placed in a hot pan for fried eggs, that yolk will rise up with a nicely rounded dome. A yolk that sits flat in the pan has aged. Each egg when laid has an air pocket at the pointed end of the egg. As the egg ages, the air sac enlarges. It becomes so large that the egg will float in a glass of water. Yes. This does affect the taste of the breakfast egg. No. It’s okay to bake. I make a lot of deviled eggs. A large airbag will change the shape of that stuffed egg and make presentation awkward.
If you want to smell your egg to see if it is bad, do so with caution. A rotten egg will stink of sulfur dioxide. Think of the smell of the catalytic converter or someone with really bad gas. It is unmistakable. You don’t have to put your nose in the plate to smell it. You will know immediately.
I had a real experience with rotten eggs. The grandparents of a childhood friend owned a chicken and egg ranch next door. When the last chickens were removed and sent to market, the barn was left empty for several months. This friend and I explored the ranch and found several eggs that were never collected. It was August and it was hot. We collected those eggs, hid behind a huge oak tree, and threw eggs at passing cars. Of course, they caught us and punished us accordingly. But the smell of those rotten eggs permeated the neighborhood for a long time.