Eggs are perhaps the most common and frequently consumed foods as they are not only tasty but also rich in protein. In fact, many of us have the habit to buy a number of eggs and store them in our house so that we can eat them at any time.
However, do these eggs go bad over time? Obviously, like any other food, the eggs may also have the possibility to be rotten. And whenever we eat any decayed food, we may suffer from the risk of experiencing some food-related diseases. Thus, as an egg consumer, you have to know about the chance of eggs of going bad.
How to identify the rotten eggs?
Those, who try to know whether their eggs are rotten, think that if opened or cracked, they can recognize the eggs. However, it is a quite bad idea and it may be difficult to know if the eggs have turned out to be worsened. The eggs, if not opened, may still be examined through a simple trick.
What you have to do now is fill up one container with some cold water. Then, put this egg inside the container. If the egg drops to the base, it is not bad. If it goes down but rests on a point, then also it is good; however, it will not be good for longer time. If the eggs float, pitch it. This trick works as old eggs losses much liquid, which evaporates through leaky shell. As a result, the egg remains floated.
It is unlikely that the eggs may become bad, while kept inside the refrigerator. However, in due course it may dry up. Eggs may not get spoiled automatically after date. On the contrary, even if the eggs are kept in the refrigerator, they may lose its freshness in some cases. Generally, most of the common people try to find out the mold in order to determine the moldiness. Besides, they may also check whether there is any foul odor, released from the eggs. Still, it is quite harder to make out the exact condition of the eggs. And there are some more alternative ways that you can try to get the answer. The following options may inform you about how long does last if you have bought the eggs right now-
- Date of packing – You can find it out by seeing the carton of the eggs. In fact, it is the day when your eggs have been cleansed, marked, and then packed into boxes. It is the three-digit code, which corresponds to the date of a year.
- Date of expiration – At times, there is the date of expiration rather than a sell date. Here, no federal rule is present to mandate the mentioning of the date.
- Sell-by time – Egg dealers aren’t federally directed to tag the egg with the date; however some nations often need it. It should not go beyond forty five days before the date of packing.
In some of the instances, if you cannot find out the date, mentioned on carton, then it is better to consume those eggs within about 3 weeks. It may allow you to get the best quality of the eggs. It means that the yolk portion will be upstanding, while its white part may be firm and tall.
In accordance with some experts, raw eggs within shell may be stored in the fridge for about three to five weeks. Freezing your eggs within the shell, however, isn’t a good idea. Rather, strike those eggs and then freeze outside this shell.
It is already said that an egg is perishable item and should be stocked up in a freezer or refrigerator. There are lots of factors, which may affect the time period for which the eggs remain fresh. While properly managed or preserved, eggs hardly ever spoil. But, when you keep these items for a very long time, then they will possibly dry up.
Storage at refrigerator – Keep your eggs in refrigerator, where the temperature is about 40°F or quite less than that. Store your eggs in original container on an interior shelf. The eggs must be kept away from spicy or pungent foodstuffs. Temperature level on any interior shelf is more stable than that of the shelf on door that is closed or opened very often. The container or the carton helps to prevent eggs from having contact with flavors or odors of other items. Moreover, it also assists to avoid the loss of moisture.
Raw eggs, which are detached from the shells, must be chilled in a strongly wrapped box. Refrigerated yolks of egg must be encompassed with some water in order to avert them from getting dried; drain it prior to using.
Storage at freezer – If there are a considerable number of eggs that you cannot use within one week, then it is better to freeze them, outside the shells. However, freeze just fresh or clean eggs. Then, put them into containers of freezer, fasten strongly and tag with the yolks or white, the date and the number of available eggs. Unfreeze frozen eggs all night inside refrigerator.
The yolks of eggs become solidified, while frozen. In order to prevent the formation of gel, punch in one-eight spoon salt or sugar prior to freezing. Mark them- with sugar or with salt on the sticker.
In general, with the passing of time, the white portion of eggs turns out to be thinner, while the yolks turn fatter. In most of the cases, eggs may be edible for a number of weeks, just after being laid. Many people have seen that the eggs may lose their quality sooner, if left out at usual room temperature.
There is a global argument about the old issue on whether eggs must be kept in refrigerator or at any room temperature. Generally, Americans are likely to store eggs inside fridge in order to boost up the shelf life as well as to put off bacterial infectivity. Conversely, the British people are not much likely to store eggs in fridge. The difference between the processes of storing eggs in the two nations may be recognized to several factors, for example diverse marketing rules from each of the countries. To settle this debate, a systematic study is conducted to expose which one is right- warm egger or chill egger.
The reasons for which Americans keep the eggs cold
For people in the USA, storing eggs inside refrigerator is not merely about taste — it is done to avoid the growth of Salmonella. These are more than 140,000 diseases, caused every year due to the consumption of eggs, polluted with the bacteria, Salmonella. Moreover, in America, hens do not need to be immunized against the bacteria, with just one-third of cultivators, deciding to vaccinate the flocks.
Due to these practices and policies of immunization, it is essential to store eggs with refrigeration. In order to reduce the possibility of infectivity and to expand shelf life, all eggs must be stocked in the carton in fridge. When this is done, they must last almost 4 to 5 weeks with no considerable quality loss. Conversely, British rules state that the hens have to be inoculated for Salmonella.
Chill Eggers
There is a strong belief among the chill eggers that preserving eggs under cool temperatures may stop the multiplication of the bacteria. It is thought that storing a polluted egg under normal temperature may just enable bacteria to grow.
Can warm eggs be harmless?
To solve the debate on the egg storage, some researchers have made experiment. One batch of eggs has been stored at room temperature, which usually range from 68°F to 77°F. On the other hand, another one has been placed at usual fridge temperature that is nearly 43°F. Then, they have been tested constantly to find out the bacteria, like Listeria and Salmonella. The outcomes of the research have proved that the two sets of eggs remain equally free from bacteria throughout the period of the study. There is, in fact, no benefit in refrigerating the eggs rather than stocking them at room temperature.
The main thing is that due to the differences of the policies of the vaccination of hen, Americans are directed to pile up the eggs inside the refrigerator; however Britons may remain certain that any of the storage processes is utterly safe.
Overall, eggs may be lose its original quality in due course, but their storage process depend completely on you.