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But egg management is a big deal, even farm-fresh eggs can go bad.
As a chicken farmer, Ive learned the hard way.
director of quality assurance atEggland’s Best
If youve ever cracked a bad egg, you know that the smell ishorrific.
Nothing brings on a spell of gagging quite like a rotten egg.
How do you avoid this brutal nasal assault?
A quick Internet search suggests an egg float test.
But is the egg float legit?
We turned the eggs-perts to tell us if the test is valid.
Plus, they provide tips on how to keep eggs fresh longer.
What is the egg float test?
One method weve used to test the freshness of our eggs is the egg float test.
director of quality assurance atEggland’s Best
My kids (the egg overseers) will fill up a big bowl of water and test away.
If the egg is fresh, it will sink to the bottom of the cup.
Additionally, its length will remain flat against the bottom.
The less fresh your egg is, the more it will float.
How in the world does putting an egg in water determine its freshness?
Since eggshells are porous, eggs lose moisture from inside during storage.
The interior contents shrink and create an air cell in the large end of the egg.
This makes an egg increasingly more buoyant the longer it is stored.
Buoyancy can, therefore, give a general indication of how old an egg is, Slaugh says.
But you dont have to dump all those floating eggs in the trash.
A floating egg maystill be safe to eat.
It is important to note that this is a test of freshness and not a safety test.
What are other ways to tell if eggs are fresh?
How long do unwashed eggs last?
Store-bought eggs have been washed and sanitized, but farm-fresh eggs may be unwashed.
Whether or not you wash the bloom off is up for debate.
Those who prefer farm-fresh eggs like the fact that the eggs have a natural sealno sanitizing solution required.
Additionally, proponents of keeping the bloom intact say that the eggs last longer.
But research doesnt seem to support this particular notion.
For large egg producers, it makes sense that washing would be the norm.
Retaining top quality is important for overall consumer satisfaction and safety.
Washing eggs helps to reduce the risk of cross-contamination when eggs are handled during meal preparation, Slaugh says.
How do I get my eggs to last longer?
Proper refrigeration is the answer.
According to theUSDA, raw eggs in the shell last in the fridge for three to five weeks.
The same goes for farm-fresh eggs.
If they were refrigerated, they must stay that way.
So get those eggs into the refrigerator ASAP.
In addition, you may also want to store your eggs near the bottom of the fridge.
Finally, Slaugh gives one last pro-tip for better-tasting eggs: Keep your eggs away from strong-smelling foods.
Because of their porous shells, eggs can pick up the flavors of the things around them.
So separate them from your fish, garlic, or onions to prevent flavor changes.
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