Should the egg float? How to select and store fresh, quality eggs

The sacred property of water, which our ancestors knew about and which we have forgotten for some reason, is that water does not accept any muck in itself - everything bad will certainly float up in the water. You can always check the quality of the eggs. To do this, pour cold clean water into a deep bowl and lower raw eggs into it. This is how chicken eggs are usually checked, and quail eggs too.

A fresh egg always sinks to the bottom in water, while a bad one will float to the top. Floated eggs should not be eaten in any form, they can only be thrown into the trash. This is how I always determine the freshness of eggs at home. This is an ancient method of our ancestors, which can be used in our time.

Why does a stale egg float in water?

A small space at the blunt end of the egg is filled with air for the embryo's gas exchange. The two-layer shell membrane in this chamber allows air and moisture to pass through. The older the egg, the more air collects over time at the blunt end of the egg. The first variant of the reason for raising the egg to the surface is banal old age. Old raw eggs always float in water.

Why does a spoiled egg float in water?

The egg shell has micropores and allows air to enter along with microbes. As a result of this, the processes of decay and protein decomposition can occur over time. As a result, gases are released, and gases are always lighter than water. The more gases, the higher the egg floats. A floating egg may indicate not only the age of the egg, but also that it may be rotten. And this is the second reason for eggs to float in water - rottenness.

If you bought eggs in the market, in the store, in the supermarket and at home they all drowned in a bowl of water, then you bought good fresh eggs and you can eat them, cook various dishes and pastries with them. But the floating eggs floating near the surface should be thrown into the trash so as not to get poisoned.

Checking the freshness of eggs at home is easy. To do this, it is enough to pour about ten centimeters into the container of cold water. Dip the eggs in the bowl for a minute.

Bad, spoiled, rotten eggs will immediately float in water. This is due to a violation of the density inside the shells of raw eggs.

This can also occur if storage conditions are violated: non-compliance with the temperature regime, the assumption of a sharp temperature drop.

Eggs that have floated to the surface, but only the very tip is visible from the water, may still be quite suitable for food, but they must be used before all others.

They tend to accumulate air between the shell and the outer shell of the protein. This is a necessary condition for gas exchange.

The layer, like a gateway, saturates the egg with the necessary oxygen for further development, and releases accumulated gases through the shell, including methane. That is why they go out and exhaust such a smell.

Fresh ones stay at the bottom. The amount of oxygen in them is minimal, they were demolished quite recently.

note! A fresh egg always stays at the bottom. The spoiled floats to the surface.

It is almost impossible to check the freshness of raw eggs in the store. It is important to monitor the integrity of the shell.

Bacteria can enter through the cracks and spoil the egg.. After that, it will become unfit for consumption.

How to check a boiled egg for freshness

If the egg is already cooked, then you can check it by cleaning it:

1. Good, young hard to clean. The shell is very tight to the shell, and when peeling, part of the cooked protein leaves together.
2. If it is not the freshest, it will be very easy to clean.. She literally moves away from the protein along with the shell.
3. If the egg is already rotten, then a sharp unpleasant odor will immediately arise when cleaning., which is impossible to confuse.

Important! A fresh boiled egg is difficult to peel. And what has been stored for some time is easy to clean. An egg that has gone bad after cleaning has a sharp unpleasant odor.

Buyers in stores try to take chicken eggs of the first category or selected ones, because they are larger. From the point of view of their usefulness, this is not entirely true.

After all, the largest ones carry old chickens, which are already becoming obsolete. Young growth lays eggs more and more often, but they are noticeably smaller.

Eggs of young chickens are more useful: they have more calcium, magnesium, protein and other useful trace elements.

While large eggs of old laying hens contain more cholesterol, which is the main cause of heart and vascular diseases, and also leads to obesity.

Eggs of small sizes of the second and third categories are much cheaper.

When choosing eggs in a store, pay attention to:

1. The surface of the shell should be smooth and without cracks.
2. Choose the eggs of young chickens - they are more useful.
3. When you get home, use a glass of water to check for freshness.

How to check the freshness of quail and other eggs?

Goose, duck, quail, chicken eggs have a limited shelf life, which largely depends on the temperature regime.

You can also check the freshness of quail eggs with water.. And also, considering the surface of the shell - it should be even, smooth, without flaws and cracks.

The freshness of eggs depends entirely on the storage periods that must be observed. If they have been stored in stores for too long, they are sold at a low price.

They may not be rotten or spoiled, but they already definitely have a completely different structure.

The processes that take place in the egg do not stop, but only slow down when they are placed in the cold.

Waterfowl eggs are rarely used as food. More often they are left for the reproduction of numbers.

The shelf life is determined by the storage conditions of the product. The cooler and more saturated with moisture the environment, the longer the eggs remain fresh.

Be sure to cover the top with a damp cloth or tightly close the lid. Opened eggs dry out quickly. The yolk in this form can be stored in the refrigerator for one to two days. Protein - up to four to five days.

Checking egg quality with an ovoscope

An ovoscope is a device that has been used since ancient times, and is still used today to check the quality of eggs. This simple device is a flashlight with a directional beam of light.

You can check the eggs with an ovoscope at home. It is easy to make at home:

• To do this, you need a regular flashlight or lamp.
• Place the flashlight in a light-tight box so that the light comes from above.
• At the top of the box, you need to make a hole that will be smaller than the size of the egg.
• Put the egg itself on this hole and carefully examine it.

A good quality young egg has a smooth surface and an even color without spots or flaws.. Inside the egg, which has been violated storage conditions, sometimes you can even see how a chicken is born.

This is noticeable by bloody clots inside the shell and specific outlines. A rotten egg, when translucent with an ovoscope, will have an unpleasant cloudy tint.

Important! To keep eggs fresh longer, they do not need to be washed before storage, so as not to break the protective layer of the shell.

Useful video

Any housewife wants to check the freshness of eggs at home and be sure of their quality. The freshness of eggs can be determined in water. Do you have homemade eggs or store eggs - sometimes doubts arise and it takes only a couple of minutes to dispel them!

On our mini-farm, especially in the summer, it often happens that a lot of eggs accumulate. You sort them for some time, shift them where it is fresher, but then you will certainly get confused anyway. And then simple tests help me.

Egg freshness tests at home

• The easiest is to shake the egg near your ear. If it flounders, it means that it is not the first freshness, it has taken in air. A fresh egg is filled tightly and nothing dangles inside.

• The second test - to establish the freshness of eggs in water - is precisely based on checking the amount of air that entered the egg through the pores of the shell.

Test for freshness of eggs in water. The egg is at the bottom.

There is no air in the freshest egg laid that day. A chicken egg does not float, it lies at the bottom of a glass of water.

The shell membrane of the egg (film) fits snugly against the shell, and the inner one covers the protein. They are strongly connected to each other.

It is for this reason that it is absolutely impossible to peel a fresh hard-boiled egg!!! The shell lags behind only with the protein and no cold water after cooking will help! The peeled egg has a completely unpresentable appearance!

For hard boiled - I select chicken eggs, which have already lain down for a week.

Test for freshness of eggs in water. The egg floats in the middle of the glass.

The egg has risen with the blunt end up or is floating in the middle of a glass of water.

After the egg cools, the egg mass inside the shell shrinks somewhat, decreases in volume. The inner shells (films) diverge, forming an air pocket on the blunt side of the egg. The longer the egg lies, the more moisture evaporates through the pores of the shell and air is sucked in.

With such freshness, eggs are wonderfully hard-boiled and easily peeled!

Test for freshness of eggs in water. The egg floated.

The egg is on the surface of the water, completely surfaced.

Therefore, the egg is old, has been lying for a long time and sucked a lot of air. Inside there have been qualitative changes. The protein became liquid, like water. The yolk has flattened out.

This does not mean that the egg is spoiled and should not be eaten.

I sometimes lay such eggs from the total mass and break them into a separate cup, in case it is still spoiled. And since domestic chickens almost every day, then there is always plenty of fresh eggs. old chicken eggs I usually give it to the dog.

By the way, domestic eggs you can’t wash everything at once, but only the amount that you are going to cook.

Chicken eggs are covered with a shell membrane (cuticle). It closes pores, prevents excessive evaporation of moisture and serves as an antibacterial barrier. Over time, the cuticle breaks down and the egg becomes shiny. It's another one test for the freshness of eggs at home!

The sacred property of water, which our ancestors knew about and which we have forgotten for some reason, is that water does not accept any muck in itself - everything bad will certainly float up in the water. You can always check the quality of the eggs. To do this, pour cold clean water into a deep bowl and lower raw eggs into it. This is how chicken eggs are usually checked, and quail eggs too.

A fresh egg always sinks to the bottom in water, while a bad one will float to the top. Floated eggs should not be eaten in any form, they can only be thrown into the trash. This is how I always determine the freshness of eggs at home. This is an ancient method of our ancestors, which can be used in our time.

Why does a stale egg float in water?

A small space at the blunt end of the egg is filled with air for the embryo's gas exchange. The two-layer shell membrane in this chamber allows air and moisture to pass through. The older the egg, the more air collects over time at the blunt end of the egg. The first variant of the reason for raising the egg to the surface is banal old age. Old raw eggs always float in water.

Why does a spoiled egg float in water?

The egg shell has micropores and allows air to enter along with microbes. As a result of this, the processes of decay and protein decomposition can occur over time. As a result, gases are released, and gases are always lighter than water. The more gases, the higher the egg floats. A floating egg may indicate not only the age of the egg, but also that it may be rotten. And this is the second reason for eggs to float in water - rottenness.

If you bought eggs in the market, in the store, in the supermarket and at home they all drowned in a bowl of water, then you bought good fresh eggs and you can eat them, cook various dishes and pastries with them. But the floating eggs floating near the surface should be thrown into the trash so as not to get poisoned.

People who at least sometimes go into the kitchen to not only eat, but also cook something, notice useful little things over time. For example, that eggs do not float during cooking, but lie on the bottom. Therefore, the vague suspicions that arise when a raw egg floats in water are not unfounded.

What is there inside?

The difficulties of determining the freshness of such a product when buying are obvious. Especially in supermarkets, where eggs are often sold in closed, opaque packaging. But everything becomes clear when we bring them home and start cooking. If at the same time you have to break them, then the following signs should alert you:

1. The smell of hydrogen sulfide.
2. Opaque white.
3. When broken into a pan or bowl, the yolk immediately spreads.

But how do you test the freshness of an egg without breaking it? Just immerse in water. If the egg floats in the water, it is spoiled or stale.

Why does a spoiled egg float?

Contrary to popular belief, an egg is not hermetic at all. The shell has pores so that the chick can breathe. But in addition to oxygen, microorganisms also penetrate through them. As a result of the vital activity of some of them, putrefactive processes develop and gases are released. If an egg floats in water, it means that a lot of gases have accumulated in it, which are lighter than water.

By the way, even if there are no harmful microorganisms inside that cause rotting and an unpleasant odor, the old egg will still float. Air gradually accumulates between the protein and shell membranes on the blunt side. For the same reason, a stale egg is very light.

By the way, this is why it is recommended to store eggs with the blunt end up so that the yolk does not come into contact with the air chamber. And it is better not to put them in a compartment in the refrigerator door, as its frequent opening leads to the fact that they deteriorate faster.

If the egg does not fully float

When, when immersed in water, the egg immediately goes to the bottom and takes a horizontal position, then we have a very fresh product. But over time, the chemical processes occurring inside change the consistency of the protein and yolk, making them more liquid. Therefore, if the egg floats in the water with a blunt end up, then it is about a week old. So, you can still eat it. If it takes a vertical position, then it is about 2-3 weeks old. An egg that is more than a month old floats completely and cannot be eaten.

deceptive salt

Knowledgeable people add a little salt when boiling eggs so that accidentally broken eggs do not leak out. Therefore, it should be noted that if you first added salt to the water, then the correct definition of freshness will be in question. The fact is that salt increases the density of water. If an egg floats in water that has been previously salted, this does not necessarily mean that it is stale. But if it lies horizontally even in salt water, then there can be no fresh product.

How to determine the quality of eggs in the store

So that it does not happen that all three dozen eggs bought suddenly surface, you should try to determine their freshness when buying.

1. View the expiration date. It must be borne in mind that the class of the product must be indicated on the packaging. There are diet eggs that are stored for no more than 8 days, and there are canteen eggs (blue print), which we most often buy. Their maximum shelf life is a month. There is also a class of long-term ones. They can be kept in the refrigerator for about six months, but these are rarely found in stores.
2. Examine the surface. The shell should be matte and slightly rough. It is smooth and shiny only in stale eggs.
3. Weigh the egg in your hand. If it is old, it will be very light in weight.
4. Shake the egg. When it is fresh, the yolk does not move inside. This means that you will not feel that something is hanging in the shell, and you will not hear any sounds when shaking.

Well, now we have figured out what's what, and realized that if the egg floats completely in the water, then it is stale, or even rotten. However, a boiled egg may float up, mistakenly placed next to raw ones, but such confusion rarely occurs. Therefore, it is better not to save on health and throw away a stale product.

When cooking, the egg floated: what does it mean

When the eggs float in the water, this is interpreted unambiguously: you have come across a product that is not the first freshness. By moving an item in a saucepan, you can determine how long it has lain on store shelves. To do this, pour cold water into a container, put the eggs before cooking. Wait for the local storm to subside, watch.

Basically, hostesses see the following stages:

• a dietary product that is no more than 8 days old falls to the bottom, does not attempt to rise to the surface;
• an egg that has lain for a week begins to strive upward with a blunt end;
• 2-3 week product hangs upright somewhere in the middle;
• the one that was taken from the chicken more than a month ago pops up completely.

See how the shelf life of a product is visually determined. This is how eggs of various freshness behave in cold water.

These characteristics apply to chicken, quail eggs. The experiment gives reliable results, it is impossible to make a mistake with the definition of freshness. Is that if you start using a boiled egg instead of raw or salt water. Salt increases the density of the liquid, the experiment under such conditions will change.

There is such a situation: you are sure that the instance is fresh, but it still pops up. Scolding the experiment is not worth it, just inspect the egg. There are probably cracks in the shell through which air entered. It is also better not to eat this food - it is not known how the bacteria that penetrated inside affected the quality of the protein and yolk.

Why do eggs float in water

The question can be answered with the same simple observation. As soon as possible, compare 2 products: only from under the bird and lying down. They will have a couple of significant differences that cause the eggs to float to the surface.

What does it mean? Properties change because the shell is not airtight. It has pores that allow oxygen to pass through, microorganisms, so that a potential chick has the opportunity to survive. A certain environment is formed inside the product. If it is not cooled in time, not thermally processed, pathological microorganisms will take over.

Why does it pop up? During storage, eggs lose moisture, available carbon dioxide. The protein becomes more liquid, takes up less space. An air chamber is formed inside - a scarecrow. It causes the laid eggs to strive to the surface of the water.

Why does an egg float in water when boiled?

During heat treatment, even a fresh egg can change position relative to the bottom. This does not mean that the product has suddenly deteriorated. The fright is to blame again - it is the main reason that the boiled egg has surfaced after cooking.

Under the influence of high temperature, the protein and yolk coagulate. Their volume decreases, excess moisture evaporates, the vacant place is occupied by air. The chamber pushes the product out of the water after cooking.

Can you eat eggs that float in water?

If the egg floats in water during cooking, its further fate depends on freshness. A completely floating product should not be eaten. Send it to your shopping cart right away. It is allowed to eat what has lain down for 2-3 weeks, only the egg must be boiled until fully cooked. Poached, scrambled eggs with semi-liquid yolk and protein is better not to do. Health is more expensive.

Eat daily, weekly copies safely. First of all, try to use the latter so that they do not deteriorate. To avoid unpleasant consequences, choose dishes that involve high-quality heat treatment of eggs - salmonella is also found in the freshest.

Consequences if eggs float in water when boiled

If the explanation of the reasons why an egg floats during cooking does not seem convincing and you don’t want to refuse spoiled eggs, pay attention to the consequences of eating them. Yes, the product may have a normal appearance, smell, but the freshness test warns that pathological changes inside are already in full swing. If you eat, you risk earning serious poisoning.

The latter appears 6-8 hours after a meal. Depending on the degree of damage to the body, the symptoms may be different:

• nausea, severe, frequent vomiting;
• abdominal pain - pulling, in the form of colic, spasms;
• lack of appetite;
• diarrhea, in the worst case - with an admixture of mucus, blood;
• general weakness, chills, inability to sleep;
• temperature increase;
• dizziness;
• dehydration;
• limb numbness.

If this occurs, you should immediately seek medical help, otherwise the consequences can be terrible. This is especially true of egg poisoning in children. As a self-medication, it is only useful to induce vomiting, rinse the stomach until an ambulance arrives. If you have a home, it is also allowed to drink a sorbent like activated carbon, enterosgel. Drugs will reduce the number of pathogenic organisms, alleviate suffering.

If you feel sorry for the money spent so much that you are ready to eat a spoiled product, learn how to determine their freshness in the store. To do this, it is useful to remember 5 elementary rules. They will not allow sellers to deceive you or inadvertently choose a stale product.

1. Check retention periods. On the box, each copy should be stamped with production dates, expiration dates.
2. Purchase the product in trusted places where quality certificates are available. Buying eggs from the hands of neighbors, at the farmer's market, from cute grandmothers is a tempting idea. But where is the guarantee that the birds are healthy, and the goods have not been in the owner's refrigerator for a couple of weeks?
3. Use an ovoscope. In large supermarkets, next to the egg shelf, there is a device for determining freshness.
4. Look through the product to the light. If there is no ovoscope, use any other light source. A fresh specimen is completely translucent, has no inclusions. A two-week-old usually shows thin streaks, and a monthly one is distinguished by dark spots.

In the section on the question If the eggs floated in the water, what does this mean? Can't they be cooked? given by the author flush the best answer is I can only supplement all the other answers: break it, see for yourself, and then you will imagine how much the egg floats and how stale it is.

Answer from alcoholize[newbie]
it is forbidden

Answer from Slope[guru]
The eggs are not very fresh. You can cook, and there it will be seen - how not fresh. Maybe it's nothing to worry about :)

Answer from Etrannik[guru]
Not a single fresh egg will ever float.
If the egg has surfaced, it means only one thing. It's old!
The reason lies in the fact that over time the air cavity in the egg increases.
Some boil eggs in salt water so that the shell does not burst, it is well cleaned. It is a myth.
But already a 7-10 day old egg is quite suitable for food, subject to storage conditions, in salt water it can slightly float in the water column. It has to do with density.

Answer from Џ)) [newbie]
They DO NOT cook! They have deteriorated. If the eggs sink in water, then they are fresh, if they float slightly, then you need to hurry up to eat them, and if they float, then they are stale. Tip: it is better to store eggs in the refrigerator with the blunt end up and the sharp end down, so they will keep their freshness longer, checked!

Answer from I live as I want to[guru]
I think it's impossible

Answer from Liona-STRO[guru]
Rotten.

Answer from Olga Sipacheva (Demidova)[guru]
Old, dry and lighter than water.

Answer from Nosova Svetlana[guru]
Just a hundred years ago, the freshness and quality of an egg was determined precisely with the help of water. The dubious egg was simply placed in a container of water. If the egg sank to the bottom, everything is in order. This showed that the egg was quite fresh and fit for consumption even when raw.
If the egg stopped in the fall and floated somewhere in the middle of the container, it was believed that the egg had already “thought”, and it should be immediately put into use (and not in a raw form), because after a short amount of time it would become unusable.
If the egg, dipped into the water, floated up and floated in it, like ... a leaf in the hole, the conclusion was unambiguous: you should not eat such an egg. Better to throw it in the trash.
Under the shell of the egg, the processes of decay and protein decomposition begin, as a result of which gases are released (and then the putrefactive smell of hydrogen sulfide appears), which, as is known since school, is lighter than water. And the more the process of decay, the more gases, which, having combined with the air already in the egg, raise the spoiled egg to the very surface of the water. So, if the egg floats at the very neck of the water container, this means that the egg is not only old, but also rotten.

Answer from yoya[guru]
They are old, just throw away.

Answer from Nick[master]
clearly they are corrupted. This is usually used to check the freshness of eggs.

Answer from Anastasia Selyukova[newbie]
they say if an egg floats with a blunt end, then it is a week old and you can eat it, and if it is sharp, then it is better to throw it away

Answer from Dunno[active]
Floating eggs spoil my appetite and I change them =)