Just after the end of the New Year, many people's refrigerators must be stuffed with eggs.
Image source: Provided by netizens
Supermarket discounts, points exchange, lottery draws...... Of course, most of them are sent by relatives and friends. There are few people in the family and little cooking, and I feel that I can eat until I am old.
Every time I take an egg from the refrigerator, I mutter, can I still eat this egg??
The most feared thing is that the first few eggs are good, and suddenly a "bad egg" is punched in, or the eggs are cracked into the pot only to find out that they are broken.
Xue ...... Schrödinger's egg.
Many friends will also ask, eggs have been in the refrigerator for a month or two, and they don't smell bad, should be fine, right?
In fact, if the eggs are left for too long, even if they do not get rotten and smelly, the quality of the eggs will decline in all aspects.
Leave the eggs out for too long
Nutrition, safety, and taste will all be compromised
Eggs actually "breathe", and there are many tiny pores on their surface that bacteria, air, and moisture can pass through.
The eggs have been left for a long time, and although there is no obvious change on the surface, there may be "vicissitudes" inside.
Image source: Zhan Kuhailuo
Round 1 营养
A small amount of B vitamins and some good fats such as lecithin are lost during egg storage.
Round 2 味道
After the egg is left for a long time, the water evaporates, and the volatile components of sulfur in the egg begin to degrade, and the fishy smell (sulfur smell, fart smell) of the egg is aggravated, and the smell may also be absorbed, resulting in a "refrigerator smell".
The excessively strong smell of eggs and refrigerators may be the reason why many people hate eggs.
Round 3 安全
If eggs are stored for too long, bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli can grow.
Experiments have shown [1] that fresh eggs taken on the day of refrigeration at 4°C increase exponentially after one month. By 35 days, the number of Salmonella in the yolk of the egg had risen to 53.37 times that of the 28th day.
Image source: Produced based on reference [1].
Salmonella is also known as the "refrigerator killer", although the egg is not a big problem when cooked, it is also easy to contaminate other foods such as fruits in the refrigerator, and some inexplicable abdominal pain and diarrhea may be its fault. For people such as pregnant women, infants and young children, and the elderly, symptoms may be more complex and severe.
It is recommended by all parties that the storage time of eggs in the refrigerator is best controlled
About a month
But it's hard to know how long the eggs were left before they were bought. The date on which the eggs are labeled may be the "date of departure" rather than the "date of birth", and the cleanliness of the eggs themselves and the conditions of the refrigerator will also affect the rate of spoilage.
Therefore, it is difficult to judge accurately based on time alone, and "one egg and one discussion" is the most reliable.
Especially for eggs that have been stored for more than a month, it is highly recommended to judge the freshness after taking them out of the refrigerator.
Four simple tips
Judge the freshness of the eggs
If you have a lot of eggs that you don't know how old you are, you can try the following methods:
Method 1: Touch it
Stroke the shell of the egg with your hands:
✅ There is a frosty feeling and astringent feel, indicating that the eggs are still relatively fresh;
⚠️ If the egg is very smooth to the touch, it may have been sitting for a long time, and it is best to judge further.
Method 2: Take a bubble
Put the eggs in the water:
✅ Lying flat on the bottom of the water, or slightly upturned, it is still fresh and good;
⚠️ The one that stands up at one end is not too fresh, and this batch of eggs is eaten quickly;
❌ If it floats directly on the water, it is basically "bad", and it is best to throw it away for the sake of insurance!
Times are for reference only and may vary.
Image source: Zhan Kuhailuo
Method 3: Spread it out
Find a bowl separately and spread it out to see:
✅ The egg yolk and thick egg white are bulging and full, indicating that the egg is relatively fresh;
⚠️ The egg yolk and egg white are spread out flatly, which is easier to flow, and even the egg yolk is directly scattered, which is not very fresh.
Fresh eggs (top) and stale eggs (bottom)
Image source: Zhan Kuhailuo
Method 4: Peel off
After the eggs are boiled, peel them and see if the following happens:
⚠️ The air socket is particularly large
⚠️ The yolk is not in the middle, but peeks out at one end
It means that the eggs are not very fresh anymore, and their lifespan is counting down, and they need to be eaten as soon as possible.
Image source: Zhan Kuhailuo
With these tips, you'll never be afraid of being backstabbed by the "bad guys" again.
Friendly reminder: The above methods are not recommended to be used when purchasing, otherwise you may be beaten by the boss~
For most people, the most practical way to eat fresh eggs is not to buy too many at a time......
(Source: Lilac Doctor)