Everyone knows how to determine the freshness of chicken eggs. We put it in the water and see what happens. A very fresh egg lies quietly on the bottom, a medium-fresh one rises, a not-so-fresh one floats in the middle, a very bad one dangles on the surface like... like.. like a leaf in an ice hole. This is with chicken.
But what about quail eggs? Is it possible to check their freshness in the same way? Let's figure it out.
School. Physics. Archimedes' law and the buoyancy of bodies, remember? Bodies with a high specific gravity (that is, with greater density) float worse, less dense ones - better. Having refreshed this knowledge, we move on to eggs.
All eggs breathe, moisture evaporates through the pores, and air, accordingly, gets inside. And if water is replaced by air, then the density of the egg becomes less and its specific gravity drops. The thing is that the smaller the egg, the faster this process happens.
Within a couple of days after laying, any virtually fresh egg begins to lose moisture. Quail "dries out" faster, 5 times heavier chicken - slower. And the contribution of each cubic millimeter of water replaced by air for a small testicle is naturally greater than for a larger one
And what is the result? Within a few days after laying, a quail egg gains enough air to come off the bottom of a pan of water. During the same time, the chicken one takes in less air, and its contribution to the total mass of the egg is not so great, and it still lies peacefully at the bottom.
A couple more days, and the quail egg is confidently dangling somewhere in the middle between the bottom and the surface. And the chicken one is just beginning to unfold with one end up. It’s at this moment that the housewife usually raises her hands to the sky, indignant that “ah, quail eggs are completely rotten, they probably float.” For mercy, madam, the egg was only laid about five days ago, but it’s a quail, small, light!
Realized? Then let's add some theory. Density of water.
You know how to swim, okay? And where are you, just like an ichthyander mermaid, in a fresh river in the country or in salty sea water? Of course, in the sea, the water temperature is favorable and the landscape is stimulating, but in general everyone remembers that in salt water it is easier to stay afloat. Because it's physics again. The density of water is higher, and therefore the buoyancy of the body is higher. So, this also applies to eggs.
Many people salt the water when boiling eggs to prevent the shell from cracking. In such water, almost any egg will float, even a fresh ostrich probably (although it depends on how much salt). Don’t be afraid if eggs float in salt water, remember yourself at sea.
There's a lot more interesting stuff here. About the processes of rotting, which develop more quickly in chicken eggs than in quail eggs, about the disparity of sharp and blunt ends, about changes in protein over time, about dependence on the breed and method of feeding... But there are already a lot of letters, so let’s stop and summarize results.
Eggs are a complete source of protein, which is why fans of a healthy lifestyle love them. But it is very important to monitor the quality of the product used. You can check eggs for freshness immediately after purchase, since this is unlikely to be possible in a store or market.
How to choose eggs in the supermarket
You can tell the freshness of eggs by their appearance. The matte surface of the shell indicates that the egg was laid recently; if the shell is glossy, then most likely the product has been stored for a long time.
Unfortunately, this method is not able to provide complete information about the condition of the eggs, since sellers often wash and rub them.
It is almost impossible to identify even completely rotten eggs by eye, but you should carefully study the color of just a dozen. If the colors are different, this may indicate that old and new eggs have been mixed. It is better to purchase a product from one batch, because in this case the chance of buying unusable eggs is significantly reduced.
You can check whether an egg is rotten or not right in the store, just shake it in the air. If you notice that something is rolling around inside, then you definitely shouldn’t take such a product.
Popular methods for checking eggs for freshness
It is much easier to check eggs for freshness at home, since housewives have long come up with several effective ways to do this. Can:
- put the product in water;
- twist on the table surface;
- immerse in saline solution;
- inspect the contents of the shell;
- identify by smell.
Method No. 1. Dipping into water
This is the most proven method by which you can determine the freshness of a product. To do this, you just need to place it in a transparent container with water. If an egg floats in cold water, it means that it is far from fresh. If it is balanced in liquid, then it is still undesirable to eat it, since this indicates that its shelf life is running out. A fresh egg sinks and lies horizontally on the bottom.
Method number 2. Torsion on the table
This method is very easy to use; just place the egg on a flat surface and twist it. An unusable product will make twice as many turns around its axis as a fresh one.
Method No. 3. Saline solution
You can tell if an egg has gone bad by using a saline solution. To do this, pour 1 liter into a glass container. clean water, and add 1 tsp to it. salt. Mix everything thoroughly until the crystals are completely dissolved in the liquid. Next, you need to proceed in the same way as in the method with water, the indicators will be the same.
If the egg floated to the surface during cooking, but remained closer to the bottom during the experiment, then such a product is categorically not recommended.
Method No. 4. Visual inspection of the white and yolk
If a person has already purchased the product, but when he came home he doubted its quality, then he can inspect the contents of the shell. To do this, you need to break an egg, pour it into a plate and evaluate the condition of the product.
A fresh yolk will be thick and the white will be fluffy. Stale yolk spreads quickly and has a runny consistency. If there is no characteristic unpleasant odor, then the product is still suitable for consumption, but it is better not to do this if the yolk is flat in shape and has a whitish color.
Method No. 5. Determination by smell
The freshness of an egg can be easily determined by its smell, since the shell is susceptible to foreign odors. A fresh product has a slight smell of lime, but an egg that has been stored for a long time can smell like anything.
In addition to the basic methods, there are others, for example, an egg testing device. It's called an "ovoscope" and it can be used to check the freshness of food. It operates on the principle of a regular lamp, which is used to illuminate eggs, and makes it possible to detect various defects in the contents of the shell.
It can also be done at home; to do this, you need to find a small box and make a hole in it to place the lamp there. You need to cut another, but very small, hole on top of the box so that the eggs do not fall inside the homemade ovoscope. After this, you can turn on the light in the device, place an egg on top, carefully scroll and examine its contents.
Before consuming the product, you must follow some hygiene rules. First of all, you should not forget about the expiration date and carefully study the packaging. Before cooking eggs, you need to wash them with detergent. You should not put them in water immediately after purchasing, as this will shorten their shelf life.
- It is necessary to purchase only fresh goods, and not to delay consuming them, since unwashed eggs are stored for 4-5 weeks, and washed ones for 4 days.
- The product should be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature not exceeding 6°C. If eggs are left at room temperature, salmonella bacteria will actively multiply. There is no point in putting such a product back in the refrigerator.
- When preparing food that requires raw eggs, you should use only fresh ingredients. Cook for at least 5 minutes.
- If the shell of the egg is leaky and cracked, then it can no longer be stored. If you immediately prepare something from it, then it is completely permissible to eat it.
- Salmonella die under the influence of high temperatures from 70 ° C, therefore, if the eggs have expired, but they look quite normal and do not have an unpleasant odor, then you can try boiling them.
The easiest way to check eggs for freshness is in water; this is an old method that has fully justified itself. If you need to find out the degree of freshness of a quail egg, then this method can also be used. The rules will be the same as for chicken eggs.
This is one of the simplest and most visual experiments that can be done at home. We only need a raw egg, a glass and a little salt. For clarity, we took two glasses and two raw eggs.
Let's begin our experience. Pour regular tap water into one of the glasses. Place the egg in the glass. What happened? The egg sank and sank to the bottom of the glass. In the photo below, the curvature of the glass has caused the egg to be comically distorted.
Pour warm water into the second glass. Add 6 tablespoons of salt to this glass. And stir the salt very well so that it is completely dissolved in the water.
Now comes the fun part. Carefully lower the second egg into the glass in which you just dissolved the salt. The egg floats on the surface!
Explanation of experience
The average density of an egg is much higher than the density of tap water. When we dissolve salt in water, its density increases and the egg no longer sinks in it. Thus, a simple conclusion can be drawn: objects sink in liquid if their density is higher than the density of the liquid.
We can observe a similar effect at sea. Sea water is very salty and has high density. It's like she's pushing us out of the water. Staying afloat in such water is much easier than swimming in a fresh body of water, of course, if sea waves do not interfere.
Density and weight
I will try to explain “on the fingers” what density is. Density can be defined as the amount of matter contained in a given space or volume. If the amount of substance (amount of matter) in a given space or volume is greater, then the object is said to be denser and heavier at the same time. But density and weight are not the same thing, they are not interchangeable concepts.
Weight is determined by the force of gravity acting on an object. Unlike density, weight depends on the magnitude of attraction at a particular location. For example, consider an ordinary egg. Its density remains the same no matter where it is located. Even if you place it in space in zero gravity, its density will not change. But an egg in space will lose its weight!
Why does an egg sink or float?
As has already been said, if you put down an object that is denser than fresh water, the object will sink. This is what happened when we lowered the egg into fresh tap water - the egg is denser, it repels water particles and makes room for itself, sinking to the bottom. But when we put an egg in salt water, salt water is heavier than fresh water and has a better ability to keep the egg afloat.
Why does salt make water denser?
But why does salt, when dissolved in water, make the water more dense? When salt dissolves in water, it breaks down into ions, which are then attracted to water molecules. Due to this attraction, the amount of matter per unit volume—density—increases. Water now consists not only of hydrogen and oxygen molecules, but also sodium and chlorine (since salt consists of sodium and chlorine). Thus, salt water has more particles as compared to fresh water.
The sacred property of water, which our ancestors knew about and which we have forgotten for some reason, is that water does not absorb any nasty things - 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 place raw eggs in it. This is how chicken eggs are usually checked, and quail eggs too.
A fresh egg always sinks to the bottom of the water, but a bad one will float to the surface. Floated eggs cannot 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 gas exchange in the embryo. The two-layer shell shell in this chamber allows air and moisture to pass through. The older the egg, the more air accumulates over time at the blunt end of the egg. The first possible reason for the egg to rise to the surface is simple 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 and microbes to enter. As a result, processes of rotting and protein decomposition may 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 floating in water - rottenness.
If you bought eggs at the market, in a store, in a supermarket and at home they all sank in a bowl of water, then you bought good fresh eggs and you can eat them, cook various dishes and baked goods with them. But floating eggs that float near the surface should be thrown into the trash to avoid poisoning.
The freshness of eggs is always a mystery for inexperienced housewives. The intrigue lasts until the shell breaks. But experienced home-grown cooks know: if an egg floats during cooking, there is something wrong with it. It is better to prepare the dish from other ingredients, and throw the spoiled product in the trash.
The egg floated during cooking: what does this mean?
When eggs float in the water, this is interpreted unambiguously: you have come across a product that is not the freshest. By the movement of an item in a pan, you can determine how long it has been on store shelves. To do this, pour cold water into a container and place the eggs before cooking. Wait for the local storm to subside and observe.
Housewives generally see the following stages:
- a dietary product that is no more than 8 days old lies on the bottom and does not attempt to rise to the surface;
- an egg that has lain for a week begins to move upward with its blunt end;
- A 2-3 week product hangs in a vertical position somewhere in the middle;
- the one that was taken from the chicken more than a month ago comes up completely.
See how the shelf life of a product is visually determined. This is exactly how eggs of varying freshness behave in cold water.
These characteristics apply to chicken and quail eggs. The results of the experiment are reliable; it is impossible to make a mistake in determining freshness. Unless you start using a boiled egg instead of a raw one or salt water. Salt increases the density of the liquid, the experiment will change under such conditions.
The following situation occurs: you are sure that the specimen is fresh, but it still pops up. There is no need to scold the experiment, just examine the egg. There are probably cracks in the shell through which air has entered. It is also better not to eat this as food - it is unknown 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 the opportunity arises, compare 2 products: only from poultry and from storage. They will have a couple of significant differences that cause the eggs to float to the surface.
What does it mean? The properties change because the shell is not airtight. It has pores that allow oxygen and microorganisms to pass through so that the potential chick has the opportunity to survive. A certain environment is formed inside the product. If it is not cooled in time or thermally treated, pathological microorganisms will take over.
Why does it pop up? During storage, eggs lose moisture and carbon dioxide. The protein becomes more liquid and takes up less space. An air chamber is formed inside - a puga. It causes the lying eggs to tend to the surface of the water.
Why does an egg float in water when boiled?
During heat treatment, even a fresh egg can change its position relative to the bottom. This does not mean that the product has suddenly spoiled. The bug is to blame again - it is the main reason that the boiled egg floated after cooking.
Under the influence of high temperature, the white and yolk coagulate. Their volume decreases, excess moisture evaporates, and air takes up the free space. The chamber pushes the product out of the water after cooking.
Is it possible to eat eggs that float in water?
If an egg floats in water during cooking, its further fate depends on its freshness. A completely floated product should not be eaten. Immediately add this to your cart. It is allowed to eat something that has been sitting for 2-3 weeks, only the egg must be boiled until fully cooked. It is better not to poach or scrambled eggs with semi-liquid yolk and white. Health is more valuable.
Feel free to eat daily and weekly specimens. First of all, try to use the latter so as not to spoil. To avoid unpleasant consequences, choose dishes that require high-quality heat treatment of eggs - salmonella is also found in the freshest eggs.
Consequences of eggs floating 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 give up spoiled eggs, pay attention to the consequences of eating them. Yes, the product may have a normal appearance and smell, but the freshness test warns that pathological changes inside are already in full swing. If you eat it, you risk serious poisoning.
The latter appears 6-8 hours after eating. Depending on the degree of damage to the body, symptoms may vary:
- nausea, severe, frequent vomiting;
- abdominal pain - nagging, in the form of colic, cramps;
- lack of appetite;
- diarrhea, in the worst case - mixed with mucus and blood;
- general weakness, chills, inability to sleep;
- temperature increase;
- dizziness;
- dehydration;
- numbness of the limbs.
If something like this occurs, you should immediately seek medical help, otherwise the consequences can be dire. This is especially true for egg poisoning in children. As a self-medication, it is only useful to induce vomiting and rinse the stomach until the ambulance arrives. If you have a home, you can also drink a sorbent such as activated carbon or enterosgel. The drugs will reduce the number of pathogenic organisms and alleviate suffering.
If you feel so sorry for the money you spent that you are ready to eat a spoiled product, learn to determine its freshness in the store. To do this, it is useful to remember 5 basic rules. They will not allow sellers to deceive you or inadvertently choose an item that has been lying around.
- Check shelf life. On the box, each copy must be stamped with production and expiration dates.
- Buy the product from trusted places that have quality certificates. Buying eggs from neighbors, at a farmer's market, or from dear grandmothers is a tempting idea. But where are the guarantees that the birds are healthy and that the goods have not lain in the owner’s refrigerator for a couple of weeks?
- Use an ovoscope. In large supermarkets, next to the egg shelf there is a device for determining freshness.
- Look through the product into the light. If you don’t have an ovoscope, use any other light source. A fresh specimen is completely translucent and has no inclusions. The two-week-old usually has thin veins, while the menstruation has dark spots.
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