Tips for choosing eggs
If your egg kind of 'bumps' or makes a gurgling sound when it's shaken, it's too old to eat!
Try this test is you are not sure: just place eggs in a bowl of fresh water. Fresh eggs will float but older eggs sink because the gas in them increases.
The white of a fresh egg should stand up nicely around the yolk; stale egg white seems to run all over the place.
Having said that, really fresh eggs are much more 'liquid' than an egg that is a week or so older, and this can be confusing when you are not expecting it.
Making a hard boiled egg [to peel for a salad or something] is practically impossible with very fresh eggs: you'll have to keep them a while to lose a little moisture through their shells, as they will do with time. Supermarket eggs are going to be at least a week and half old as a rule, so you probably won't have to worry about this.
Eggs can be as old as a month and still be quite edible if they've been stored properly (see tips below).
Try this test is you are not sure: just place eggs in a bowl of fresh water. Fresh eggs will float but older eggs sink because the gas in them increases.
The white of a fresh egg should stand up nicely around the yolk; stale egg white seems to run all over the place.
Having said that, really fresh eggs are much more 'liquid' than an egg that is a week or so older, and this can be confusing when you are not expecting it.
Making a hard boiled egg [to peel for a salad or something] is practically impossible with very fresh eggs: you'll have to keep them a while to lose a little moisture through their shells, as they will do with time. Supermarket eggs are going to be at least a week and half old as a rule, so you probably won't have to worry about this.
Eggs can be as old as a month and still be quite edible if they've been stored properly (see tips below).
Tips for storing eggs
Keep your eggs in their cardboard carton in the main body of the fridge, not in the door where they will be subject to variable temperatures. The carton protects the eggs from bumps, obviously, but also dehydration.
Keep them away from strong smelling foods like onion and fish, as they will gradually take on these odours.
Store them with the large end pointing up as this helps the yolk to stay suspended within the white, which looks nicer when you've boiled them to slice up.
Keep them away from strong smelling foods like onion and fish, as they will gradually take on these odours.
Store them with the large end pointing up as this helps the yolk to stay suspended within the white, which looks nicer when you've boiled them to slice up.
Tips for cooking eggs
Take your eggs out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you plan to cook with them: it improves the flavour.
However the white will separate more easily from the yolk when they are cold, so do this first if you need to, and then let everything warm up slightly.
Whites at room temperature whip more easily than cold ones.
Eggs at room temperature are less likely to crack when they are boiled.
However the white will separate more easily from the yolk when they are cold, so do this first if you need to, and then let everything warm up slightly.
Whites at room temperature whip more easily than cold ones.
Eggs at room temperature are less likely to crack when they are boiled.