Mary Allen
World Egg Day is celebrated on October 11th. High time to take a closer look at the hen’s egg, a miracle of nature – both from the outside and from the inside.
The first thing you notice about a hen’s egg is the color of the shell. It doesn’t have to be brown or white, as is commonly assumed. The palette of shell colors in breed poultry ranges from white to cream to light brown. The French put on a great sight in chicken breeding even before eating and using the Marans breed they bred chickens that lay eggs with a dark brown shell color. The eggs of the Araucana chickens from South America, on the other hand, have a green shell and round off the range. This colorful egg basket has no effect on the taste of the eggs but can become a reality in every household that keeps breeding poultry.
In the original form, the eggs were used for offspring. During the entire incubation period, six liters of oxygen are absorbed through the eggshell, seven grams of water evaporate and 4.5 liters of carbon dioxide are released through the 10,000 pores in the shell. Below the shell, the shell skin holds the albumen inside the egg. In it, the yolk is attached to the blunt and pointed side with the so-called hail cords. It is recommended to store the eggs on the spitz because the air chamber is on the blunt side. The Association of Swiss Egg Producers Gallo Suisse recommends that consumers keep eggs in a dark and cool place if possible. There should be no strong-smelling foods such as lemons or onions next to the eggs so that the taste is not transferred through the porous shell to the egg white.
How to Recognize Fresh Eggs
Today most eggs are stamped with the laying date, but this doesn’t always have to be the case. If an egg comes from your own chicken yard, it is sometimes difficult to tell its age. So-called egg ramps ensure order in the refrigerator, on which the fresh eggs are always positioned at the back and roll forward when used. Soiled eggs should be cleaned as dry as possible or not cleaned at all.
According to Gallo Suisse, the eggs should be at least three days ripe for consumption. If you have very fresh eggs straight from the chicken coop, you may have noticed that freshly boiled eggs don’t peel as well as ones that are a few days old. Eggs taste best between the seventh and fourteenth days after laying. If stored properly in the refrigerator, an egg can still be consumed without further ado even after five weeks.
For a simple practical test, fill a bowl with water and place the egg in it. Eggs that sink are still very fresh and have a small air pocket. The older the egg is, the more moisture it has released, and in the worst case, the egg will float on the water surface. Another practical test is shown when frying fried eggs. If the egg white stays tight around the yolk, it is a fresh egg. In an older egg, the protein spreads much further and gives a larger fried egg in terms of surface area.
Useful Protein Supplier
Dark-colored yolk edges are not from old eggs. They occur through a natural chemical reaction when eggs are overcooked. Iron from the yolk and sulfur from the albumen is converted into iron sulfide, which turns the yolk greenish-blue on the edge but without changing the taste.
Gallo Suisse describes the egg as a useful source of animal protein because the CO2 balance in production is significantly lower than that of beef and pork. In total, an egg combines 18 essential vitamins and minerals (see box). The yolk is rich in iron and is much more nutritious than the egg white in terms of nutritional value. The claim that eggs are unhealthy for the heart is long gone, as the unsaturated fats are easier for the body to digest, aid muscle growth, and boost the immune system.