How fresh is that egg?

Here is an easy way to tell if your eggs are still fresh

	Fresh eggs will rest on their side. The air cell within the egg is small ... The image to the right is that of a two day old egg.

The egg white of a very fresh egg is cloudy because of the presence of dissolved carbon dioxide ..

As the egg ages, moisture and carbon dioxide leave through the pores of the shell, air enters to replace them and the air cell becomes larger. Egg shown to right is one week old.

An air cell (space) forms when the contents of the egg cool and contract after the egg is laid. The air cell usually rests between the outer and inner membranes at the egg’s larger end.

(see: Anatomy of a Chicken Egg)

The egg white is clear in this egg and slightly runny, but the yolk still has some firmness to it. This egg is still fine to eat but best to be used in baking.

After 3 weeks this egg began to float indicating it cannot be used...

when broken and released into a pan, the egg white was runny and the yolk was flattened. This egg should be discarded.

EGG SAFETY FOR THE CONSUMER

BUYING AND STORING EGGS