Eggs

The easiest way to check to see if an egg is still good is put it in a bowl of water. If it lies flat on the bottom, it's pretty fresh. If it tilts up at an angle, it's still good but should be used soon. The more upright it is, the older it is. If it floats, DO NOT USE IT.....the smell along will probably kill ya!

Here's a link if anyone wants to check it out....
http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/tips-techniques/kitchen-tip-testing-eggs-for-freshness-046368

Also, how to tell if an egg has been hard-boiled or not? Sometimes we get the two cartons mixed up in our house
- Spin the egg on a counter top (make sure it doesn't spin off onto the floor - yep, done that ). If it spins long and steady, it's hard-boiled. If it's wobbly and doesn't spin long, it's still raw.

Net

 

Can you freeze eggs and use them later?

 

Cannon,
Yes, you can freeze eggs, but not in their shells. Get an old ice cube tray and break an egg into each cube. Stir gently to break up yolk. Try not to stir in any air. Freeze, then pop out and store in a ziploc in the freezer. When ready to use, thaw in the fridge and then use as you would a fresh egg.
Net

 

Great information on eggs that I wasn't aware of. Thank you for that Net!
What happens if you do accidently stir in some air though?

 

I do it all the time for camping.

I fry up a bunch of chopped peppers and onions, then add a dozen eggs and scramble. Once the eggs are cooked, I add some cheddar cheese.

Toss the hot mess into a vacuum seal bag, suck out the air, flatten out the package and toss it into the freezer.

It will stay frozen for days in the cooler and takes up very little space.

Toss it into a pot of boiling water over the campfire to heat it, slice open the bag and it is a good hot breakfast for 4-5 guys.

 

bittersweet,
Stirring in a bit of air would not be detrimental to the eggs themselves, but the texture after thawing would be affected.
Net

 

Net, you rock!

I try and learn something I don't know (and can use) every day, and the egg information is my 'Learn' for the day!

Actually, I'm using that this weekend, we are camping 'Primitive' (as primitive as you can get with a tent, air mattress and every gadget you can power from propane!)
And I was looking for a way to take some eggs with!

NOW I have some new ideas!

 

Bear semen works pretty good, but good luck getting that.

You can pickle eggs as well, it seems however that alot of people dislike pickled eggs. Myself I like them, and when the hens are putting out a lot of eggs, it is a good way to preserve some protein.

 

It's called waterglassing and I found this info for you....

EGG STORAGE

The incredible, edible egg can be stored in the basement or fridge. The eggs need to be turned once a week. Just keep them in a carton and turn them over once a week. Mother Earth News did a test years ago and I believe they kept eggs for 6 months in a cellar just that way. To check and make sure the eggs are good put in water. Good eggs lie on the bottom, they do not float. I store eggs with Sodium Silicate. It's the same stuff you get at the auto parts store or pharmacy. I found mine by the quart jar (much cheaper this way) for about $6 at the local pharmacy. We bought it to seal the engine of an old truck....and by the way...it worked great. The couple that we gave the truck too are still driving it a year after we did that seal thing with the sodium silicate. They've had no problems! P.S. I have a friend that got the WalMart pharmacy to special order her some...also they special ordered her citric acid for cheese making and it was much cheaper than anywhere we could find it!

STORE EGGS WITH WATERGLASS - #1

Waterglass (liquid sodium silicate) has several uses, one of them is for storing fresh eggs for extended periods of time. Here is a quote from Lehman's ad: "Preserve eggs for months with Waterglass. Mix one part Waterglass with ten parts cooled, boiled water and pour into a large, stone crock. Wipe off fresh eggs with a flannel cloth and place in solution (eggs should be covered with 2"). Cover crock and store in a cool, dry place. (From "The Boston Cooking School Cook Book" by Fannie Farmer, c. 1886) Waterglass (liquid sodium silicate) - One gallon bucket will preserve 50 dozen eggs. Non hazardous; fumeless. $21.95"

STORE EGGS WITH WATERGLASS - #2

We are the stewards of a flock of approximately 50 muscovy ducks. 35 are just chicks but we know we have 4 drakes and 11 hens of the mature ducks. They lay between 100 and 120 eggs a year per hen, if we end up with 20 hens that we keep that means about 2,000 delicious eggs.

Naturally I am concerned about storing eggs. So here is some of my egg research. Lehman sells waterglass, enough to preserve 40 dozen, that means by my recipe they are selling about a 1/2 pint for approximately $21. I bought 1pt 14 oz (almost 2 pints) for $8.19 at the pharmacy. I simply asked for Sodium Silicate Solution. They can order it if they don't have it. This brand is made by HUMCO out of Texarkana TX and will expire on Feb of 2003.

1 gallon of the solution (1 pint of sodium silicate solution to 9 or 10 pints of water yielding a little more than a gallon) should preserve 75 to 100 dozen eggs (900 - 1200 eggs) according to Carla Emery's an Encyclopedia of Country Living Old Fashioned Recipe Book (Page 346).

Here are the details of the method referred to as the Water-glass method. Pack them between 24 hours and 4 day old eggs. Older eggs don't keep as well. Eggs with no roosters or drakes around will keep longer than fertile eggs, but of course you then have to cope with unhappy roosters or drakes. 20 years ago when she wrote the book it was about $1.05 a pint now its $4.10 a pint still a bargain. Again, check the pharmacy first and I was told that many car parts dealers also have it. It is a 1:9 ratio if you want smaller quantities just keep the ratio intact. 1 cup to 9 cups or in my case 1 pint to 9 pints of water.

Have your crock scaled clean to start with she used deep plastic cans. I used plastic for the few eggs I had. Boil the water and let it cool before you add the waterglass. Then pour the mixed solution into the crock. Remember not to fill the crock or container too full of the solution because you will be adding eggs so no more than a third full.

Add the eggs. Make certain there is an extra 2 inches covering them. In hot weather it evaporates pretty fast so watch it carefully. Earthenware, enamel, glass or plastic all work fine.

Cover the container as tightly as you can. Don't let it freeze but store it in a cool dark place. It starts out clear liquid but gradually turns cloudy into a milk color sort of jelly. The book says it isn't harmful but the container had all these "be carefuls" on the labels so I asked the pharmacist and he said in a 1:9 ration it has no harmful effects.

It won't hurt you if you get it on your hands after it is mixed but I wore gloves to mix it. Make up enough solution as you go to handle any new eggs you put in. So if you are putting ten eggs make enough to cover them leaving 2 inches over the eggs. If it gets low due to evaporation add some more solution that is mixed 1:9.

To use the egg you will have to wash them so the goop doesn't fall into the food or if you hard boil them you should ***** the small end so they don't pop. The sodium silicate works by sealing the eggs and should keep them for up to a year.

The entire article can be found here:
http://www.millennium-ark.net/News_Files/Food/storing_eggs.html

 

My apologies on bringing up an old thread. Have any of you done this? How long can you keep the egg in the freezer?

ETA: how do you keep it from freezer burn? Remove as much air as possible from the bag with a straw? Or am I making this harder than it needs to be?

 

They call it glass water. If you peruse Stories guide to Chickens they have the recipe. I own a laying flock so we never eat eggs much over 72 hours old.

 

frozen eggs

I freeze eggs all the time, in ice cube trays as mentioned above. I have stored them safely in the freezer for 5-6 months. Never stored them past that, but I imagine they would still be edible for a few more months. As far as freezer burn, I use ziploc bags inside freezer containers, never was a problem.

 

Couldn't you also freeze them and then vaccum pack once they're frozen?

 

Once eggs have been refrigerated, they need to remain thataway... I can keep them over a month in my fridge without going bad... and then there still 'good'... usually the whites will start breaking down and get liquidy.

Unrefrigerated eggs will last almost as long as refrigerated eggs, as long as they're not exposed to heat or sunlight.

Best way to preserve your eggs is to have hens laying them regularly. We keep over a hundred around at all times, free ranging for their grub... quite a few banty's that will repopulate the flock continually. World ends, they'll keep eating, breeding, and laying...

 

And as long as you don't wash off the protective coating that the hens leave on them. We've kept fresh laid eggs for several months that were stored in a cool, dark environment.

 

We have our own chickens and sell eggs so we don't usually have extra to freeze. Did you know the eggs in the store are at the least 3 weeks old before they ever reach the store? I use to work on a egg farm, so I'm not surprised by the recall.

 

Clarice is right! I did some checking when I got my flock about how long they would stay fresh and was dismayed and shocked to find that the USDA sets the limit on eggs at 45 days from date they were laid! And the store can still consider and sell them as fresh!:gaah: No wonder store bought egg whites run all over the pan!
I almost never have them at the house for longer than a week-unless all my customers go on vacation at the same time!!

 

Glad I kept reading UJ, I was gonna add that bit of info, I know of a few ladies who took eggs laid by there own flocks and set them on the counter unwashed for 6 weeks and they were still good or at least most were, we too have free range chix and if it rains then the coating os washed off and that's when the clock really gets to ticking!.. we leave them out until we have several dozen to carton up and just before I headed north we froze about 15 doz... I'm not sure how it worked out but will ask..

Just got word yesterday our flock has been reduced to 9 hens and 4 roos, seems the folks next place over clear cut their place and burned all the brush so all the chicken eaters moved into our woods...I am pissed!!...time to go south and shoot.

I don't mind losing a hen now and then it just the way of the world but having a whole bunch of "yotes" move in is like having a crack house open up in your hood... and the cure is the same!