How old is the egg? Do eggs always have to be in the refrigerator? Which egg do I use for raw dishes? What does the new, EU-wide uniform producer code on the egg mean? Especially when handling eggs in the household it is necessary to know some rules. Eggs can contain salmonella or be contaminated with it and, in the worst case, cause salmonellosis. Tips on the proper handling of eggs in the household.
Attention Salmonella!
Chicken eggs can be contaminated with salmonella. In the eggs, an enzyme system initially ensures that they cannot multiply. After about 10 days, however, this protective system loses its effect. The higher the storage temperature and the lower the humidity, the faster this happens. Therefore, always store eggs in the refrigerator, because at refrigerator temperatures salmonella can only multiply slowly. Do not wash eggs, because this destroys the protective layer on the egg shell.
Eyes on the purchase!
Pay attention to the freshness of the eggs already at the time of purchase. If the laying date is printed, this is easy. Otherwise, a best-before date is given. If you calculate back 28 days from this date, you will get the laying date. Eggs older than 10 days should only be eaten well heated through.
For foods that are no longer heated such as mayonnaise, chocolate mousse, pies with egg cream filling or tiramisu, the eggs should be used within the first 10 days. In addition, such foods should be consumed immediately if possible or refrigerated well. Incidentally, eggs must be refrigerated in stores from the 18th day after laying.
How to recognize fresh eggs?
To distinguish fresh eggs from old ones, a little trick is enough: in a glass of water, old eggs float to the top, fresh eggs sink to the bottom. But you can also still tell how fresh an egg is when you crack it open. In a fresh egg, the yolk is curved upwards and the egg white is clearly divided into two zones. In an egg that is at least 7 days old, the egg white runs. An egg is at least 4 weeks old when the yolk is flat and the egg white is watery.
Where does the egg come from?
You can tell where an egg comes from by the producer code printed on each egg. The first number indicates how the hens were kept: 0 stands for organic, 1 for free-range, 2 for barn-raised and 3 for caged. Then follows the abbreviation for the country of production. DE stands for Germany. The next numbers indicate the laying farm and the house number.
