Eggs: how to choose, test for freshness and store them, and why the price per egg depends on size

The egg looks like the simplest product there is: take a box of ten and drop it in the basket. But there are dozens of kinds on the shelf, and the difference shows both in the price and in what ends up in the pan. Let us see how not to go wrong.

What the pack says

Start with the date. The pack carries the sorting or packing date and a best-before date. The closer the date is to today, the better. If the date is missing or unreadable, pick another tray.

Next look at the grade. It is tied to age: some eggs are called dietary, they are the freshest and sell quickly. Others are table eggs, meant for longer storage. The exact periods and names depend on the country and the rules the eggs were produced under, so read exactly what is printed on your pack.

The pack may also say where the eggs come from and from which hens. That is information about the producer, and you can use it to find a brand you like.

Marking on the shell

Many eggs have a code of digits and letters stamped on the shell. In the general European scheme the first digit shows how the hens were kept, then comes the country code, then the code of the farm. In such a code you will see the letters "MD" for Moldova, along with the digits.

You do not have to learn it by heart. It is enough to know the stamp exists and the egg can be traced to its producer. If there is no stamp, it is not a disaster, but the origin is harder to check.

Do not expect the digit in the code to tell you about flavour. It tells you how the hens were housed, while taste depends on feed and on freshness as well.

Size and the price per egg

Eggs are sorted by weight: small, medium, large, extra large. The gap between them can reach several dozen grams per ten eggs, and that is noticeable.

So the price per egg or per box of ten is not always fair. If large eggs cost more per tray but weigh more, per kilogram they can even come out cheaper. For scrambled eggs, an omelette or a salad it is the grams that count, not the pieces.

In recipes "three eggs" usually means medium eggs. If you bought large ones, add a little more flour to the dough or use one egg fewer.

Here is what the catalogues have on eggs right now:

How to pick eggs in the shop

Open the tray and look at every egg. The shell should be whole, with no cracks and no leaking. A cracked egg can be contaminated, so do not buy it.

The shell of a fresh egg is matte and slightly rough. A glossy, slippery shell means the egg has been lying around for a long time or has been treated.

Hold an egg in your hand: a fresh one feels heavier than it looks. Shake it by your ear: a fresh one is silent inside, an old one sloshes.

Look at the tray as well. It should be clean, dry and not standing in the sun or next to a radiator.

Testing freshness at home

There is a simple way: a glass of cold water. A fresh egg lies on its side at the bottom. If it stands on its end, it is past its first freshness but can still be eaten, hard-boiled. If it floats, air has built up inside and it is better thrown away.

The second way: crack the egg onto a plate. A good one has a thick white that holds its shape around the yolk, and a round, domed yolk. An old one has a watery white that spreads and a flat yolk.

The smell tells you everything too. A fresh egg hardly smells of anything. If the smell is sulphurous or sour, do not take the risk.

How to store eggs

Keep eggs in the fridge on a middle shelf, in their tray or box, not in the door. In the door the temperature jumps every time it opens.

Place them pointed end down. That way the yolk stays better centred and the air pocket at the top stays intact.

Eggs absorb smells: onion, fish, cheese. Do not keep them next to strong-smelling food; cover the tray or keep them in the box.

Keep boiled eggs in the fridge and eat them within a few days. Separately: raw yolks or whites keep for a day or two, covered with film.

What to cook when you have a lot of eggs

The egg is the most versatile product there is: an omelette, fried eggs, shakshuka, hard-boiled eggs for a salad. In Moldovan cooking it goes into cheese plăcinte, into cozonac, into mămăligă with a fried egg. And for Olivier salad, as for any festive table, you will need a ten-pack:

If you have collected too many eggs, hard-boil them and keep them in the fridge in their shells. Peel them just before eating.

In short: what to remember

• Take the tray with the freshest date.
• Open it and look at each egg: no cracks, no leaks.
• Compare the price by weight, not by piece.
• Store in the fridge, pointed end down, away from strong smells.
• Do not wash eggs in advance.
• If you doubt the freshness, test it in a glass of water.

If you want to know where eggs are cheaper right now, look by store: