Need information about home tests of eggs.

I have heard of 2 different tests you can do to supposedly test an egg for freshness. One involves water, the other has to do with spinning the egg. Can anyone tell me what they are? I need to test a LOT of banty eggs. I thought I had thrown out all of the bad or questionable eggs, but when I steamed a bunch today they nearly all smelled or looked bad. We pureed them and the shells and added them to the compost but would like to be able to test the others in the 'fridge. Thanks.
EvaMae

Well, NBC's "Dateline" had a show on eggs in September, and here's the transcript on their site (warning - kinda scarey stuff regarding store-bought eggs): http://www.msnbc.com/news/311176.asp?cp1=1

Boy, makes me wish I had some Banty chickens of my own!! As far as tests go, the water thing is what the sites I brought up recommended. Basically: Fill a deep bowl with cold water. Put an egg in the water. If it lies on its side in the bottom, it's fresh. If it bobs upright at the bottom, it's not as fresh. If it floats, discard it.

Southern U.S. Cuisine at About.com:
http://southernfood.about.com/food/southernfood/c/ht/00/07/How_Tell_Eggs_Fresh0962934512.htm

Land-O-Lakes:
http://www.landolakes.com/bakingbasics/ShowTechnique.cfm?TechniqueID=48&ActionID=7

Grandma's Forums - Kitchen Stuff:
http://www.g-k-b.fsnet.co.uk/kitchen.htm

Choppingboard.com:
http://www.choppingboard.com/cooking101/eggs.html

Anyone else have any solutions, other than Leaflady having us all over for a big omlette fest?

This message was edited Monday, Jun 25th 12:34 AM

well i saw on a tv prog yesterday that u need a large pan with 1/2 a cup of salt and 4 cups of water. put in your eggies, if they sink to the bottom they're fresh, if they float in the middle, half way up, they're a couple of says old and if they float then they're dubious. Something to do with the egg absorbing air because the shells are porous, so the more air the older they are.

hope this helps

lil

HI Evamae...nice to see ya. I haven't read the above hyperlinks but will say this from experience. Altho we usually sold our eggs within a couple days of being laid I sometimes would keep a few to get old to demonstrate to customers what an old egg would do. Yes, if they float they are old, and Yes, it does mean they've absorbed air and in the process they could also absorb odors (either from your fridge or other sources). If your eggs are being laid in clean straw and are not soiled then they will last longer if you do not wash them. Washing them takes off the sealant that Ma Nature created to keep the insides in a sterile environment. Also, a nice fresh egg will have a yolk that is very high when you crack it open...picture an egg laid out in a skillet...if the yolk "stands up proud" it is fresh, if the yolk lays low and is spread out then it is not so fresh, but that doesn't mean is is not edible, just not as fresh. As for the spinning you mentioned, if you spin a raw egg (on its side) it will not spin fast. If you do the same for a boiled egg it will really spin! That's how I tell which ones are boiled and which ones are not. Try it, you'll know the rest of your life when your spouse is trying to trick you into "crack this hard-boiled egg for me please dear"...(and it turns out raw, much to the giggles of your better half!)

i also heard that if you dont want your eggs to absorb odours from the fridge just paint them with linseed oil (like a cricket bat) and they'll stay fresher too.

lil

Thanks for all the help. I'll print this out so I won't have to ask again. I did an internet search and also learned that I probably just over cooked them in the steamer. I do know there were a few bad ones in there and that likely accounted for the really bad smell of some of the eggs.