How to break an egg?

[taxlady]

Back in the 1960s, I remember my mother showing me an egg which she had cracked into a bowl. There was a partially formed chick. I thought it was interesting. My mum used it as an example of why one should crack eggs into a bowl, before adding to a recipe.

 

[dragnlaw]

Egg industry does what they call "candling", passing the egg in front of a strong light. Hens will often have a spot included in the egg, a piece of tissue, no harm or danger, fine to eat. When the industry has those the sell them to bakeries and other high end users.
I had one hen, (yep, Henrietta) who consistently laid an egg with a spot.

Farm eggs, on the other hand, are not candled and there is no way of knowing what's inside. From double yolks, to spots and a few other extreme rare choice things.

Should the egg be 'rotten' it was probably lost somewhere in the hay/nest/wherever during a hot summer. I've never found one, including a nest of over 15 eggs that a sneak away hen was laying. Have no idea how old they were but wasn't going to try to find out if any were OK.

taxy pretty sure it was a farm egg, even in the 60's I believe they candled. But a good lesson as to why!

 

[kenny1999]

Back in the 1960s, I remember my mother showing me an egg which she had cracked into a bowl. There was a partially formed chick. I thought it was interesting. My mum used it as an example of why one should crack eggs into a bowl, before adding to a recipe.

Partially formed chick????? so horrible!!! Was the egg warmed so much before it's broken??

 

[kenny1999]

Egg industry does what they call "candling", passing the egg in front of a strong light. Hens will often have a spot included in the egg, a piece of tissue, no harm or danger, fine to eat. When the industry has those the sell them to bakeries and other high end users.
I had one hen, (yep, Henrietta) who consistently laid an egg with a spot.

Farm eggs, on the other hand, are not candled and there is no way of knowing what's inside. From double yolks, to spots and a few other extreme rare choice things.

Should the egg be 'rotten' it was probably lost somewhere in the hay/nest/wherever during a hot summer. I've never found one, including a nest of over 15 eggs that a sneak away hen was laying. Have no idea how old they were but wasn't going to try to find out if any were OK.

taxy pretty sure it was a farm egg, even in the 60's I believe they candled. But a good lesson as to why!

So, is it safer to eat eggs from egg industry, rather than farm?

 

[lastmanstanding]

Have you ever noticed that, if you are going to scramble the egg, the yolk never breaks when you crack it open?

This. I thought it was only me. Now I know I'm not alone.

 

[taxlady]

Partially formed chick????? so horrible!!! Was the egg warmed so much before it's broken??

It was straight out of the refrigerator. It had been bought at the store. That is extremely unlikely to happen nowadays, because the egg producers candle the eggs. That means that they shine a bright light through the eggs and then they can see if there is something inside the egg that shouldn't go to market.

 

[Termy]

A partially developed chick indicates the rooster is on premises. Some people insist on that but still don't want the bones. They seem to think the eggs are more nutritious that way. Maybe they are.

T

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

How to break an egg? Easy!

 

[pepperhead212]

Once in a blue moon, I'll run into a bad egg, and they haven't been eggs I had sitting in the fridge too long - just a bad one. I also break them into separate bowls, or one at a time, and dump it in the mixing bowl, partly in case there is a bad one, but also in case a piece of eggshell gets in. For an omelet, I take a chance - I can pick out a piece of shell from more than one, and the bad ones are so seldom, why bother.

I break them on a flat surface, usually - don't remember what book I read that suggestion in way back, saying edges of bowls and the like resulted in pieces of shells sometimes. I've seen a number of the same recommendation on TV shows, so they must have read the same book!

 

[larry_stewart]

I break them on a flat surface, usually - don't remember what book I read that suggestion in way back, saying edges of bowls and the like resulted in pieces of shells sometimes. I've seen a number of the same recommendation on TV shows, so they must have read the same book!

Jacques Pepin says it every time he uses eggs.
Its engraved in my brain.

 

[pepperhead212]

Jacques Pepin says it every time he uses eggs.
Its engraved in my brain.

Yes, he's one of those I saw mention that.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Back in the 1960s, I remember my mother showing me an egg which she had cracked into a bowl. There was a partially formed chick. I thought it was interesting. My mum used it as an example of why one should crack eggs into a bowl, before adding to a recipe.

If she'd have candled it, and saw the partially formed chick, she could have buried it, and made Balut, a Filipino delicacy, or so I'm told.

Nope, not me, I'm not gonna try it. Give it to Mikey. He'll try anything.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Quit sweating the pieces of shell. It's just a little added calcium!

 

[kenny1999]

Quit sweating the pieces of shell. It's just a little added calcium!

it's not the problem of the shell itself.
it's the problem of the surface of the shell, which could be with dirt and bacteria

 

[dragnlaw]

So, is it safer to eat eggs from egg industry, rather than farm?

Farm eggs will be much fresher and far more tasty! If you know the farmer I wouldn't worry. You can always ask him how often he gathers the eggs.

I sent you a pm before I saw this post,

Having just moved into the city and no longer have my own chickens, I'm about to start driving out into the country side to find some fresh eggs! I only use store bought eggs for hard boiled eggs so I can peel them!

 

[pepperhead212]

If she'd have candled it, and saw the partially formed chick, she could have buried it, and made Balut, a Filipino delicacy, or so I'm told.

Nope, not me, I'm not gonna try it. Give it to Mikey. He'll try anything.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

The Vietnamese do this, as well (and I'm sure other Asian cuisines), and I know this because years ago, a pair of Vietnamese ladies opened a salon in a strip mall I delivered to. I always noticed delicious aromas from their lunches, when delivering their mail, and eventually got talking about the food with them (they thought I must have a Vietnamese wife!). Telling me about many of the ingredients in the dishes, they were surprised I would try them! Eventually, they asked me if I had ever tried trung vit lôn (or something like that), and I didn't have any idea what that was, then they told me - fertilized eggs! I told them I see them in the Asian markets, but had no idea what to do with them. They were surprised I wasn't taken aback, so to speak, as all other non-Asians have been when told about them. They gave me 6 of them, and said they still need to sit 2 more days before cooking - would be at 5 days, which is when the one lady said she liked them, while her husband liked them at 7 days, when the bones were crunchier. Much older, and they were too developed. I could tell they were waiting for a reaction from me, like they usually get, but I was listening, and learning!

I tried some at 5 days, and later at 7 days, with a friend, and he liked the 5 days better, and I liked the 7 days better, but both were good. The girls thought it was really funny that they had gotten me to try those, but I told them about some of the other things I would get from the Asian market, a couple of them they hadn't even tried before!

 

[caseydog]

I break it against a flat surface, not an edge. Use just enough force to break the shell but not shatter it.

I do the same, crack on a flat surface like a countertop. I very rarely have any shell in my egg.

CD

 

[msmofet]

I break it against a flat surface, not an edge. Use just enough force to break the shell but not shatter it.

I do the same, crack on a flat surface like a countertop. I very rarely have any shell in my egg.

CD

+1 and +2

 

[dragnlaw]

Sorry, had to empty the one egg as it was leaking and not waiting for me to take a picture. [emoji2957]
But here is my example of 2 eggs cracked on different surfaces.
With all having been said, it is your own experiences which will dictate how you yourself will be most comfortable and have the most success in cracking the mysteries of the lowly egg.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

The absolute best way to crack an egg is by running past your almost teen granddaughter, in the backyard, on a hot summer day, and smash it against the back of her head. Oh the looks, gasps, and outrage that is displayed; absolute drama queen, yet easily taken care of with a hose, and towel.

It worked with my sisters when I was a teen. Haven't done it yet with granddaughter. Oh, and my sisters, well they truly deserved it.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North