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Where did you get the idea that I have an irrational fear of rotten eggs? I just don't like being "surprised," which is why I always break the egg into a bowl before adding it to the pan, the cookie dough, or whatever....just in case. And I don't need to buy pasteurized eggs or liquid eggs. I have had eggs from my own chickens for over thirty years.
And I stand by the "float test." I have opened too many eggs over the years that have floated and I know what's almost always inside them.
Quote:
Egg shells may seem pretty solid, but they are in fact slightly porous. Old eggs float in fresh cold water because of a large air cell that forms as the egg cools after being laid. As the egg ages, air enters the egg and the air cell becomes larger and this acts as a buoyancy aid.
Generally, fresh eggs will lie on the bottom of the bowl of water. Eggs that tilt so that the large end is up are older, and eggs that float are rotten. The tilting is caused by air pockets in the eggs that increase in size over time as fluid evaporates through the porous shell and oxygen and gases filter in. The older an egg gets the more gas builds up inside it. More gas = more floating!
The article then goes on to describe the tilting of the egg in water, almost word for word in the same manner that I did:
Quote:
If the egg stay at the bottom - it is fresh.
If the egg is at an angle on the bottom - it is still fresh and good to eat.
If the egg stands on its pointed end at the bottom - it is still safe to eat but best used for baking and making hard-cooked eggs.
If the egg float - they're stale and best discarded.
My rule of thumb is that if I break an egg and it doesn't smell bad, I eat it. So far, in my whole life, I've eaten every egg I've ever cracked. Haven't had a bad one yet, not even in countries where they sit out on the store counter at room temperature.
A couple of things vary in the way you described and how I see it. So I'll point those out first.
1. I think you're underestimating how long it takes to wash a bag (honestly, I don't use ziploc bags anyways) or look through expiration dates.
2. It's not the individual times that matter, but the aggregate time.
3. When considering value of time, you have to use the time-value theory. This states that current time is valued at the sum of all future revenue as a result of work performed during that time.
So let's say the aggregate savings over a week is 20 minutes. In that 20 minutes I could potentially review a pile of resumes and find someone a job. From that job placement, I've now created a future revenue stream that can last years through commission. If the commission is $20/hr, that's a significant amount of money.
Another example is for an investor. Let's say in that 20 minutes an investor calculates an option discrepancy in which they make Θ amount of money from an investment of β. The following week, they now have β+Θ to play with the following week. If they have a similar result they will have (β+Θ)(Θ/β) more money. In this particular case, it's all about magnitude. If the savings from washing a plastic bag were larger than the money made doing these activities, then washing a plastic bag would be a better option.
Then there's the value of life in general. 60 seconds washing a plastic bag is 60 seconds less you get to spend with your family. And family isn't around for ever and cannot be replaced. A plastic bag can be replaced.
I've never known anyone (I could say,arrogant enough, but I won't) to compare life's value to money but there's always a first.
I've never known anyone (I could say,arrogant enough, but I won't) to compare life's value to money but there's always a first.
You got it! Life is too valuable to spend time on little mundane things to save a few bucks. That's the whole preface for my point. I don't see it being arrogant though, and this is probably where there's a disconnect.
I don't consider myself that frugal. I will keep some things for a long time, though.
I love people who complain when stores act unethically and people who are smart frugal shoppers, though. I think these people help to keep prices down and keep stores following safety rules and make life better for the rest of us.
They perform a valuable service for society, in my eyes.
Last edited by goldengrain; 11-22-2011 at 03:27 PM..
My local A&P has been having a problem with expired foods on their shelves for a while now. I never used to bother looking at the expiration date, thinking that they were a big-name supermarket who would be taking care of that, but apparently not.
Yes. My husband and I had that experience with a PathMart that we no longer frequent.
You also don't know if the kids stocking the shelves leave the frozen food that was unloaded from the truck sitting around in the back, defrosting - or the eggs and milk and cheese.
I did find one thing out. My local Shop Rite, which I love, has leaflets placed near customer service which ask me to rate their service and to make comments. I found out that the address on them mails it right to the owner of the franchise so even the manager of the store does not see them. Sometimes I think the manager covers for his employees. I like a store that is responsive to customers. Too many of us feel captive by these corporations, as though we matter little to them.
Last edited by goldengrain; 11-22-2011 at 03:28 PM..
I have never once cracked open a rotten egg, and I've used them well past the sell-by date. Having grown up on a farm where we raising our own livestock for consumption, I really can't be bothered to buy into egg hysteria.
If they float, that just means the air cell inside has gotten larger. When an egg is newly laid, it is about 105º F and has either no air cell or a very small one. As the egg cools, the liquid contents contract more than the shell and the inner shell membrane separates from the outer shell membrane to form the air cell. As the egg ages, moisture and carbon dioxide leave through the pores of the shell, air enters to replace them and the air cell becomes larger.
If you fry an egg that is older, the albumen will spread all over the pan. If you scramble them, doesn't make a difference. If you want to whip them up for a meringue, it won't foam up as easy. An older egg means they'll peel MUCH easier if you hard-boil them.
An old egg is just that - older. The quality of the vitamins and minerals may deteriorate. Even meat/blood spots aren't "bad" - just really unappetizing. If the egg smells - it's definitely bad. Otherwise, if it's been refrigerated, and cooked completely, no problem.
I've scrambled refrigerated eggs that were months old with no bad effects. Your mileage may vary, of course. Just remember that 1 day on the counter is like 3 days in the refrigerator.
If you think a large air cell is the sign of a rotten egg, you should start buying pasteurized liquid eggs or pasteurized still-in-the-shell eggs so you don't have to worry about an irrational fear.
Was in the egg business for over 20 years, and on the California Egg Commission for 15 years.
I am impressed .
So, I suppose that a perfectly good egg can float. On the other hand, if an egg were bad, it too would float, no? I was taught that the bacteria inside the egg would give off a gas that would cause the floating, the way the bacteria in a can give off gas to make the can bulge and make you hear a hiss when you break into the can.
Also, a parasitologist told me to always cook eggs thoroughly, to never, ever, eat a runny egg due to the possibility of salmonella contamination.
Last edited by goldengrain; 11-22-2011 at 03:30 PM..
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