Tips to remember before you buy an egg

Eggs are a nutritional powerhouse. They provide high-quality protein and important antioxidants. Eggs are an excellent inclusion in a well-balanced diet.

Follow these basic food safety tips and reduce the chances of you or your family becoming ill from bacteria in or on eggs.

• Bacteria from dirt or chicken droppings on the outside of the shell can enter the egg through cracks that are sometimes too fine to see. Once inside the egg, bacteria can grow, increasing the risk of illness. If you find a dirty or cracked egg, throw it out.
• Don’t buy ‘self-serve’ eggs (where you select individual eggs from a bulk display). You won’t know where the eggs are from, how they have been stored and handled, or their ‘best before’ date.
• If the egg sinks to the bottom and lays down, it is fresh. If it sinks and stands up on the bottom of the pan, it is not very fresh, but still safe to eat. If the egg floats on the surface, it should be thrown out.
• It is best not to wash eggs before storing or using them. Washing is a routine part of commercial egg processing and the eggs do not need to be rewashed.
• At home, keep raw eggs in their original carton on an inside shelf in the refrigerator (40 °F). For best quality, use within 5 weeks after bringing them home.
• Cook eggs until they are hot all the way through. Cooking eggs thoroughly kills bacteria, but bacteria can survive if food is not cooked until it’s hot all the way through.

( The author is the managing director of Suguna Foods Limited)

By G B Sundararajan