What Really Qualifies as a Fresh Egg?
- By USDA standards for egg grading, a fresh egg is one up to 30 days old.
- The eggs you buy at a typical supermarket have been produced in a commercial egg factory and have been gathered, washed, rinsed, sanitized, coated with mineral oil, boxed, shipped, stored, and displayed long before you see them. They're marked with an expiration or "use by" date that can't exceed 45 days from grading.
When you see a sign posted in a rural area advertising a resident's "fresh eggs," realize that the meaning of "fresh" is going to be different—just as the process by which the egg is produced, collected, and handled is going to be different. Egg quality will possibly differ, as well. If you have a good, reliable source for your fresh eggs, you may be getting eggs collected just hours (or maybe days) before you purchase them. They may be washed, but many backyards or hobby-farm egg producers don't sterilize, candle, or grade their eggs. In all likelihood, they'll be fresher than what you purchase at a supermarket, but they may not meet the USDA standard for grade.
Does Freshness Matter?
Yes, freshness matters. When an egg is first laid by the hen, it has no air within the shell. As time passes, the egg rapidly starts to deteriorate, even if properly refrigerated. An air pocket forms in the egg, which increases in size over time. Other changes happen: the yolk begins to pale in color, and break down in firmness. The white changes similarly. When eggs are graded, a grader may break an egg to examine interior quality. They'll note that the older, staler eggs have flatter, paler yolks and that the egg whites have less defined shape when broken onto a dish.
Those stale eggs are, if handled and stored properly, certainly still safe to eat. For some cooking endeavors, stale eggs are even necessary (here's looking at you, meringues) to respond properly to the cooking process. However, most of us who relish fresh eggs will argue passionately that they taste much better—and they're prettier on the plate.
Are Brown Eggs Better?
I'm fond of colored eggs. They just look so much more appealing. Aesthetics are a huge part of eating and food preparation and darn it, you can't beat a lovely speckled brown egg for aesthetics!
