20 egg-cellent egg myths you probably still believe

First off, it’s straight-up offensive to judge an egg based on the color of its shell. Especially since color and quality have nothing to do with each other. The color of the eggshell is actually determined by the specific breed of chicken that laid it. Brown chickens (such as Orpingtons) lay brown eggs, while white chickens (such as Leghorns) lay white eggs. Different colored chickens, different colored eggs, same great taste.

The dates listed on the side of most egg cartons aren’t expiration dates, they’re sell-by dates. Although raw refrigerated eggs in their shells should last three to five weeks after this date, there’s a better way to test for freshness. Simply place your uncracked egg in a glass or full bowl of water. If it lies flat on the bottom, it’s good to go. If it stands on end at the bottom, use it quick, as it will probably only be fresh for another few days. If the egg floats, chuck it out. Although watertight, eggshells are actually porous and allow air to slowly build up inside over time. Air diminishes shelf life, and thus is a good indicator of freshness.

Generally speaking, people prefer fresher eggs, and this is the best bet to avoid illness. However, fresh eggs can actually be more difficult to cook if you choose to boil them. The longer the egg sits for, the more the membrane inside separates from the shell, making it easier to peel after boiling. If the eggs you buy at the market happen to be especially fresh, you might want to let them sit for a week or so before making those deviled eggs. If time is a factor, however, follow these tips for hard-boiling fresh eggs. Just don’t wait too long; older eggs are more likely to go bad, they lose nutrients, and their yolks become less centered – which spells bad news all around.

Whether you crack open or hard-boil your eggs, the shells are always discarded, which means they’re useless... right? Wrong. Although you probably won’t want to eat eggshells as is, they can be used as an ingredient for homemade facials, a skin irritation remedy, a powerful cleaning abrasive, a fertilizer, a pest repellent, and more. Click here for additional uses and detailed explanations courtesy of One Good Thing by Jillee. 

While eggshells don’t taste very good and the large jagged shards will likely tear you up inside, the shells have numerous nutritional benefits and can be safely eaten. You see, eggshells contain some 27 essential microelements and high levels of calcium, as the exterior is mostly composed of calcium carbonate – just like our bones and teeth! By drying, baking, and grinding up the shells, you can create a homemade supplement that can be added to water for a calcium boost. (Just be sure to drink it in moderation.) Click here for the instructions from Mama Natural.

When using the edge of a bowl, not only does the eggshell crack, but so does the membrane inside, which often leads to small pieces of shell getting into the mixing bowl. Plus, a blunt-edged bowl can create more cracks than you need. Instead, after washing your hands, tap the egg on the flat surface of a countertop with one hand. Then check the egg for the break and a large, side-to-side crack. Place your hands on both side of the crack and pull it apart. If there are any shell shards, they should stick to the membrane and not fall into the bowl.

If you’ve ever used a fork to rescue bits of shell shards from your mixing bowl, you’ll know it works... but not especially well. In fact, it’s sort of a cruel game where one second a fork tine is right next to the shell, and the next the fork seems to almost repel the shell away. Instead, wash and dry your hands. Then thoroughly wet a single finger and dip it into the bowl in the direction of the stranded shard. As you’ll see, the shell will actually gravitate toward your finger, making it much easier to remove it.

For as long as most people can remember, the easiest way to separate an egg white from the yolk was to crack open the shell and let the white spill out while keeping the yolk trapped inside. While this is often effective, it also frequently ends in disaster. The shell doesn’t fracture correctly, the yolk breaks, the whites drip everywhere, and it can be a big mess. Instead, crack the whole egg into a separate bowl. Then grab a clean and empty soda bottle. Squeeze the bottle slightly, invert it, and hold the open end right next to the yolk. When you loosen your grip on the bottle, the yolk should be sucked up into it like magic! For a visual display of this method, click here.

Ever since we were kids, parents, teachers, and the FDA warned about the dangers of eating cookie dough due to the raw eggs containing salmonella. Although it’s true that some eggs contain harmful bacteria and can make you sick, not every single one does. In fact, a 2002 study found that only one out of every 30,000 eggs produced in the U.S. are contaminated with salmonella. This by no means suggests that you should start chugging glasses of raw eggs like you’re Rocky, but hopefully it will give you some peace of mind.

If someone gets sick after eating raw cookie dough, most people will immediately blame it on salmonella (or eating several bowls of dough in a single sitting). However, even if the raw eggs don’t contain salmonella, the dough can still make a person ill, as the FDA issued a warning in 2016 that said consuming raw flour is also a health risk. While cookie ingredients such as molasses, sugar, and margarine are processed to kill pathogens, contaminants (such as E. coli) that get into wheat plants can survive the milling process. Either that, or the FDA just wants all the cookie dough to themselves.

Many people fear salmonella, but many people also love to eat cookie dough. Thus, you’ll hear all sorts of false assertions about the safety of raw eggs, including the claim that organic eggs do not contain salmonella. (In fact, we just heard this the other day on “The Tonight Show” during Jimmy’s “Egg Russian Roulette” game.) Regardless of whether eggs are labeled as organic, kosher, cage-free, free range, natural, or any other distinction, they all have an equal chance of containing salmonella, according to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

Cholesterol is a tricky subject, as there are actually two types: the cholesterol in the human body (which is made by the body itself), and dietary cholesterol. While eating a ton of cholesterol can raise your body’s cholesterol levels, the amount found in eggs is generally negligible. What does increase your body’s cholesterol-production levels, however, are saturated and trans fats, which eggs thankfully do not contain much of. The average egg, for the record, only contains about 1.5 grams of saturated fat and no trans fat, but they do provide a heaping supply of essential vitamins and minerals, so eat up!

 Chefs often claim you should never season an egg before cooking it (or hold off until right beforehand) as salt breaks down the egg’s structure and makes it watery. Not only have repeated tests proved this to be false, but salting eggs beforehand might actually be good for them. According to former professional chef Daniel Gritzer of Serious Eats: “Salt acts as a buffer between the proteins in the eggs, which prevents them from linking as tightly as they otherwise would during cooking,” which results in more tender eggs.

It might not be the best option, but scrambled eggs can be prepared in the microwave in a pinch. Simply coat a bowl or coffee mug with cooking spray, crack the egg inside it, whisk it thoroughly, and microwave on high for about 45 seconds. Then stir for and microwave until the eggs are almost set, which should take an additional 30 to 45 seconds. Season and enjoy!

Many chefs, professional and amateur alike, will scoff at the mere suggestion of adding milk to scrambled eggs - even just a few drops. Despite claims of wet or overcooked eggs, there’s really no reason to protest this culinary choice, especially when a spoonful of milk or two can give you softer, more velvety scrambles. In fact, some chefs will even add a drop of cream or a dollop of crème fraîche!

There’s more than one way to make an omelet, and which method you choose is simply based on personal preference. Some people claim you should never stir an omelet at all, which will result in a slightly more tender, creamier product. Others say your omelet pan should be tilted and stirred, folding in the edges for a fluffier consistency. Not sure which one is best for you? Try both!

The egg has been regarded as a symbol of death and rebirth for tens of thousands of years, as well as a symbol of fertility along with rabbits. Thus when Christianity began to find favor in the middle of the first millennium, it made sense that Christians would adopt the egg symbol and apply it to the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection, similar to how they chose to celebrate Easter around the same time of year as the spring equinox. As for the decoration of the eggs, that practice dates back some 60,000 years, as evidenced by engraved ostrich eggs found in Africa. The one shown in the photo was decorated between 5,000 and 8,000 years ago!

Vegetarians are often criticized (by both carnivores and vegans alike) for eating eggs, as eggs are basically baby chickens, right? While it’s obviously true that chicks hatch from eggs, it’s slightly more complicated than the initial assertion. First, most eggs you buy at the store are produced by hens that lay eggs whether or not they are fertilized. The so-called “egg factories” that these eggs come from do not have roosters present, which means they have zero chance of fertilizing, developing, or hatching. Smaller farms (the kinds that have free-range chickens and/or grow organic eggs) will allow the eggs to be fertilized and develop what is technically a very simple embryo on rare occasions, but unless these eggs are incubated soon afterward, the embryo will die. Thus, only a very small number of store-bought eggs ever had a chance to become a chick, and that chance was snuffed out long before the carton hit your market’s shelf.

Not only are blood spots – the little drops of red occasionally found in eggs – not evidence of a fertilized or bad egg, they’re actually safe to eat. Blood spots are simply blood vessels that ruptured on the yolk surface during formation of the egg. Candling (the process of holding an egg up to light in order to inspect the interior) and mass scanners usually catch and remove most eggs with spots, but some still make it through, especially in brown eggs that are harder to illuminate. If the little red drops still bother you, simply remove them with the tip of a knife before cooking.

Chickens come from eggs, and eggs are laid by chickens... so which came first? The answer: the egg. Although some people explain this riddle by saying chickens came from dinosaur eggs, it’s a little bit more complicated than that. However, the simple version is that the first chicken eggs were actually mutated eggs from another bird, and yes, birds evolved from dinosaurs. With that settled, please enjoy your mutant breakfast.