Culinary experts have shared a fool-proof way for making sure your eggs will stay fresher for longer, as well as retaining their moisture over time. The team at Delish explained that you may be storing your eggs incorrectly in a TikTok video, which may be having an impact on their quality – and could be losing their freshness.
An indicator of freshness is the air pockets found at the bottom, blunter end of an egg. Air pockets in eggs develop due to a variety of factors. The pocket forms when the contents of the egg cool and contract after it’s laid, according to Exploratorium.
This air cell is usually found between the inner and outer membranes of the egg’s larger, blunter end. Over time, the air pocket grows as the eggs age.
The air pocket will also increase when the egg loses moisture during storage. This can be used as an indicator of whether the egg is fresh; the larger the air pocket, the older the egg is and the more moisture is lost.
So to help keep the egg fresh and retain moisture, the food experts at Delish shared a very simple way you can do this without any major complication. The best way to store your eggs is upside down, or pointed side down.
They highlight the importance of the egg’s air cell for maintaining freshness and the “quality”. Delish said: “If you store the eggs with the air pocket at the bottom the weight of the egg smashes down the air pocket, which destroys its integrity over time. When you store the egg flipped over, the air cell is at the top so it will maintain its integrity and keep the egg fresh.
“Once you flip them all over, you can put them back within their original packaging.”
Delish advised placing the carton of the egg on an interior shelf in the fridge.
This idea was also supported by the experts at BBC Science Focus Magazine. When asked if eggs should be stored pointed end down, Zoologist Luis Villazon explained: “Yes. The blunt end of an egg has an air pocket between the inner and outer shell membranes. This gradually enlarges as the egg loses moisture during storage.
“Keeping the air pocket at the top helps to keep the yolk centred within the egg and prevents the air pocket from rupturing, which reduces the risk of the egg spoiling.”