Answer:

Chicken eggs are a familiar food that is rich in nutrients and commonly used in daily meals. However, not every egg is guaranteed to be fresh and quality. Eggs left sitting for a long time or stored improperly can degrade in quality or even spoil, affecting both flavor and consumer health.

With a simple checking method using sight, hearing, and smell, you can partially assess the freshness of an egg before cooking it.

First, observe the shape, color, and surface of the eggshell. Fresh, high-quality chicken eggs usually have intact and bright-colored shells, a slightly rough surface, and a powdery, dew-like bloom coating the outside. However, for eggs that have been processed or industrially packaged, this natural coating may no longer be present.

On the other hand, eggs with cracked, dented, or crushed shells, or those leaking albumen should be handled with caution. If there are unusual patches resembling signs of mold on the shell, you should not use such eggs.

When holding and gently shaking the egg in your hand, a fresh egg usually feels solid, and the yolk and white inside will not feel loose or shift heavily. With older eggs, the internal content becomes looser, meaning you will feel clear movement with just a light shake.

You can further test the freshness by holding two eggs and gently tapping them together or shaking them slightly. Fresh eggs typically produce a sharp, solid sound when tapped against one another, and make almost no sound when shaken.

Meanwhile, older eggs may produce a hollow sound or a slight noise when shaken, because the albumen and yolk have become looser, and there is more empty space inside.

Smell is another sign that can help determine whether an egg is still good to eat or not. You can bring the egg close to your nose and gently sniff the shell. Fresh eggs usually have no unusual odor; if any scent is noticeable, it is typically the mild, characteristic smell of an eggshell.

In contrast, low-quality eggs may develop a musty or strange odor. An egg should not be consumed if it has a sour, rotten, or foul smell.

Besides checking eggs for freshness, consumers should also buy eggs with clear origins and proper storage from reputable stores, supermarkets, or suppliers.

Traditional Medicine Practitioner Bui Dac Sang
Researcher at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Member of the Hanoi Association of Oriental Medicine