Why Are Eggs Harder to Peel?

Posted by Miss Cellania in Food & Drinks on November 15, 2009 at 1:29 pm

There is some evidence that peeling a hard-boiled egg is not as easy as it was a couple of decades ago. The reason why might surprise you -older eggs are easier to peel, and the eggs we eat are fresher than ever! As an egg ages, it loses both moisture and carbon dioxide, which causes the air bubble between the shell and the membrane to get bigger. A bigger air pocket makes eggs easier to peel.

While I’ve noticed the Peeling Problem most distinctly with superfresh farm eggs, the eggs you buy at the supermarket could be getting fresher too. Most American eggs are produced and distributed by agribusiness concerns like Cal-Maine and Rose Acre, which each have more than 20 million hens cranking out eggs just for you.

Statistics on the time it takes for an egg to go from hen to supermarket have not been calculated, a USDA representative told Wired.com, but there’s some reason to believe that new production techniques could be delivering eggs to markets faster.

A 1998 report by the agency found that big consolidated chicken egg facilities, which wash and package the eggs on-site instead of sending them to a separate processing location, could reduce the time from farm to store from 100 hours to 53 hours. And, according to Cal-Maine’s SEC filings, the industry continues to centralize, squeezing out the old facilities in favor of the new ones.

So if you are going to use hard-boiled eggs in your Thanksgiving dishes, you might want to purchase your eggs soon. Link -via Unique Daily

 
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Neatorama Shop » Toy & Games » Science Toys

BuckyBalls Magnetic Toys are 216 rare earth magnet balls that can be shaped and molded into virtually any shape.

Tear 'em apart and snap 'em back together in unlimited ways for hours of fun! Watch the video for a quick demo of what BuckyBalls can do.

Remember to get two for twice the fun! Link
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12 Eggscellent Things You Can Do with Eggshells

Posted by Miss Cellania in Home & Garden on August 29, 2009 at 11:39 am

Eggshells are a wonder of nature. They are the perfect packaging for bird babies and the food they need. Eggshells are full of calcium. And they have a great many uses after you take the yolk and the white out. I put all my eggshells in the compost as a matter of habit. I didn’t know they were also good for repelling bugs and deer, and I certainly have never thought of putting them in the coffee! Find twelve ways to use eggshells at The Daily Green. Link -via Digg

 
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The Astonishing Eggs of Alien Nation

Posted by Queuebot in Animal, Pictures on June 8, 2009 at 7:18 pm

They do not look as if they belong in this solar system, let alone on planet Earth. This collection of photos reveal the strange beauty of insect eggs (though that may well be a matter of taste). Close up they are quite out of this world:

Where is John Hurt when you need him? If he could perhaps just lean over these eggs he might get a nasty surprise but we would perhaps have a chance of identifying these eggs. Although the species is unknown this is a good starting point on our journey through insect eggs. At once a little scary but fascinating, it is difficult to believe that these will hatch in to something probably harmless to us. Fortunately, the eggs measure millimeters rather than meters so don’t have nightmares!

Link

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by taliesyn30.

 
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Crushingly Beautiful Egg Shell Art

Posted by Jill Harness in Arts & Crafts, Everything Else, Food & Drinks, Pictures on February 26, 2009 at 1:53 am

This egg shell art is truly stunning. InventorSpot has more pictures of these lovely, detailed art pieces by artist Ron Cheruka.

Link

 
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