🥚How can I tell that the eggs are fresh?

The best-before date (BBD) is decisive when buying. This may be a maximum of 28 days after the laying date. Incidentally, the best-before date does not indicate the end of the shelf life. In most cases, eggs are still edible after the best-before date and can be used for cooking (at least 70° Celsius) and baking. However, only freshly laid eggs should be used for dishes with raw eggs, such as tiramisu.

🥚How can I tell if eggs are still OK?

Take the swimming test!

Fill a glass with cold water and place the egg in it. If the egg lies on the bottom, it is fresh. If it stands upright, everything is fine. If the egg floats to the surface, it is more than two weeks old. The reason: the older the egg, the larger the layer of air between the shell and the egg white and the more air there is in the egg, the greater the buoyancy.

🥚Do eggs with dark yellow yolks come from free-range hens?

The yolk color is influenced by the choice of feed components. Synthetic coloring feed is also permitted in conventional hen husbandry. However, the color does not allow any conclusions to be drawn about the type of husbandry or quality.

🥚White or brown eggs?

The color of the eggs does not play a role in the quality, nor does the coloration allow any conclusions to be drawn about the way they are kept or fed. Whether a hen lays white or brown eggs depends on the breed and therefore on the hen’s ear disc. This is a small area of skin on the head. Hens with white ear discs lay white eggs, hens with red ear discs lay brown eggs. However, white eggs are often more popular for dyeing, as the colors come out better than with brown eggs.

🥚Where is the best place to buy eggs?

Eggs are available from discounters, at the market, directly from the farm or in organic stores. Each consumer makes this decision for themselves and can, for example, take into account the different conditions under which the animals are kept. Organic eggs, especially those with the Bioland, Naturland or Demeter seal, i.e. with association certification, are subject to strict requirements with regard to husbandry conditions and feeding. Free-range eggs can also be a good choice: Cheap organic eggs from discount stores may perform worse in terms of sustainability if the organic feed for production has to be imported from far away than free-range eggs from the local market. There, regional retailers offer eggs that have been produced by feeding the hens with feed from the region. Cage rearing is the cheapest form of rearing, but offers the animals hardly any space. Eggs from barn farming means that the animals are not kept in cages, but in large halls. They do not spend any time outdoors.

🥚Are there colored organic eggs?

As dyeing is a form of processing and the obligation to label the eggs no longer applies, it is not necessarily possible to trace the origin of dyed eggs. Already cooked and dyed eggs, which are often found at the counter in stores, are therefore not subject to labeling. These colored eggs can therefore also be eggs from cage or barn farming. You can be on the safe side if you buy them from a health food store – or dye them yourself.

🥚What sizes are available?

Eggs are available in the sizes S (small; under 53 g), M (medium; 53-63 g), L (large; 63-73 g) and XL (extra large; over 73 g). The cooking time varies depending on the size. Small eggs need to cook for approx. 30 seconds less than medium eggs, large eggs need to cook for 30 seconds longer.

🥚Is there a size that is ideal for dyeing?

The size of the eggs and the weight depend on the age of the hens. The older the hen, the larger the eggs she lays. S and M size eggs are best for dyeing. These eggs come from younger hens and have a smoother shell so that the coloring is more even.