31. The housewife who desires to run her household on an economical
basis will not depend entirely on eggs that are commercially stored, but
will take advantage of one of the many methods by which eggs may be
successfully kept in the home. By being prudent in this matter, she will
be prepared to supply her family with this commodity at times when the
market price is high.
As many as twenty household methods have been tried out for the
preserving of eggs, but each one is based on the theory that decay is
hindered when the shell is covered with some substance that renders it
air-tight and prevents evaporation or the entrance of bacteria and mold.
Among the methods that have met with the most success are burying eggs
in oats, bran, or salt; rubbing them with fat; dipping them in melted
paraffin; covering them with varnish or shellac; and putting them down
in lime water or in a solution of water glass.
No matter which of these methods is adopted, however, it will be well to
note that only eggs laid in April, May, or June should be used for
storage purposes, as these are the best ones laid during the year; also,
that the eggs should always be packed with the small end down, because
the yolk will not settle toward the small end so readily as toward the
large end or the side.
32. Of these various ways of preserving eggs in the home, probably the
oldest method is that of packing the eggs in oats, bran, or salt. This
method is fairly effective, but the eggs preserved by it do not keep so
long as eggs preserved by other methods, nor is their quality so good.
Preserving eggs by completely covering the shells with fat, vaseline,
paraffin, varnish, or other substance that will exclude the air but not
impart flavor to the eggs, proves a more satisfactory method so far as
the eggs are concerned, but it requires more time and handling. To
assist in their preservation, eggs are sometimes immersed in boiling
water for 12 to 15 seconds. This process, which causes the white to
harden slightly just inside of the shell, keeps the eggs fairly well,
but it is rather difficult to accomplish, as the least overcooking
renders the egg unfit for use as a raw egg.
As a result of many trials, it has been found that putting eggs down in
the various solutions that are used for this purpose is the most
effective way of preserving them under home conditions, provided, of
course, the solutions in which the eggs are immersed do not flavor the
eggs. Therefore, to assist the housewife, detailed directions for using
lime water and water glass for this purpose are here given.
33. PRESERVATION WITH LIMEWATER.--To prepare limewater for the
preservation of eggs, dissolve 1 pound or 1 pint of salt and 1 quart of
finely slaked lime in 3 gallons of water, stir the solution at frequent
intervals for a day or two, and then allow the liquid to settle. Place
the eggs in tall stone crocks or kegs with their pointed ends turned
down, filling the receptacles to within a few inches of the top. Pour
the clear limewater over the eggs so arranged, allowing it to rise an
inch or two above the top layer. Then stand the vessel in a cool place
where the temperature will not exceed 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Eggs so
treated will keep for at least 6 or 8 months. The only objection to this
plan is that the eggs preserved by it sometimes acquire a slight
lime taste.
34. PRESERVATION WITH WATER GLASS.--Putting eggs down in a solution of
water glass is without doubt the most satisfactory method of storing
them in the home. So effective does this method prove that the housewife
who has a convenient and proper storage room should not fail to take
advantage of this way of laying up a supply of eggs.
The commercial form of water glass is usually a mixture of potassium and
sodium silicate, which, besides being cheaper than that which is
chemically pure, is the kind that is preferred for the purpose of
preserving eggs. A good quality of it either in a sirup-like solution or
in the form of a powder retails in drug or grocery stores for about 10
cents a pound. To make a solution of the desired strength to preserve
eggs satisfactorily, dissolve 1 part of water glass in 7 parts of warm
water that has first been boiled to drive off bacteria, mold, spores,
etc. One quart of water glass will make sufficient solution to cover
about 12 dozen eggs. With the solution thoroughly mixed, it is ready to
pour over the eggs.
In selecting eggs for the purpose of storing, be careful to choose only
those which are clean, fresh, and perfectly sound, and, if possible,
infertile. It is advisable not to wash them before they are put into the
preservative, for they will keep better if their bloom is not removed.
Place the eggs in receptacles in the manner explained for preserving
eggs in limewater, and over them pour the water-glass solution until
they are all covered. If the eggs so prepared are stored in a cool
place, they will keep as long as those preserved in limewater; besides,
there will be no danger of their acquiring any foreign flavor.
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