Food & Drink

Eggs - how to buy good eggs?

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Deal Fanatic
Oct 7, 2007
9404 posts
5374 upvotes

Eggs - how to buy good eggs?

So I have been finding more and more often that the eggs we are purchasing here in B.C. have a horrible smell. When you cook with them, the pan will have this awful egg smell that I find completely offensive. Similarly, the utensils used to cook eggs with will retain the smell even after washing unless you remember to scrub them like super crazy. Occasionally, I have had the experience on both cruise ships and workplaces to grab a mug that has come through the dishwasher that also has the same smell.

My question is, how do you buy eggs that don't have this smell? I am almost at the point now where I can't eat eggs because the smell of preparing them grosses me out too much. Are the eggs I am buying not fresh? Is it only certain brands that smell like this? What about organic eggs, would these have the same smell?

The eggs I am using right now were purchased on sale at Safeway a couple of weeks back for something like $2/box. They are nothing special. Just basic store-brand eggs.
41 replies
Moderator
May 28, 2012
12485 posts
5278 upvotes
Saskatoon
I find the cardboard container often has a bad smell...maybe that is being passed onto the eggs in some way? I've bought eggs from almost every grocery store and never had this issue. Perhaps wash the eggs in their shell prior to using them?
Deal Fanatic
Sep 16, 2004
9779 posts
2050 upvotes
Toronto
I've found the Omega 3 eggs don't have this smell nor leave it in pans or utensils.

More expensive though.

I still use ordinary eggs in cakes, custards etc.

If I must cook them,I'm sure to use butter instead of oil to cook them.
Sr. Member
May 6, 2007
785 posts
301 upvotes
Buy from a local place where the chickens have outdoor access, rather than grocery store.
Deal Fanatic
May 2, 2009
7950 posts
3610 upvotes
Are you sensitive to the smell of canola when heated?

Some people are, some aren't. I am and it smells fishy to me. On occasion I notice that same smell in eggs, probably from canola feed.

My only solution has been to stick to the same brand (found by trial and error) that never smells fishy to me.
Deal Fanatic
May 18, 2009
7863 posts
2841 upvotes
Richmond Hill
This reminds me of that cdn heritage commercial where the woman smells burnt toast while having brain surgery
Deal Fanatic
May 2, 2009
7950 posts
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Maybe the eggs are soaking up fridge odours.
Deal Fanatic
Jan 21, 2008
8585 posts
5370 upvotes
If you are cooking with olive oil, you should not. Olive oil is not meant to be cooked over high heat, it burns rather easily, & this can leave a very unpleasant taste to the food you cook.

Because of how often the health benefits of olive oil is constantly hyped, many people try to use olive oil in everything they cook. Even some high level chefs like Mario Batali, I see him deep frying using olive oil. Olive oil should only be used over medium heat at most, its not meant to be used over high heat (which also kills most/all of its health benefits)
Deal Addict
User avatar
Aug 10, 2011
2351 posts
1122 upvotes
Edmonton
I'm not completely clear on the egg smell you're referring to, but I find fresher eggs from a local farm to have a stronger egg scent when cooked. They smell eggier, and I love it.

A lot of eggs from the grocery store have no real egg scent - they smell of nothing when cooked. I assume that's preferable for you, though. Only suggestion I have would be to try different brands from different stores. Also, the different sizes, even at the same store, are likely from different farms depending on the age of their laying hens (jumbo are generally from older birds, though you will get the odd jumbo carton that's full of nothing but double yolks, if the farm has younger birds).
Member
Apr 22, 2015
388 posts
76 upvotes
Toronto, ON
Are you keeping them in the fridge? I've never had an issue with bad egg smells there was one time I bought some eggs that had an awful fishy taste but that was it, otherwise I would say picking the ones with the latest expiry date in the fridge should be ok
Deal Expert
Feb 9, 2012
21709 posts
9001 upvotes
Toronto
Try changing brands and splurging. President's choice blue eggs or something...around $3 for 12 eggs. The odor should not still be there. If so, maybe it's how you cook the egg or store the egg or something...
Deal Addict
User avatar
May 4, 2010
1863 posts
582 upvotes
Find a local farm and purchase free run eggs. You'll feel better eating them, no smell, knowing in the back of you mind that those chickens werent stuffed into little cramped cages.
Sr. Member
Apr 4, 2012
627 posts
314 upvotes
Toronto
Eat eggs almost everyday, also buy free range eggs sourced from the Mennonite community which I found in the gta area
Deal Fanatic
Oct 7, 2007
9404 posts
5374 upvotes
It is hard to describe the smell but it is definitely not fishy nor is it a rotten egg smell. While I do use olive and/or canola oil for cooking, the smell is something that attaches itself to the bowl that contained the RAW eggs or the fork used to beat the raw eggs (e.g. if I beat the eggs before cooking) so it seems unlikely that it is the oil that is triggering the smell. Somehow, I think it has to do with the quality and/or freshness of the eggs. I picked up some generic eggs at Costco this week to try instead as I believe Costco tries to sell products of a certain minimum standard. I will see if these have the same smell. If so, perhaps switching to organic or omega-3 is a better option.
Deal Guru
Jun 29, 2010
10717 posts
5521 upvotes
Toronto
choclover wrote: It is hard to describe the smell but it is definitely not fishy nor is it a rotten egg smell. While I do use olive and/or canola oil for cooking, the smell is something that attaches itself to the bowl that contained the RAW eggs or the fork used to beat the raw eggs (e.g. if I beat the eggs before cooking) so it seems unlikely that it is the oil that is triggering the smell. Somehow, I think it has to do with the quality and/or freshness of the eggs. I picked up some generic eggs at Costco this week to try instead as I believe Costco tries to sell products of a certain minimum standard. I will see if these have the same smell. If so, perhaps switching to organic or omega-3 is a better option.
you can test the freshness of your eggs by placing them in a bowl of water. general rule of thumb is as follows:
if the egg stays at the bottom - it is fresh.
if the egg is at an angle on the bottom - it is still fresh and good to eat.
if the egg stands on its pointed end at the bottom - it is still safe to eat but best used for baking and making hard-cooked eggs.
if the egg floats - it is stale and best discarded.

a floating egg is caused by the buildup of hydrogen sulfide and will lead to the “rotten egg” smell. if your egg passes this test, and it doesn’t have a fishy odour (most common causes are canola/ flax/ fish oil chicken feed), then i would look at your cooking oil.
Good, better, best. Never let it rest. 'Til your good is better and your better is best.
Deal Fanatic
Jan 21, 2008
8585 posts
5370 upvotes
ShoNuff2 wrote: you can test the freshness of your eggs by placing them in a bowl of water. general rule of thumb is as follows:
if the egg stay at the bottom - it is fresh.
if the egg is at an angle on the bottom - it is still fresh and good to eat.
if the egg stands on its pointed end at the bottom - it is still safe to eat but best used for baking and making hard-cooked eggs.
if the egg float - they're stale and best discarded.

a floating egg is caused by the buildup of hydrogen sulfide and will lead to the “rotten egg” smell. if your egg passes this test, and it doesn’t have a fishy odour (most common causes are canola/ flax/ fish oil chicken feed), then i would look at your cooking oil.
Thanks for sharing this info!

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