Why do eggs smell

Hydrogen sulfides are quite volatile, so if you happen to overcook a bunch of hard-boiled eggs and let them chill overnight, some of their stench will dissipate into the air. Stinky hydrogen sulfides are produced as the pH of an egg increases. So decreasing the pH will help to stop those aromas from flourishing. A little bit of vinegar or lemon juice added to the poaching liquid can help prevent them from stinking.

Time and temperature are still paramount to not overcooking your eggs though. Extra Crispy Logo. By Peter Kayaian Updated February 13, Lundman received her M. By: Susan Lundman. Can You Eat a Broken Egg? Sulfur Egg whites contain 88 percent water and 11 percent proteins, the most abundant of which is ovalbumin. Heat When you boil an egg, the ovalbumin protein chains in the egg white break apart, causing chemical reactions and hydrogen sulfide gas.

Consequences As boiling water heats the egg and more and more hydrogen sulfide is released, the gas moves inward toward the yolk as well as outward toward the air. Reducing the Smell Both the odor and the ring around the yolk diminish if you decrease the heat. What Is the Difference Between a Fried What Causes an Eggshell to Stick to a How to Make Glow in the Dark Eggs.

The Effects of Inhaling Air Dusters. Shelf Life of Hard Boiled Eggs. The Average Weight of a Boiled Egg. Cover them with cold water and bring them to a rolling boil. Cook for one minute, then remove them from the heat. When the water has cooled enough that you can put your hand in about 20 minutes , the eggs will be perfectly cooked. How does this work? Rather than holding them at degrees the temperature of boiling water , you start them toward that temperature and then, before the interior reaches it, you remove them from the heat.

The cracking problem is avoided by heating the egg gradually by starting it in cold water. Though egg shells are remarkably fragile, they are also porous.

Another problem people have with hard-boiled eggs is peeling them. Again, the solution is simple: Use older eggs, such as those stored as little as a week in your refrigerator. Two things happen while an egg sits around.

First, it becomes more alkaline, which results in an increase in the thin part of the egg white. Also, the air pocket gets bigger as air is absorbed through the porous shell. The combination of these things makes the egg shell easier to remove. Some cooks claim that chilling a hard-boiled egg in an ice-water bath makes it easier to peel. But when we tested that theory with two identical eggs cooked exactly the same way, the one from the ice-water bath was actually harder to peel.

Russ Parsons is a former Food writer and columnist and the former editor of the Food section at the Los Angeles Times.