Eggs are fairly ubiquitous, whether you scramble them, fry them, or add them to your favorite dishes. And there are a lot of myths when it comes to the consumption, appearance, quality, and nutritional value of these edible ovals, despite their ubiquity.
Read on for some widespread misconceptions that about eggs that have been debunked.
MYTH: There is more nutritional benefit for brown eggs than white eggs
An egg's color has no impact on how it tastes or how much nutrients it provides to the eater, so there is no reason to discriminate.
MYTH: A better source of protein is raw eggs than cooked ones.
It seems to work for fictional boxers and self-absorbed cartoon villains to ingest raw eggs, but the fact is that it is dangerous to gulp down uncooked yolks and not very great for helping you get a protein boost.
To start with, you are more likely to get salmonella from consuming raw eggs, a form of infection that can often make people severely sick.
Plus, raw eggs are not a better protein source than cooked eggs. In fact, the body absorbs approximately twice the protein from cooked eggs than it does from raw ones.
MYTH: All eggs must be stored in a refrigerator
This can be depending on where in the world you are. You certainly won't find eggs in the fridge in a British supermarket, for instance, but in a U.S. grocery store, you can.
In the U.S., egg producers with a certain number of chickens are usually expected to wash their eggs in an attempt to keep disease-causing salmonella at bay, according to The New York Times.
Soaps and enzymes that can dissolve part of the protective cuticle of an egg are part of the washing mechanism intended to keep the egg healthy from bacteria. Holding these cleaned eggs cool helps keep bacteria at bay, so they are kept in refrigerators.
But for a few reasons, washing eggs is discouraged in many countries around the world, such as the United Kingdom, including a presumption that sloppy washing procedures may do more harm than good and the cuticle of the egg (since it has not been washed off) will hold bacteria at bay. As the shells are not harmed by cleaning, refrigeration is optional.
That said, you should keep it cooled after an egg is refrigerated and not leave it out for longer than two hours, according to the United Egg Producers. It will sweat and promote the growth of potentially dangerous bacteria or even mold if you leave a frozen egg at room temperature for too long.
