What is that white string in your egg, and can you eat it?
Crack open an egg and sometimes you’ll see it: a white string in the egg white. What is it? Can you eat it? Is something wrong with your egg? Don’t panic, we’ll explain: it’s the chalaza, and it’s completely natural.
Nothing is as versatile as eggs. A simple boiled egg, homemade mayo, a fancy omelet or a proper poached egg for eggs Benedict—you can make them all with those ridiculously cheap things. And sometimes you crack an egg and see a light-colored cord in the egg white. What is it? Some people seriously claim it’s ‘rooster sperm’. Others say it’s an ‘umbilical cord’. Neither is true.
Fresh egg
Nothing to worry about: that stringy part of the egg white is called the chalaza. It keeps the yolk in place. Every egg has two: one running from the pointed end to the yolk, and one from the blunt end. Can you see the chalaza clearly? That means your egg is fresh. As an egg gets older, the cord becomes weaker and the yolk slowly sinks down. Once the egg white has set, you won’t encounter that white string at all.
It doesn’t hurt the chicken
Do you ever see a little red speck in an egg? That doesn’t mean you’re frying or whisking a fertilized egg. It’s called a ‘bloodspot’, and it’s a little bit of blood from the chicken that laid your egg. It doesn’t bother the chicken at all—it doesn’t hurt. Pick the speck out of your egg with a piece of the shell; that’s the easiest way.
Also read:
- Eddie’s food frustrations: difficult and complicated coffee versus black coffee
- Don’t be a jerk—this is how you send food back
- Vjeze’s perfect French omelet
Source: RD.com
