622 EVERYDAY SCIENCE 



stored. They should be kept away from all musty odors and in 

 a cool place from the time they are laid until they are eaten. 



The three successful methods of preserving eggs, aside from cold 

 storage, are to varnish them with vaseline, to submerge them in 

 lime water, and to submerge them in a' solution of water glass. 

 Of these three methods, the water glass solution is the most satis- 

 factory. It must not be expected that preserved eggs will be as 

 palatable as fresh eggs, but if they are packed fresh in a solution 

 of water glass that is not too alkaline, they will compare very 

 favorably with the eggs that are bought at your grocer's in winter. 

 For cooking purposes they are just as satisfactory as fresh eggs. 



Water glass may be bought as a thick sirup. It should be used 

 in the proportions of 1 volume of water glass to 10 volumes of 

 water. Water glass that is too strongly alkaline will make eggs 

 bitter. 



To Preserve 10 Dozen Eggs. Boil 5 quarts of water and allow 

 it to cool. Add one pint of water glass. Put the solution in 

 earthenware crocks or wooden pails that can be covered tightly. 

 Be sure that the receptacles are clean and odorless, and be sure 

 that the eggs are wiped, but not washed, clean before putting them 

 in the solution. (Washing removes an outer protective coating 

 from the eggshell.) After the eggs have been put in the solution, 

 small end down, cover the receptacle and put it in a cool place. 



If you boil eggs that have been preserved in water glass, run 

 a needle through the shell at the large end. This will prevent the 

 shell from breaking through expansion of the moisture and air inside. 



PROJECT XLVI. How to Distinguish Fresh from Stale Eggs, 

 page 440 



(a) Fresh eggs have a slightly rough coating over the shell. 



(6) Since an eggshell is porous, an egg loses in time part of its 

 liquid contents by evaporation. This causes the white and yolk 

 to shrink, and the emptied space to be filled with air or some other 

 gas. This air space is generally at the broad end of the egg, and 

 in a good egg should not be larger than a dime. 



