Question about eating an egg (with pic)

Zee

Diamond Member
Nov 27, 1999
5,171
3
76
hey you know that little white part that is sometimes attached to the yolk when u crack it open? Do you guys eat that or do you try to take it out when you are frying it(obviously cant do anything about it when boiling or throwing it directly into a soup)

edit: added pic
the egg on the right has it
 

Zee

Diamond Member
Nov 27, 1999
5,171
3
76
Originally posted by: Moralpanic
I have NO idea what you're talking about :confused:

eh, can someone help me out? when you crack an egg open on the frying pan, dont you sometimes see that little white glob attached to the yolk? My grandmother used to always take it out but my mother used to always leave it in... i'll try to find a pic
 

Looney

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
21,938
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Wow, i must not be very perceptive... i literally eat eggs almost everyday, and i've never noticed it. Unless Canadian eggs are different. :confused:
 

BigSmooth

Lifer
Aug 18, 2000
10,484
12
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Some misinformation here. Those thick strands of egg white are called "chalazae" and they serve to anchor the yolk in the middle of the egg. Their presence indicates a fresh egg.

Edit: since they are just thickened egg white, they don't have any effect on the flavor. They do have a slight effect on the texture, but taking them out is not necessary 99% of the time.
 

Looney

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
21,938
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Originally posted by: bigsmooth
Some misinformation here. Those thick strands of egg white are called "chalazae" and they serve to anchor the yolk in the middle of the egg. Their presence indicates a fresh egg.

ooooh, i know what you're talking about now. I always assumed they were part of the egg... and just cooked it anyways. Taking them out would be a pain. I know when i beat the eggs or cook it, i no longer see it.
 

spp

Golden Member
Jul 9, 2001
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yea you think too much. i've never taken the trouble to even look for it
 

Zee

Diamond Member
Nov 27, 1999
5,171
3
76
Originally posted by: FoBoT
Originally posted by: Moralpanic
I have NO idea what you're talking about :confused:

yeah, if you take out the egg white, then all you have is yolk, why? :confused:

i added a pic to show what im talking about. I dunno, i was frying an egg before and i was pondering whether take it out or not so i decided to see what ATOT would do.... :D
 

Kyteland

Diamond Member
Dec 30, 2002
5,747
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That is how the gowing chick "eats" the yolk. It is basically an umbilical cord. I pick it out when beating egg whites for something, but if I'm just eating the egg (fried, scrambled, etc) I just leave it in. It won't hurt you any.

If it's ever red then you should probably not eat the egg because that means the chicken has started growing. (Although how that would ever hurt you I don't know. That's just what I've been told.)
 

BigSmooth

Lifer
Aug 18, 2000
10,484
12
81
Originally posted by: Kyteland
That is how the gowing chick "eats" the yolk. It is basically an umbilical cord. I pick it out when beating egg whites for something, but if I'm just eating the egg (fried, scrambled, etc) I just leave it in. It won't hurt you any.

If it's ever red then you should probably not eat the egg because that means the chicken has started growing. (Although how that would ever hurt you I don't know. That's just what I've been told.)
OK, no one is reading my earlier post...

The white strands are called "chalazae". They are simply thickened strands of egg white. They attach to the top and bottom of the inner shell lining, and the top and bottom of the yolk. All they do is hold the yolk in place. They are not an umbilical cord, developing fetus, sperm, a penis, or anything else.

Here is a picture if I am not being clear enough.

As for blood spots on the yolk, those are typically caused by blood vessels rupturing on the surface. Again, they are not indicative of a developing chick, they are not harmful, and they do not affect flavor.
 

Bryophyte

Lifer
Apr 25, 2001
13,430
13
81
George Carlin:

"End of the egg? That's not the END of the EGG, that's the BEGINNING OF THE CHICKEN!"
 

Bryophyte

Lifer
Apr 25, 2001
13,430
13
81
Oh, and I only take it out when I'm baking. It sometimes shows up in the finished product as a white spot.
 

XZeroII

Lifer
Jun 30, 2001
12,572
0
0
Originally posted by: bigsmooth
Originally posted by: Kyteland
That is how the gowing chick "eats" the yolk. It is basically an umbilical cord. I pick it out when beating egg whites for something, but if I'm just eating the egg (fried, scrambled, etc) I just leave it in. It won't hurt you any.

If it's ever red then you should probably not eat the egg because that means the chicken has started growing. (Although how that would ever hurt you I don't know. That's just what I've been told.)
OK, no one is reading my earlier post...

The white strands are called "chalazae". They are simply thickened strands of egg white. They attach to the top and bottom of the inner shell lining, and the top and bottom of the yolk. All they do is hold the yolk in place. They are not an umbilical cord, developing fetus, sperm, a penis, or anything else.

Here is a picture if I am not being clear enough.

As for blood spots on the yolk, those are typically caused by blood vessels rupturing on the surface. Again, they are not indicative of a developing chick, they are not harmful, and they do not affect flavor.

So, where's the chick then?
 

BigSmooth

Lifer
Aug 18, 2000
10,484
12
81
Let me clarify, I guess. The eggs we normally eat are not fertilized. That's why I am sure the things Zeero is referring to are the chalazae.

If you were to crack open a fertilized egg, there would probably be a white spot on the yolk which is really the embryonic sac and the beginning cells of the embryo. Once the egg went into incubation, the spot would turn red as the chick's vascular system etc. began to develop.

However, none of this is really relevant, because as I said, we eat nonfertile eggs.