Eggs taste like metal? Is that even possible?
Certainly yes!
Eggs are one of the most common foods that can have a metallic taste in your mouth. It is not out of the ordinary.
So don’t worry if you get a metallic taste from eating eggs; your tongue and taste buds are completely fine.
But why do we sometimes taste metal when eating eggs?
What causes such a thing, and more importantly, is it harmful to our body?
If you have these questions hovering in your mind, you have come to the right place.
Eggs taste like metal because of the eggs’ ability to absorb any flavor from all the pores that come in contact with it.
Eggs might have absorbed the smell of metal from their surroundings and that has caused the metallic taste.
Another reason for eggs taste metallic is the diet the Hen had.
Read further to discuss the matter of eggs deeply tasting like metal.
Why Do Eggs Taste Different Now?
There is gossip on the internet about eggs tasting different from what they used to be.
We are not talking about something different from one or two years ago.
We are talking about the difference in the taste for like 10 years or more.
Now is it a valid discussion?
To be honest, eggs do taste different. But it has nothing much to do with time.
Instead, it is a matter of how we treat the Hen that laid the egg.
For example, if you feed the Hens a diet with Omega 3 feed, the eggs they will lay will have a heavy concentration of Omega 3.
This will cause a dirt-like taste in them.
Storing the egg also plays a role in their taste.
The eggs can absorb the flavor of their surroundings.
So, if they are stored in a metal facility, these Eggs taste like metal.
So theoretically speaking, if you can mimic all the facilities of egg farming from 50 years ago, you can recreate the taste of eggs from 50 years ago.
How Do You Check to See If Eggs Are Bad?
Eggs are like an integrated part of our breakfast.
Although not necessary, we usually don’t leave for work without having eggs for breakfast.
However, are the eggs fresh? How can you be sure?
What kind of harm is there if you have bad eggs for breakfast?
Consuming bad eggs is no joke. It can be fatal.
Eating bad eggs can cause Salmonella infection.
Salmonella infection can ultimately cause vomiting, fever, and diarrhea.
Having bad eggs can cause such big trouble.
Eggs can stay fresh in the fridge for five weeks, and outside the refrigerator, they can survive for only two hours.
However, that is not always the case.
Sometimes they expire before the due date.
So here are two ways to check if eggs are bad or not.
Sniff them
The simplest way to check whether an egg is good or bad is to sniff them.
Sniffing inedible eggs will give you an unbearable bad smell.
That indicates that the egg has gone wrong.
Do a Float Test
Another more reliable method is the float test.
Take a glass of fresh water and place the eggs in them. If they float, they are wrong.
So that is how you distinguish bad eggs!
Can You Taste If an Egg is Bad?
Although it is not recommended to taste-test bad eggs, some people ask the question for several reasons.
Can you taste a putrid egg? And if so, what does a bad egg taste like?
Bad eggs have a very unforgiving smell.
This smell stays even after cooking them with all kinds of luxurious ingredients.
Consuming such bad eggs can cause Salmonella infection, which can lead to vomiting, fever, and diarrhea.
But it would not necessarily kill you.
Consuming bad or rotten eggs often taste like metal.
Sometimes it also tastes like sulfur. The flavor gets weirder with time.
The older the egg is, the more intense these tastes become.
They also become poisonous.
The white part of the egg becomes less white and more transparent.
The yolk starts to water down, and they taste very weird and become smelly.
We do not recommend you taste bad eggs out of curiosity because the consequences can be fatal!
Why Do Eggs Have a Metallic Smell?
Do eggs naturally come with a metallic smell? The answer is no.
They do not come with such a smell.
The metal itself does not come with any scent.
Believe it or not, metal smells less. Thus you are not smelling metal.
Metal indeed gives off a smell, but that smell is not the smell of metal.
Instead, it is the smell of organic oil breaking down on the surface of the metal.
That oil may come from your skin.
So think of this scenario. Egg farmers collect eggs from chicken houses and place them in containers with their hands.
Those eggs then came in contact with metal (packaging machines/ steel packages).
The oil then comes in touch with the metal and breaks down.
They will create a metallic smell.
The eggs can absorb smells from their surroundings, and thus, they can absorb that metallic smell, and later you get that smell from these eggs at your home.
This can be one scenario; the other can be that the egg has gone bad and gives off a foul scent mixed with a metallic flavor it has absorbed by coming in contact with others.
Why Do Eggs Taste Like Metal?
Eggs do not usually come with a metallic taste.
However, it is not ordinary to discover such a distinctive taste of metal in eggs.
Eggs taste like metal and can be both harmless and harmful.
So, let’s talk about the why. Why do eggs tastes like metal? What causes it?
One of the most common reasons for eggs tasting like metal is the eggs’ ability to absorb any flavor from all the pores that come in contact with it.
Basically, what we are saying is that the eggs might have absorbed the smell of metal from their surroundings and that has caused the metallic taste.
For example, the eggs may have been stored in a metal box, or a metal egg dispenser, or they may have been packaged by metal robot arms in the egg factory.
Such things can easily cause the egg to absorb the metallic flavor from the contacted metal and cause a metallic taste.
However, that is not the only reason that eggs taste metallic.
Eggs can taste metallic because of the diet the Hen had.
If the Hen had a diet with too much iron, then the egg may get that metallic taste that we have been talking about. That is natural.
There is no harm in the metallic taste created by the chicken diet.
The problem with this is that there is no way to get rid of this metallic taste, no matter how hard you try to mask it with luxurious ingredients.
There is nothing much to do about it.
Related Questions
Why Do Eggs Taste Like Soap?
The reason for eggs tasting like soap is almost the same as eggs tastes like metal.
The eggs taste like metal because either the chicken had a diet with too much iron, or the eggs have absorbed the metallic flavor from their surroundings.
The first one cannot be the reason for the soapy taste because chickens do not have any soapy diet.
But the eggs often get washed in the processing facilities with soap and water.
That is where the eggs come in contact with soap and absorb their flavor!
Why Do My Eggs Taste Like Sulfur?
Eggs are rich in two proteins i.e. globulin and keratin.
When globulin starts to decay, a toxic chemical is released that’s known as hydrogen sulfide. It has a very potent sulfur smell.
Keratin also has very high levels of an amino acid known as cysteine. It is full of sulfur atoms.
When the keratin starts to break down, out comes the cysteine.
Both of these proteins expel that sulfurous smell that results in an odor. This immediately tells you that this egg has gone bad.
Why do Chicken Eggs Taste Fishy?
Chicken eggs taste fishy possibly due to Storage mistakes.
As mentioned above chicken eggs have porous cells which enables their eggs to absorb the smell and taints.
Chicken eggs can smell fishy if you store the eggs nearby food items such as fish and seafood.
It also gives fishy taste due to diet of chicken. Chickens could be feeding on can make their eggs taste fishy.
Feeding fishmeal can make chickens’ eggs taste fishy.
Flax seeds hold loads of Omega-3, which can make chickens’ eggs smell fishy.
It is essential to feed protein to their broods.
Though protein helps to maximize egg production in chickens, excess protein can increase the likelihood of chickens’ eggs tasting fishy.
Too much feeding of wheat to chicken results in chickens’ eggs will smell and taste fishy.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, Eggs taste like metal because they can absorb the flavor of their surroundings.
If they were in a metal storage unit, they may have absorbed the metal flavor. Another reason could be that the chicken had a diet with iron.
Whatever the case is, Eggs tasting like metal is not necessarily a bad thing!
Sources:
https://learnpoultry.com/chicken-eggs-taste-bad/
https://www.quora.com/Why-do-eggs-taste-different-now-than-30-years-ago
https://www.quora.com/Why-do-eggs-taste-metallic
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/should-you-refrigerate-eggs
https://www.australianeggs.org.au/facts-and-tips/tell-if-eggs-are-bad
https://www.southernliving.com/food/dairy/eggs/how-to-tell-if-an-egg-has-gone-bad
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-long-do-eggs-last
https://www.quora.com/How-do-I-get-rid-of-the-soapy-taste-out-of-an-egg
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