You may have noticed that when you crack an egg there are some little brown flecks in the whites. After all these years, it turns out they may not be pieces of shell
You can’t beat eggs.
They’re tasty, versatile and can be cooked in a number of different ways. Whether boiled, scrambled or poached – you’re always onto a winner with a humble egg dish.
It’s the brunch food of champions, but have you ever noticed something a little odd when you crack them open? If you look closely at the egg whites you’ll probably notice little brown flecks appear now and then.
While you may think they’re pieces of shell, they’re actually not. In fact, they’re absolutely “harmless”. But people have only just been realising what they are thanks to a cracking thread on Reddit.
Someone brought it to people’s attention by posting a snap of their raw egg, which showed little dots in the egg white. The pale brown flecks seemed to leave them a little concerned.
The post read: “I’ve never bought this brand before but they seem to taste better. I’ve eaten about 10 of the dozen so far and this is the 1st time I’ve seen this. Anyone know what those flecks are that I circled? It’s not shell, it was a clean break.”
People have been all too quick to share their thoughts since the question was asked, and it wasn’t long before the cooking conundrum was cleared up. We all learn something new every day!
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One person replied: “It’s little spots of blood and/or protein left over from the formation of the egg. Completely harmless and perfectly fine to eat. Very common with fresh eggs.”
Another wrote: “Noticed this same thing in some eggs from the Amish I got from the local farmers market recently. Perfectly fine!”
A third chirped in with: “Always scare me thinking they are shell pieces in mine too, but pretty normal every once in a while.”
Meanwhile, a fourth commented: “It’s just normal egg stuff. I buy those eggs and see those all the time, and there’s never been an issue.”
It turns out everyone was right, as they are pretty common to spot in eggs. You can pick them out or eat them if they put you off – it’s nothing to worry about.
According to Healthline, meat spots are usually found in the egg white and are known to form from pieces of tissue picked up by the egg when passing through the oviduct. On the flipside, blood spots are usually seen in egg yolks and they crop up due to ruptured blood vessels in the hen’s ovaries or oviduct.
Protein deposits found in the white part can sometimes be known as the albumen. If you don’t know what they look like, they usually have a brown or off-white colouring.
