August 27th
2007
Do you always crack your eggs in a separate bowl before transferring them to the mixing bowl? I do. It was one of my grandma's golden rules of baking to avoid a) small egg shell pieces in the batter and b) the worst case: a hastily cracked open but rotten egg in the batter, spoiling all the other ingredients. Because I tend to crack open my eggs snappily - still working on my skills to master the neat one-hand-crack - this precaution is an indispensable one for me. Over the years I have asked myself and in light of ever improving quality assurance, whether the latter reason for using a separate bowl still applied. And I have never, really not ever, cracked open a rotten egg. What are the odds it's going to happen these days? Or have I been extremely lucky to not face such a nasty and disgusting experience yet?
Presumably. Yesterday my lucky egg phase came to an end with a loud bang. Add a scream to that. I was preparing food for our annual house party, just in the middle of mixing together all the ingredients for a Tiropita (savoury Greek pastry) filling, when I reached for the last egg sitting on my fridge's separate egg shelf - an unloved white one, however, fresh and free-range I might add. Because of my snappy egg cracking technique I clearly favor brown eggs, which are not only prettier to me, but more forgiving if handled with an extra momentum - more than once I smashed white eggs while trying to open them. Cautiously, I knocked the pale egg against the little porcelain bowl, too cautiously, as it only showed a small crack, no hole. Automatically I started poking my fingernails into the crack and felt the egg shell collapsing. My thumbs sunk deep into the newly created hole and vanished into a slimy blueish-brown liquid! WHOOOOOA. An extreme sight that was sooo unexpected, I started screaming as if an army of spiders had just crossed my fingers! Expecting the worst, Oliver came running, expecting some sort of bloody crime scene, but spun on his heel as his nose caught the most awful stench of all: ROTTEN EGGS.
This, by far, has to be my most disgusting kitchen experience ever, the smell even beats slicing a thick worm hidden in a wild mushroom, which had happened someday last year. Not only the sight gave me shivers, but the stench! Yuck! I didn't dare to breath and at the speed of light I jockeyed the egg's remains into the waste bin, brushed off my fingers under hot water and immediately disposed the waste bag outside. That didn't help much, the sulfurous rotten egg smell was still floating around in my kitchen...
This whole scenario must have brought bad kitchen karma for the day, the Tiropita didn't work out as planned. While the filling was tasty and easy to work with, the phyllo dough acted up. I used plenty of melted butter to make it smooth, but when I - really carefully - tried to bend the long rolls into the desired snail shapes, the dough cracked open in several places and made a mess. After all, I tossed the Tiropita plans after the first tray on which I had tried different shapes. The rest of the filling gladly served as part of mini veggie tarts. But I won't give up so easily - any tips and tricks a Tiropita or Spanokopita pro would like to share?
O.M.G! Yikes... what a terrible experience you had... poor you! I crack about 120 eggs a week as part of my profession, have done for the last 2 yrs = thats over 10,000 eggs, & fortunately, I have never had that dis-pleasure yet, but it makes me think maybe I ought to crack my eggs in a different bowl first too, just in case...
I do this too. I will not just put an egg into the batter first with out it going into a seperate bowl first...and with good reason I see.
I really wanted to see a photo of the rotten egg!
Years ago I learned from my mother in law how to make the Yugoslavian dish, Gibaniza (?). Which is similiar in that the ingredients are eggs, feta cheese and phyllo dough. Living in the states I only found the very thin paperlike dough in the freezer section...which brought me many unhappy times trying to roll up the liquid filling. My kind mother in law finally brought me from France what she uses and is the phyllo from Yugoslavia..much more sturdier, and better in flavor, and guess what...never breaks! I have yet to find it locally, but I'm sure in the big cities it would be sold in the ethnic markets. Good luck! As for me, I'm living in the Middle East now and just import thru the family.
it's amazing how disgusting the rotten egg smell is :( sorry you had to deal with it. i've been on a baking struggle lately - not sure if it's the summer and humidity, but the doughs i make just don't want to cooperate...
And here I thought that rotten eggs were just a myth. I've routinely used eggs past their "expiration date" for years now, and have yet to encounter an egg that's gone west. Sounds like a disgusting experience. Yuck.
What a gripping way to tell such a horrifying story.. an experience nobody should ever have to suffer through.
I also enjoyed the perfect picture of the broken Tiropita (and the irony of it).
Wow... how disgusting! I hope to be free of the rotton-egg experience for as long as I can avoid it.
That top picture of yours looks delicious though. How often have you been having these house parties, and do you have themes? Or just wing it? I'd love to entertain more than I do.
No phyllo tips here, but I have to say that was a wonderfully -- and vividly -- written post.
Mein einziges vergammeltes Ei hatte ich beim Kochunterricht in der Schule (Mittelstufe), seitdem nie wieder, aber seitdem schlage ich konsequent die Eier über einer Tasse auf...
Hi Nicky,
Sorry to hear about the egg accident. I am not a phyllo expert, but can offer you some advice. Try soaking the phyllo sheets in a mixture of milk and egg yolk (1 yolk for a cup of whole milk). You can either dump them in the mixture, let excess drip off and proceed, or apply the mixture liberally with a pastry brush. This way, they will not crack and also turn out moister. Hope it helps.
Oh, Nicky, poor you. I never had a rotten egg, after your description I hope it remains so. About phyllo: Did you really use phyllo or turkish "yufka"? Yufka doesn't tend to break, especially if you brush it with egg/milk mixture (like Cenk said) or only water will do as well... I wouldn't dump the whole sheet though, just brush.
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeew!
I'm sorry that had to happen. :(
Isn't that strange... I just found my first-ever rotten egg a few weeks ago too! Maybe there's something in the air?
Guh. You have my sympathies, as I've encountered a rotten egg once before. Fortunately it was the ONE TIME I cracked eggs into a separate container prior to cooking--not because of forethought, but because I wanted to scramble them before putting them in the pan! Seeing a blue-green and crumbling yolk amid reeking no-longer-whites I poured it and every other egg in our fridge down the drain, trying not to gag...I never want to experience it again.
I've been lucky on the rotten egg issues while cooking (thanks for my new word Ulrike - vergammeltes), but can vouch for the fact that hard boiled rotten eggs are just as terrifying. We made an unfortunate discovery when moving out of a house when I was about 8. Seems one of our easter eggs was never found. No idea how many years it had been there, but when it was broken by something being moved out of the house... eeeewwww.
The stench - it's palpable thousands of miles away. I've yet to come across one (not something to be anticipated with favor, I now know ...) but figure, the more eggs through the kitchen, the more likely it is to happen. Off to make ice cream -- six yolks.
I never thought about cracking eggs in a seperate bowl but now I think it's a very good idea. I don't believe the rotten egg brought you bad luck, I don't know greek doughs though, turkish ones are very bad in Germany. Filo should be very thin (the ones I bought in Bonn were not thin enough) and they must be fresh, so they are not dry and are flexible. I hope you can find better ones next time.
I've never cracked open a rotten egg, but just last month or so, I was making a frittata. I had cracked 5 eggs into the bowl (one right after another, no separate bowl--mistake), and the sixth one was all bloody inside.
Granted, I buy hippie eggs (free range, cage-free, all that), so I'm guessing one managed to get friendly with a rooster during all that free-ranging and fertilized it rather heartily.
It's no grosser than eating chicken, I guess, but I still tossed the whole batch and made my husband do a grocery store run.
So sorry to hear about your egg troubles! My egg-related comment isn't a rotten one, but somewhat amusing and funny.
I found this site searching for a banana bread recipe, and found your peanut butter banana bread and wonderfully-written account a few days ago.
Well, I prepared the bread last night, poured the batter in a loaf pan, placed it in the oven, and prepared to clean up and wash dishes, so proud of myself for taking the time to do each and every step (or so I thought).
I reached for the first bowl to clean and caught sight of two eggs laying on the counter — the ones that were *supposed* to be in my batter!
Everything worked out deliciously, as I ended up whisking them directly into the batter in the loaf pan — however I did crack and beat them in a separate bowl first!
I suffered a rotten egg last year. Was knocking up some scrambled eggs for breakfast, and put it straight in the pan. The stench was unbelievable and truely made me feel so sick.
I must admit I never thought about putting an egg into a separate container first. I was always taught this but as confidence grew over not getting broken egg shell in it I just stopped using the extra step. However you're completely right, that if you get a rotten egg straight in the mix you'll ruin it all.
Thanks for the tip, I'm going to change my ways!
would have wanted to see a pic of those rotten eggs but i be the pulling out your camera was the VERY LAST thing on your mind at that moment :)
i happened to come across a rotten egg about 10 years ago, as a child, making an omelette with my mom. that stench never ever left my head!!
I believe that free range eggs are actually more prone to being rotten - for the simple reason that the hens don't always lay in obvious places, so an egg may not be found for a long time. They have no way of knowing that it isn't one that was just laid. Still not a good reason to use anything but free range eggs of course!
Wow, I've had that happen in life and I cook a lot of eggs. You story reminded me of the Filipino egg delicacy with embryos in them. Yuck.
yikes! ewwl...rotten eggs. I never crack eggs separately. :)
oh no! i don't crack into separate bowl but I might do now! the food looks delish though..
I've been thinking about this all day. That putrid, blue-ish slime. So gross.
Although you have to admit, this is one of those things that you can't help but have a little laugh about (until it happens to you that is).
Your likening to an army of spiders was one of the best I've ever read.
Oh my!! I will from now on crack my eggs separately. I never even thought about rotten eggs. How traumatic.
can you send me the recipe for whatever wonderful treats you have pictured?
they look SOOO wonderful!
thanks!
Rotten eggs are just TERRIBLE! Try lemon or vinegar for the smell. It really helps.
FILO PASTRY TIPS: To keep the moisture when working with fio, the easiest way (and the one my grandma taught me) is to wet a kitchen towel lightly and place it over te filo as you are working. This way they will not crack that easily.
Also, they have to be thoroughly thawed befre working with them.
Also, you need to brush them with olive oil on the inside before you fill them and the outside when you have filled them.
BTW the name of the pie you had at your trip is called STRIFTOPITTA (twisted pie) and it is a speciality of Northern Greece.
I am glad you liked my country so much. I always open for more questons about Greek food.
Love your site
J.
I'm going to tell you what works for me. I never never never buy the hand stretched phyllo, it never works, I end up throwing half of it away, always the machine stretched one, and roll it out on a piece of saran wrap and cover it with a damp kitchen towel between rollups.
Did you ever read Charlotte's Web? It's beautifully written, by E.B.White (of Strunk and White fame). There's a wonderful barnyard scene with a rotten egg.
I'm sorry you stuck your hand in it, ew.
I've only ever bought supermarket filo, but have always had more success with the stuff from the fridge section, not the freezer. Something about the defrosting makes it more likely to crack.
Hello :)
I am Greek...and pretty good on tiropitta too...so here's a tip for you: your phyllo cracked because it was dry. And dry phyllo does not need butter but olive oil. Add a splash of lukewarm water on a bowl of olive oil and use your hands and not a brush to "brush" it on the phyllo.
Let me know how this worked next time you make it :)
Oh dear! I was also taught from a young age to break my eggs into a separate bowl. Of course, i have grown comfortable in believing that we never get rotten eggs these day because they are more or less pasturised. Well, from now on, I can tell you, I will be reverting to the old method my grandmother taught me!
Tamami, You have been pretty lucky! I'm not sure if I cracked that many eggs in my whole life, up until I came across this rotten one. Good luck for the next 10,000 ;)
Jeanette, Thank you for your feedback, I'll keep it in mind when looking for phyllo dough in the future.
Joyful Abode, We celebrate at least once a year in our backyard, and the overall theme is "delicious food". Everybody is free to bring what ever he or she wants, we start around coffee/tea time with cakes and sweets, then move on to BBQ'ing. Sometimes we meet again the next day to "kill" the remains ;)
Amanda, Maya, Opening that rotten egg and trowing the remains in the trash bin was an automated action. After I coped with my initial shock, I regretted not having taken a picture, too, but am not sure, if my nose would have approved that!
Cenk, Thank you for the tips!
Hande, I bought the phyllo at our Greek grocery store, but if I can find yufka, I'm more than willing to try it! Thanks for your advice :)
Melissa, We're now partners in crime, aren't we?
Jim, It's good to hear that others made this horrible experience, too. Not that I want anyone to, though!
Elizabeth, It's amazing, your little anecdote made me believe for a brief moment that I could sense this horrible smell again - I think this experience is meant to stay with me ;)
Acemi, I suspect the phyllo dough was the problem... mine was definitely a little on the dry end and not flexible at all. 'Will be more picky next time!
Aprille, Love the term "hippie eggs"!
Angela, Lovely story! Things like that happen to me all the time... I like it best, when I miss a passage in a recipe description, improvise, things work out and then I discover, that I did something wrong! Gladly most recipes are forgiving enough...
SarahG, I can so relate and totally feel for you ;)
Stephen, Are you sure you're talking about a delicacy? Just kiddin' - to me it sounds quite gross ;)
Graeme, You're welcome ;) After my initial shock and as soon as the smell was gone, the thought of my reaction cracked me up, too...
Rachel, I'm still experimenting and have another twist on the recipe in my pocket, I'm sure then they will end up on the blog ;)
Johanna, I already did cover the sheets with a damp towel to avoid letting it get too dry, something I'm used to doing when working with wantan wrappers etc. But I will remember your tips for the next time I lay my hands on STRIFTOPITTA - thanks for sharing :)
Bessie, The next time I buy some phyllo, I'll check if the packaging says something about how it was stretched...
Arcyro, Thank you for the tip with the olive oil, as soon as I find another brand of phyllo (just to make sure), I'll give it a try!
Oh, gross! Rotten eggs have to be the worst cooking experience ever.
This blog looks so tasty, so I've picked it as one of my Blog Day 2007 discoveries.
The rotten egg smell is unbelievable. I cracked one once and I couldn't eat eggs for a long time after that. It was that bad.
I live in a village surrounded by farms and often get my eggs from local farms.
Occasionally, I find a rotten egg.
So I still break them in a separate bow, just like my Mum told me...many many years ago
Here in Catalonia (capital Barcelona), many mention the risk of salmonella infection, as eggshells are not sterilized. It is therefore suggested that eggs should be broken open using another edge rather than the mixing bowl. I'm not sure how high the risk is, but is it worth taking? (+ the rotten egg factor).
Love the blog, by the way!
I recently had a rotten egg while trying to make breakfast - put me off eggs for a week - and I grew up with farm fresh eggs!
It is not unusual to have farm eggs with embryos in them, even. Something most folks are not prepared for these days. I'm not much for phyllo dough, so I'm not going to be much help there.
I've had the experience of rotten eggs so I know why they're the classic example of a bad smell. From then on I've remembered to crack eggs in a separate bowl.
Hmm, Tiropita habe ich selbst noch nicht zubereitet aber türkisches Börek und eine türkische Freundin von mir hat mir eingebleut den Teig un-be-dingt dick mit einer Mischung aus Ei, dünnflüssigem Joghurt und Ei einzupinseln bevor man den Schafskäse (und ggf. weitere Zutaten) darauf verteilt, sodass der Teig geschmeidig wird. Zu den gammeligen Eiern kann ich nur sagen, dass sich die separate Schüssel immer (!) lohnt. Ich mache es erst, seit ich vor bestimmt schon 15 Jahren einen Kuchenteig durch ein schlechtes Ei versaut habe und nochmal von vorne anfangen musste... :(
"My thumbs sunk deep into the newly created hole and vanished into a slimy blueish-brown liquid! WHOOOOOA."
EEEEEEWWWWW!!! YUK! YUK! YUK!!!
The bloody spots in eggs are nothing horrible - it's just a sign of that the egg really is free range ;-) It's fertilized and that bloody spot would have become a chicken.
So sorry you had that experience. 20 years ago I cracked a rotten egg directly into a cookie batter--and yes, the smell was disgusting--but worse-I couldn't cook for at least a week afterwards--I also screamed. Not sure if bad eggs are from age or bad from the start--but a trick to telling if eggs are fresh is to put them in a cup of water. Because the shell is porous and air can permeate--an egg on the bottom on it's side is fresh, on the bottom of water sitting up is not so fresh, but edible, floating on the top--old and should be discarded.
I remember back when I was a kid (before the days of Use By dates on food products) we would do the same thing. These days I don't break eggs into a second plate but when I am using eggs I will often crack them slightly and then have a quick sniff before fully cracking the egg open.
I wonder when my first rotten egg experience will happen? Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) always cracks her eggs separately to save the batter, but I always think it won't happen to me. I guess we all think that about bad things happening in our lives - "it will never happen to me."
Thanks for the tips!!
I seem to remember that to check for a rotten egg BEFORE cracking it open is to place in a bowl of water. If it floats it is most likely rotten as rotten gases have built up inside the egg.
This remnds me.. I was thinking recently about how people have always described the smell of sulfur as smelling like rotten eggs, and I was wondering, how many people these days are really familiar with the smell of rotten eggs? I've never encountered one... Apparently you've gotten your first one!
Breaking the eggs into a seperate bowl is definitely important. While I've never gotten a rotten egg, I have gotten more than one egg with a spot of blood in it. Not sure what causes that. Not sure I want to know, either.