Eggs are the most preferred and healthy breakfast in every household. Sometimes, cooking a healthy breakfast is not so pleasant. Eggs have a filthy and pungent smell.
Why Do eggs smell like wet dogs?
When the egg is cooked, the heat, pH levels, and cooking time creates a hydrogen Sulfide. This gas is responsible for the awful smell in eggs resembling a wet dog’s smell.
In this article, let us look more into why the smell of a wet dog and eggs resemble and more about the factors that contribute to the smell of the eggs in detail. Let us get started.
Why does a wet dog Smell?
Dogs love playing in the water. But have you ever noticed that your dog smells very bad when they are wet? Why does a wet dog smell?
There are several micro-organisms living in the dog`s skin and fur. These micro-organisms create bacteria and yeast, which could stay on your dog`s skin for longer. The micro-organisms leave behind the micro-excreta.
When the dogs become wet and dry, the moisture evaporating from the skin activates the excreta and removes some portion. That is the reason why your dog smells very bad when they are wet.
Further, the dogs with larger skin flaps would smell more than others because the flaps tend to retain the moisture for much longer. Similarly, the wrinkled or shrunk face dogs might smell worse when wet.
Eggs Smells Like Wet Dog? – Detailed Explanation
Have you ever noticed that the water in the well, geysers, and eggs smell the same? Sulfur is the common component in all of them that gives us the smell.
The egg whites are composed of 88% water and 11% proteins. The major protein is Ovulbumin which contains a bunch of sulfur atoms.
Sulfur gives the odor only when they are in a gaseous state. The crystallized form of sulfur is odorless. And this is the exact reason why eggs have a terrible smell when they are cooked.
When the eggs are cooked, the protein breaks up into smaller particles. A chemical reaction occurs and creates hydrogen sulfide. Three significant factors play a major role in producing hydrogen sulfide – Time, Temperature, and pH levels.
Cooking Time
An over-cooked egg smells more terrible than the other eggs. Why? Because the more significant the time spent on cooking, the higher the amount of hydrogen sulfide atoms generation, which spoils the egg and leaves behind an unpleasant smell.
Many leave the eggs to boil and start looking at other chores. It is important to note that the eggs in the boiling water can produce hydrogen sulfide 200 times more than the average generation. This increases the age of the egg and spoils them quickly.
If you don’t maintain the correct temperature
The temperature at which we cook the eggs is critical. Heat is the primary requirement for the atoms to split and multiply. This gas moves away into the air and gets into the yolk. When they get into the yolk, they combine with the iron content, and a chemical reaction occurs, creating ferrous sulfine and ferric sulfide.
These two chemicals are why you may notice yellow rings around the yolk—the greater the time and heat, the darker the yellow rings and the pungent smell. You may notice the pungent smell when the temperature exceeds 180 degrees Fahrenheit. You need to maintain the correct temperature while cooking, which is not an easy task.
When the pH levels vary
The Hydrogen Sulfide levels increase the pH levels of the eggs. This may increase the smell of the eggs.
How to get rid of the smell of the eggs?
The eggs come with a unique unpleasant smell. You need to follow proper preventive procedures to ensure that the pungent smell does not affect the taste and flavor of the egg. Let us look at each of the procedures.
Begin with Combining Egg and Vinegar into a Sauce Pan
Vinegar acts as a neutralizing agent, safely pocketing the taste of the egg. Vinegar will remove the bad smell and lock the taste.
Allow the mixture to Boil.
Place the sauce on the stove and allow it to boil. Once the water starts boiling at a high level, switch off the stove, remove the saucepan and cover the pan with the lid. Allow the pan to cool down for about 20 minutes.
Wash the boiled eggs with cold water
The cold water helps in stopping the cooking process. Once the mixture is cooled down for 20 minutes, wash the eggs with cold water. This, in turn, makes the yolk greenish yellow.
Allow fresh air to come into the kitchen.
A well-ventilated kitchen can help prevent the stagnation of the smell of the eggs in the room. Open the windows or door and allow the fresh air to flow so that the pungent smell does not keep moving around the room.
If your kitchen is not ventilated, vinegar can come to the rescue. You can place a bowl of vinegar in the kitchen. The vinegar absorbs the smell and keeps the room away from odor.
Interesting further reading – How Long To Cook Something At 350 Instead Of 375
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Why do Scrambled Eggs smell bad?
The protein called Ovalbumin in the eggs tends to break up into small pieces and produce Hydrogen Sulfide when eggs are exposed to heat. Thy hydrogen sulfide creates a pungent and unpleasant smell. That is why scrambled eggs and sometimes even boiled eggs smell bad.
2. How to get rid of the smell of the eggs while cooking?
You can use Vinegar with the water to boil the eggs and wash them with cold water after boiling to get rid of the smell of the eggs.
3. Why do rotten eggs float?
The protein inside the eggs breaks up in the rotten eggs. With the presence of excess gas inside the egg, the rotten eggs float.
Conclusion
Eggs are an eternal part of every household. It is one of the easy-to-go ingredients to cook.
We have also discussed avoiding the unpleasant experience of cooking easy-to-go food. The hydrogen sulfide will be found in cooked and rotten eggs.
Vinegar and cold water can remove the unpleasant smell and make your cooking experience easy and exciting.
Happy Cooking!