This is the answer to the green yolk mystery!

Has the yolk of your egg gone a little green? It doesn’t look that appetising, so you might be tempted to throw it away instead of eating it. But is this really necessary or is it still fine to eat? We’ve got the answer for you!

Is it unhealthy to eat an egg with a green yolk?

Hard-boiled egg

Eggs go a little green when you’ve heated them for too long or on a too high temperature. So, the risk of getting a green yolk is highest when you’re making yourself a very hard-boiled egg. The change in colour is the result of a chemical reaction that takes place between the sulfur that’s inside the egg white and the iron. The green that arises is iron sulphide and this usually only develops at the edge of the egg yolk. However, if you boil the egg for way too long, the entire egg yolk can go green.

Not too long

You can avoid a green yolk by not letting the egg boil for too long and by rinsing your eggs with cold water straight after taking them off the heat. By rinsing the eggs with cold water, you’re basically ‘scaring’ them out of going on cooking after being taken off the heat. If you want a hard-boiled egg without it going green, you should stick to boiling it for eight minutes. If you prefer eggs that are still slightly soft, boil them for five or six minutes. For soft-boiled eggs, the preferred time is three to four minutes.

Storage

Do you also always wonder how you should store eggs? The most important thing to know is that you shouldn’t keep them in the door of your fridge. That handy little rack on the inside of the door isn’t the best place to keep them at all since your constantly opening and closing the door. This causes the eggs to be subject to sudden changes in temperature and that, in turn, will cause the eggs to rot sooner. To make sure your eggs stay fresh for as long as possible, you should store them in their carton at the back of the fridge. This will help them remain at a stable temperature.

Read more: Haven’t got a pot handy? Here are 4 alternative ways to cook your eggs

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