Ways eggs are preserved in Asia and shows us how to enjoy them

Nancy Hiw
Dec 15, 2024
1 min read

One day, while scrolling through Facebook, I came across the term ‘water glassing’. I did a quick Google search and found myself intrigued by the different ways eggs have been preserved over the years. I was reminded of my favourite eggs from Asia – salted duck eggs and century eggs, which inspired this column.

This may also be of interest if you have just started keeping chickens for eggs, as you may find yourself with a surplus of eggs in the spring and summer months and like to maintain a supply over the winter, when the chickens lay fewer eggs.

Longer term storage:

WATER GLASSING

A time-honoured method of preserving eggs is to soak them in a solution of water and, traditionally, sodium silicate. However, this method seemed to produce egg whites that won’t whip up and there were concerns about the health benefits of using sodium silicate.

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Calcium hydroxide, also known as pickling lime, is now used instead. The lime seals the shell of the egg, stopping the exchange of air and keeping the egg fresh for, believe it or not, 18 months to two years.

Tips:

• Eggs should be freshly laid, unwashed but wiped clean to leave the natural ‘bloom’ (protective glaze) on the eggs intact.

• Filtered water is recommended as the chlorine in tap water can remove the bloom.