Air cell: If you have cracked an egg and seen in the bigger top half a little bubble that looked like a bubble wrap bubble this is what I'm referring to.
Candling: This refers to looking inside the egg while it is still in the shell. If you've ever showing a bright light through your hand and you can see the veins this is what you're doing with the egg.
Have you ever wondered why eggs in the store are labeled AA or A. Well I'm about to explain to you why these eggs are labeled the way they are.
Visibly AA and A eggs do not look different on the …show more content…
Some eggs do have natural spotting like little cheetah eggs but it is referring to the soiled or grass stains on the egg shell egg. Unbroken rather self explanatory shell is not cracked. What does practically normal mean? A practically normal egg is that there is no unusual formations on the egg no lumps, bumps just a smooth egg shaped egg. Inside of the egg is a different story the USDA defines the AA egg “the air cell must not exceed three-sixteenths inch (4.8 mm) in depth, may show unlimited movement, and may be free or bubbly.” And the A grade egg as “The air cell must not exceed three-sixteenths inch (4.8 mm) in depth, may show unlimited movement, and may be free or bubbly. ” To look inside these eggs you will need to candle it. Explanation of how to candle is at the bottom of this paper.
If candling a grade AA egg you will see a small air pocket at the larger part of the egg the air cell will about the size of a dime the grade A air cell will be about the size of a Nickel.
It should be noted that the USDA recognizes a grade B egg. These eggs are not sold in shell at normal grocery stores these eggs are used for the liquid eggs or bakeries. Unlike the A grades B graded eggs can have deformed egg shells and the air cell is about the size of a quarter