The British Lion mark signifies that the food item – most notably seen on eggs – has been produced adhering to strict food safety criteria.
Adhering to the stringent requirements of the British Lion Code of Practice, the British Lion also shared a safe way to make eggs last for longer.
“You can freeze eggs,” the British Lion certified. “Eggs can be frozen for up to a year, although it is recommended to use them within four months for freshness.”
However, you can’t simply put an unbroken egg into the freezer – there’s a way to ensure the egg is frozen that won’t cause problems later.
Firstly, all eggs to be frozen need to be cracked out of their shells; secondly, the eggs must be fresh and in date before being frozen.
To freeze a whole egg, the egg white and yolk will need to be beaten together and poured into a suitable container with a lid.
You need to make sure there is enough room for the eggy mixture to expand, which it will do when frozen.
The British Lion recommended labelling the container with the date before freezing it.
When it comes to making recipes, sometimes it’s only the egg white or egg yolk that is needed. Should this be the case, both the egg white and yolk can be frozen separately.
An egg white will need to be beaten before being frozen, but egg yolks demand more consideration.
The British Lion explained: “Egg yolks demand a different process due to their thicker consistencies.
“The yolk will gel if left in its original form which would render it unusable for recipes.”
Before freezing egg yolks, you need to add salt or sugar to stop the egg from turning sticky.
You can either add half a teaspoon of salt or one tablespoon of sugar for each 240ml of raw egg.
Salt will be used if you later intend the egg to be used for a savoury dish, while sugar is used if the egg will be used for a sweet dish in the future.
The British Lion added: “Frozen eggs in any form need to be fully thawed to be used and can only be eaten in thoroughly cooked dishes. Never cook eggs directly from frozen.
“To defrost, move the egg from the freezer to the refrigerator to be stored overnight… be sure to use the eggs as soon as they have thawed.”
