We’re never throwing out eggshells again! When you’re making an omelette, you’ll probably have at least four eggshells left over. Most people would throw these into the bin immediately, but that’s a real waste. Egg shells are super versatile! Did you know that eggshells consist of 90 percent pure calcium? There’s no other food that contains as much calcium as this. The human body needs lots of calcium, as our bones and teeth, as well as our nerves and muscles, rely on it. Finding an eggshell in your dinner is never fun, but did you know that these annoying shells are actually very versatile? We wouldn’t recommend cooking with them per se, but there is a legion of other things you can use them for!
Eggshells
There’s lots of debate about whether eggs are really as healthy for us as has been claimed. However it may be, eggshells are supposed to be very healthy too. The National Institute of Health has done numerous researches on ground eggshell powder. Apparently, this powder can be absorbed by the human body very well and it has many positive outcomes. Since eggshells contain heaps of calcium, it strengthens our bones and it produces healthy blood cells. Moreover, eggshell will help lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Half a teaspoon of ground eggshell contains 1,000 to 1,500 milligrams of calcium, which is 90% of our daily need.
Removing burned-on food
Having a freak out over burned-on food at the bottom of your frying pan (or other pots and pans) will be a thing of the past when you know about this eggshell trick! Crumble some eggshells into the pan in question. Add some salt and hot water, scrub with a sponge and your pan will be clean as can be once more.
Sharpening the knives of your blender
Using a whetstone to sharpen the knives of your blender is pretty much impossible; you’ll never get a good angle. Luckily, this problem is easily fixed. Put a few eggshells into the freezer for half an hour and then put them into your blender. Add some water and turn the blender on. Your knives will be as good as new!
Using it as fertilizer
Egg shells are full of lime, which has the potential of really benefiting your plants. Dry the shells and pulverize or ground them as small as possible. Keep this in a jar and take it out when you need it. Mix the pulverized shells with some potting soil and deposit it right there where your ground can do with some fertilizing.
Eating eggshell
Eggshells are healthy, at least according to the National Institute of Health. Does that mean we’re about to blend our eggshells and eat the powder? Well, yes and no. We don’t recommend eating eggshells straight-up. But, by blending them in a food processor to a fine powder, you can easily spoon some extra calcium through your dishes. This is how you know it’s safe to eat your eggshells:
- In case your eggs haven’t been cooked: cook the eggshells for ten minutes do kill potential harmful bacteria.
- Let the eggshells cool and grind them to a fine powder in a food processor, coffee mill or salt grinder.
- Keep the eggshells in an airtight container.
Drink
The easiest way to eat eggshells is to add half a teaspoon to a glass of water. However, this probably doesn’t taste very nice. That is why you could experiment adding a little to your smoothie or porridge. Still not a fan? Go on to the next page to learn how to add eggshells to your coffee.
Coffee
If eggshell water doesn’t sound appetizing to you, you might want to try adding some of the powder to your coffee. In addition to the fact you’ll consume more calcium, it also makes your coffee taste better. Ground eggshell will make the coffee less bitter and a lot smoother. Make sure your eggshells were boiled to kill all bacteria. If you want to make extra sure that all bacteria are killed, put the eggshells on a baking sheet and bake them on 180 degrees for about ten minutes. Then spoon half a teaspoon in your coffee or sprinkle some in your filter if you’re drinking filter coffee.