Eggs are a terrific source of protein and can be eaten hard-boiled, scrambled, sunny side up, over easy or in a nest a.k.a inside a piece of toast. But store-bought eggs are considered perishable with a sell-by date stamped on the carton that not everyone knows about.
However, most food experts consider refrigerated eggs perfectly fine to eat even past the stamped by date. But whatโs considered safe and unsafe?
Farm fresh eggs donโt have to be stored in the refrigerator. Freshly laid eggs actually can be left out at room temperature for at least a month before they need to be stored in the refrigerator, explained The Happy Chicken Coop.
But if they are refrigerated, they must remain in the refrigerator and can only sit out for a few hours at the most.
So if thereโs a bit of hesitation in eating a farm fresh egg thatโs sat out for more than a month or noshing on an egg in a carton past its sell-by date, there are a few easy ways to test their suitability for consumption. The best method? The float test.
Hereโs the quick and easy way to check if your eggs are good or have gone bad:
Simply fill a bowl with cold water and set an egg adrift in the water. If it floats, toss it out. Itโs no longer considered edible.
If the egg sinks to the bottom of the bowl but stands on one end, itโs likely a few weeks old but still perfectly fine to eat. If the egg quickly sinks to the bottom of the bowl and turns over onto its side, then the egg is perfectly fine to eat. Enjoy! If youโre a bit hesitant to eat an egg that sinks but sits on its bottom, go ahead and scramble or fry it up without hesitation.
According to Wonder How To โ Food Hacks, the float test is a terrific indication of an eggโs edibleness because eggshells are porous, meaning they allow some air to seep through. Fresh eggs have less air inside them, filling up the shell completely, so they sink to the bottom of the bowl and flip onto their side. Older eggs have been around awhile and more air has managed to make its way through the shell making them more buoyant.
A few other methods some people swear by are shaking it next to your ear. If you can hear liquid sloshing around, itโs probably no longer fine to eat. Then thereโs the candling method thatโs typically used as a product quality test before its packaged and sold.
If you arenโt planning on hard-boiling an egg, a simple method is to crack the egg on a plate or flat surface and see how it looks and smells. Fresh eggs shouldnโt smell but older eggs do have a bit of an odor. If itโs a fresh egg, the yolk will be bright yellow or orange and the eggโs whites wonโt spread out too much. But in an older egg, the yolk will ooze outward and the white will be runnier.
Older eggs are still just fine to whip up in a baked good or breakfast casserole because the heat will cook them completely. Eggs are incredibly versatile and a wonderful way to sneak some protein into your day.
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