FOOD How to easily check if your eggs are good or bad

[BigFootsCousin]

How to easily check if your eggs are good or bad

Fair Use-
Story by Maryal Miller Carter, USA TODAY • Tuesday

Aside from the obvious barometers like smell and color, it can be hard to tell at a glance if your eggs are bad. According to healthline.com, eggs can last anything from a few weeks to a year, depending on how they’re stored. But you wouldn’t want to eat an egg based on trust alone, right? Eating a bad egg can put you at risk of food poisoning that may last a few days or, at worst, put you in the hospital for an extended stay. So, how can you tell if eggs are edible?




How to tell if your eggs are bad

• One of the most obvious egg freshness barometers is smell and color, so if something’s off, it’s safest to forgo use.
• If refrigerated, eggs will maintain freshness for approximately 3 to 5 weeks. According to the US Department of Agriculture, the "Sell-By" date on the carton may expire during that time, but the eggs will still be perfectly safe to use.
• Egg cartons have an expiration date on the packaging. This could be written as a “Sell-by,” “Use-By,” or “EXP” date. Always purchase eggs before the "Sell-By" or expiration date on the carton.
• Check the pack date on your egg carton, which is the date the eggs were washed, graded, and placed in the carton. This is represented by a three-digit “Julian number” typically found on the short side of the carton. The Julian number can be a number from 1 to 365, where 1 represents January 1st, so you know exactly what day your eggs were packed.
• If your eggs are kept refrigerated, and it’s within 4 weeks of that pack date, your eggs should still be fresh.
• If you’re still unsure or don’t have packaging to rely on, you can use a water test to test the freshness of your eggs. Simply place your egg in a glass of water, and if the egg sinks and lands on its side, it’s fresh. If the egg stands up but lays at the bottom of the glass, it’s an older egg but should still be good. If the egg floats, it means the egg most likely isn't fresh, and you should consider not using it. How does this work? The egg’s shell is semi-permeable, which means that over time, air can get in. Gradually the increase in air content will make the egg float, indicating its age.
• Pro Tip: Fresher eggs will be better quality for baking, while older eggs are good for hard boiling.

How to store eggs to extend their shelf life​

• As mentioned, fresh eggs can be kept in the refrigerator for three to five weeks. Eggs that are stored inside their original carton and kept on the coolest shelf in the refrigerator (usually toward the back, away from the door) are most likely to last the whole five weeks.
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• BFC- We're always checking our 'outlier' eggs that we occasionally find outside of the coop. Those hens are masters at getting out......

 

[Wildwood]

The water test is not reliable...found that one out the hard way a couple of times. I still break them one at a time into a small bowl after they pass the float test if I'm in doubt.

 

[Delta]

The water test is not reliable...found that one out the hard way a couple of times. I still break them one at a time into a small bowl after they pass the float test if I'm in doubt.

What do you do with it (look for/at) once its in the small bowl?

I do look for cracked/broken shells before I buy 'em.

 

[dioptase]

I use the "water" float test, and I've found some floaters well before the expiration date. Now, unless I'm in a big hurry and I just bought the eggs (within the week), I will usually use the float test.

 

[Southside]

5 weeks? LOL
For fried eggs, a year is ok in my book. My DW believes I should have died from food poisoning long ago.

 

[thompson]

We float them, and always crack into a small custard cup before adding to the recipe or skillet.

 

[WalknTrot]

I just gather them 1-2x/day, wash the ones that need it, and arrange the cartons in the fridge according to age.
Fresh farm eggs easily last 3+ months in the fridge.

"Mystery" eggs that show up...go to the dogs. Eggs ain't that precious.

 

[theoriginaldeb]

I've learned the hard way over the years-always crack each home grown egg into a cup before adding them to any recipe

 

[Profit of Doom]

I've learned the hard way over the years-always crack each home grown egg into a cup before adding them to any recipe

Agreed. All eggs, all uses, pre-break.

 

[ssbn642blue]

Hell, we stored them in the Torpedo Room for 2 1/2 months. The whites would start to turn green, but they still tasted good.

 

[West]

We let our fresh eggs that I've gathered from the nest sit on the counter for a week or two. Then refrigerant at the longest a few months, after that if anys left the dogs get fed some omelets or fried eggs.

 

[Dobbin]

Hell, we stored them in the Torpedo Room for 2 1/2 months. The whites would start to turn green, but they still tasted good.

Owner's wife says that eggs as they come from the chickens have "enzymes" in the shell which prevent entry of air and spoiling of the egg. Unwashed, the eggs will last at least five weeks unrefrigerated. Wash off the enzyme from the shell to "clean up" the eggs for presentation and the eggs will then require refrigeration for keeping although they will probably last that long.

Not answered is if you don't wash and put in the refrigerator.

I'm not sure eggs last that long around here.

Didn't they used to use sodium silicate (water glass solution) to "seal" the exterior of eggs and make them last longer?

Dobbin

 

[ShadowMan]

FWIW, the primary reason for washing eggs here in the US is to prevent salmonella food poisoning. However, that washing removes a protective micro bio layer on the egg shell that prevents spoilage. Something you might find interesting, in many countries in Europe they vaccinate their chickens against salmonella. So other than brushing off any dirt, etc., there is no need to wash them. They also don't refrigerate their eggs as a general rule. The first time I learned about that from our kids living in Europe I was very suspicious of that habit, but it seems to work out just fine for them. Who knew?

Melodi, how do folks in Ireland deal with their eggs?

 

[dawgofwar10]

I use the throw it against the wall trick, if it bounces back, toss it in the trash can. If it crushes when it hits the wall scrape up the remnants of it before it hits the floor. P.S. do your best picking the shell out of the scrapings….

 

[Wildwood]

What do you do with it (look for/at) once its in the small bowl?

I do look for cracked/broken shells before I buy 'em.

I check for appearance and smell. I just want to make sure it looks normal. If it's bad, you will know it. It will smell bad and look off...kind of runny and cloudy.

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

Owner's wife says that eggs as they come from the chickens have "enzymes" in the shell which prevent entry of air and spoiling of the egg. Unwashed, the eggs will last at least five weeks unrefrigerated. Wash off the enzyme from the shell to "clean up" the eggs for presentation and the eggs will then require refrigeration for keeping although they will probably last that long.

....

Dobbin

This is ABSOLUTELY CORRECT !!!

We do NOT refrigerate eggs here in the Barry household.

We get them fresh out of the nest, and then place them into buckets - each week is a new bucket.

Then we use the oldest eggs first.

Sometimes, we might use a four to six week, UNREFRIGERATED egg around here, although I have to admit, anythng over four weeks old is scrambled and given back to the chickens as supplemental feed.

We always crack an egg into a small bowl first - no matter its age - before adding it to the fry pan or into a recipe. Best to check eggs first.


Think about it — our ancestors did not have refrigerators, now did they?


Yet they ate eggs all the time.

And sometimes, they would eat an egg that a hen laid somewhere where it might not be found for awhile.

Actually, this is the original inspration for Easter Egg hunts - let the little kids go find all the eggs the hens have been laying around the yard over the winter. The mother or grandmother would take the eggs that the kids found, and turned it into an Easter breakfast feast.

But the eggs could have been laid in the yard or whereever several weeks before a kid finally found it.

Do you really think your ancestors refused to eat it, because it had not been refrigerated?


The thing is — when the hen lays the egg, the last thing she does is coat it with an anti-microbial film that protects the egg from most disease pathogens.

As long as that film has not been washed away, the egg is better protected by that natural hen’s coating, than refrigerated eggs.

But man made egg factories are so dirty - and house so many birds in an over crowded space - that disease can run rampant.

Then on top of that, the egg factories WASH THE HEN’S NATURAL, ANTI-MICROBIAL COATING OFF THE EGG!



Refrigeration is a poor, man-created substitute for the natural, anti-microbial film protection that the hen provides.

Yet another reason why the Barry household will ONLY eat farm fresh eggs.

I trust God’s way more than man’s.

God gave the hen the ability to protect her eggs via the film she coats the egg shell with.

Man washes off the protective coating that God provided.

Then, the men (and women) of today THINK refrigeration is the only way to keep an egg fresh and safe to eat.

Your ancestors KNEW better.

 

[nehimama]

I was 8 months pregnant with my first child, and was in the grocery store, checking a carton of eggs, lifting each one, checking for any cracked or broken or stuck ones. Didn't realize a fellow was leaning against an open door to one of the back rooms, watching me. When I looked up and noticed him, he quipped, "Didjya find any chickens in there, Lady?"

 

[Wildwood]

I don't even wash my dirty eggs until I am ready to use them...unless they are really bad and then I wash them and use them the same day. We go through a lot of eggs around here but we are starting to have trouble keeping up...hens are doing good and the younger ones are all laying now. I'm going to make room in the fridge and start putting some fresh, clean and unwashed eggs in there for the long term. I normally don't refrigerate my eggs but this is an experiment to see just how long I can keep a clean (naturally clean but not washed) undamaged egg.

At the beginning of the year, I start to save my fresh eggs that are cracked or dented etc. for my garden. They go straight into a carton in the fridge just for that purpose. I always put an egg in the hole I dig for my tomatoes and if I have them, my peppers too. That takes several dozen. I usually run out of damaged eggs and have to start on the good ones. I have been known to rob the nesting boxes if I'm in the garden planting stuff, run out of eggs and don't want to go back to the house...the chicken pens are close to my garden.

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

You put an egg in each tomato planting hole, Wildwood?

That is an interesting idea.

I put some old powdered milk and epson salts into my planting hole, but never thought about putting an egg in there.

I wonder if that would attract ants into the garden?

My area is known for having lots of ant hills.

We always seem to have a few old eggs around. Our hens are good producers.

I might experiment, and see if doing that would attract ants. I could do that for just one or two plants, and see what happens.

 

[Wildwood]

oops!

 

[Wildwood]

You put an egg in each tomato planting hole, Wildwood?

That is an interesting idea.

I put some old powdered milk and epson salts into my planting hole, but never thought about putting an egg in there.

I wonder if that would attract ants into the garden?

My area is known for having lots of ant hills.

We always seem to have a few old eggs around. Our hens are good producers.

I might experiment, and see if doing that would attract ants. I could do that for just one or two plants, and see what happens.

We have ants and the egg does not attract them but it is buried deep...ymmv.

I start all my tomato plants in large solo cups with only a couple inches of dirt in the bottom. As they grow taller, I add more dirt so that by the time the cup is full of dirt, I have a huge root system. I let them keep going after the cup is topped off with dirt until they are about 18 inches above the rim of the cup. I dig a very deep hole, about 18 inches, and put the egg in the bottom. I add epsom, calcium...sometimes powdered milk, sometimes crushed calcium pills, whatever I'm needing to rotate but the pills work better, a handful of Dr. Earth Bud & Bloom, a couple handfuls from my compost bin and maybe a few more secret ingredients lol. I mix it all up with my sharp shooter being sure to break the egg then take off the bottom leaves from my plant and put it in leaving about nine inches above ground, top the hole off with water and fill it back up with dirt and then water again in a couple hours.

Before planting, I do my whole garden with the mittleider protocol plus a little granular fertilizer and yellow cornmeal. I never plant my tomatoes until two weeks after the last frost date unless the nights are warmer than usual. I'm in no rush, they are thriving and living happily in their solo cups. Also, I never up-pot my tomatoes. They grow their whole young life in one cup undisturbed until I am ready to put them in the ground. I also plant a marigold between each tomato.

Last year I bought this and used the largest auger to dig my tomato holes...life was much easier:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B097B1ZFDR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[zeker]

The water test is not reliable...found that one out the hard way a couple of times. I still break them one at a time into a small bowl after they pass the float test if I'm in doubt.

its often that I have a blood spot on an egg from my girls.

but yesterday was an awful massive amount of blood in 1 egg.

it was a delicate operate to remove the blood from the yolk.

it was attached to the yolk and I use a butter knife to gently move the blood to the side of the dish.

it was easy to bring it up to the edge for a paper towel.

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

Sounds like a very good system you have there, Wildwood.

 

[psychgirl]

I’ve kept my refrigerated store bought eggs for probably two months before. They’ve all been just fine

 

[Oreally]

God, I love this site!

 

[Kennori]

My last batch of peeps had a rooster. I let him grow with the girls and he was twice as big and very aggressive. He started fertilizing the eggs and I began to notice more mucus and blood in the eggs. For the first time in years I had 2 rotten eggs and you never forget that odor or color. Our ancestors would candle their eggs looking for growing chicks. I finally gave the roo away because of the affect on the eggs and he kept attacking me when I was filling bins or gathering eggs. Keep a roo around if you have meat birds to grow the flock, if you want good layers only keep it a female coop. There is still drama but it's sisters bickering not Hells Angels harem.

 

[West]

We keep at least two to three roos about 5 hens per roo.

The red spot is extra protein and I think better for us.

Also way more entertaining.

 

[ssbn642blue]

Owner's wife says that eggs as they come from the chickens have "enzymes" in the shell which prevent entry of air and spoiling of the egg. Unwashed, the eggs will last at least five weeks unrefrigerated. Wash off the enzyme from the shell to "clean up" the eggs for presentation and the eggs will then require refrigeration for keeping although they will probably last that long.

Not answered is if you don't wash and put in the refrigerator.

I'm not sure eggs last that long around here.

Didn't they used to use sodium silicate (water glass solution) to "seal" the exterior of eggs and make them last longer?

Dobbin

Nope, US Grade A Eggs. At least that what told us. LOL

 

[AlaskaSue]

Y’all know about boat eggs, right? Alaska had to rely on ships and barges to move produce and eggs north for much of our American history. Yep, during the gold rush an oz of gold would get you a couple eggs…but more recently, eggs were really hard to come by. But they would eventually get here. By boat.

Most were probably still okay for baking - but you wouldn’t necessarily want to crack one into a skillet for breakfast. You’d be better off just going with the sourdough cakes and a bit of moose sausage.

These days, though I am happy to live in a place with many happy hens providing beautiful eggs via my postal stop. Honor box for payment. What I really want is my own flock, of course