Information. Eggs may be refrigerated three to five weeks from the day they are placed in the refrigerator. The "Sell-By" date will usually expire during that length of time, but the eggs will be perfectly safe to use. Always purchase eggs before the "Sell-By" or EXP (expiration) date on the carton.
Because they haven't been washed, the protective coating on the shell (also called the "bloom" or "cuticle") is still intact. This coating helps to keep air and bacteria out of the egg, resulting in an egg that will last longer. An unwashed egg will last for 6 months or more in the refrigerator.
To conduct a float test, fill a bowl or cup with water (it should be big enough to fully submerge your egg). Gently place your egg inside and see if it sinks or floats. If it floats, it's old and you may want to toss it.
The expiration date on your carton of jumbo eggs is just there to ensure quality. So if you crack 'em open after the date has passed, you may notice they don't taste as good, but you're not at risk of illness. In short, you can eat eggs two months out of date. It'll be fine.
“The shelf life of an unrefrigerated egg is 7 to 10 days and for refrigerated egg it's about 30 to 45 days,” notes Dr Batra. But that doesn't mean you can pop a 2-month old egg for a quick omelet. - Eggs can last for about 5-6 weeks if refrigerated properly.
If it sinks or stays at the bottom, it is still fresh. An older egg will either stand on its end or float. The float test works because air builds up inside the egg as it ages, increasing its buoyancy. However, an egg that floats may still be safe to eat, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The theory is that, as an egg ages, the air pocket inside it grows larger, buoying an old egg to the surface. But, according to Dr. Schaffner, “there is no scientific basis for the egg float test.” So experimenting to see if your egg sinks or swims is not a reliable way to measure its quality.
If an egg sinks to the bottom of a bowl of water and lies sideways, it is very fresh; if it stands on one end in bottom of the bowl, it is less fresh but still good to eat. But if it floats to the surface of the water, indicating that air has permeated the shell, it is no longer fresh.
As long are they are kept refrigerated at 45 °F or lower, fresh shell eggs are safe to be consumed four to five weeks beyond the carton's Julian date (the date eggs were packed).
You can eat eggs past their expiration date. Just be sure to keep your eggs egg-cellent by storing them correctly. If you don't know if an egg is good or not, you can try the float test or give it a whiff. If it doesn't pass the test, throw it away.
The bottom line: Eggs typically last three to five weeks in the fridge (even if beyond their sell-by date). To confirm an egg is safe to eat, check it for any changes in appearance or smell.
Keep in mind, eggs are freshest up to two weeks. Clean, unwashed eggs can last up to 6 months in the refrigerator. However, they will not be in their prime and often runny in texture.
A fresh egg should have a bright yellow or orange yolk and a thickish white that doesn't spread too far. If it's off, the yolk will be flatter and discoloured and the egg white will be far runnier. As we've already described, rotten eggs will also have a sulfuric smell to them.
According to the USDA, whole raw eggs in the shell will last three to five weeks in the refrigerator. They'll keep for four to five weeks beyond the pack date, and about three weeks beyond when you brought them home.
If the eggs sink to the bottom and lay flat on their side, they're still fresh. However, if they sink, but stand on one end at the bottom of the glass or bowl, they're not as fresh but still edible. Of course, if any eggs float to the top, they shouldn't be eaten.
Never use cracked or dirty eggs in the preparation of food. Dirty eggs may have harmful Salmonella bacteria on the shell. Cracked eggs allow Salmonella to enter and grow inside the egg. However even eggs with clean, uncracked shells can pose a risk if handled incorrectly.
An egg can float in water when its air cell has enlarged sufficiently to keep it buoyant. This means the egg is old, but it may be perfectly safe to use. Crack the egg into a bowl and examine it for an off-odor or unusable appearance before deciding to use or discard it.
While it is ideal to eat eggs before this date has passed, they are often still be safe to eat after this date, but its quality may have decreased. For example, you might notice changes in colour, flavour or texture if you choose to eat eggs after the best before date.
Old eggs should always be disposed of responsibly to avoid contamination and food-borne illnesses. You can choose to compost, feed them to animals, recycle them at local centers, or throw them in the trash. Eggs with foul odors or discoloration may be spoiled and should not be eaten.
Here's What Fresh Eggs Daily Tells Us:
By law, an egg can be sold for up to 30 days after the date it was put in the carton. And farmers have up to 30 days to go from when the egg is laid to the carton. That means those supermarket eggs can be two months old by the time you buy them.
The best way to determine if your egg is spoiled is by cracking it open into a bowl. If the egg white is pink or iridescent this is an indication of spoilage due to Pseudomonas bacteria. Some of these bacteria can make us sick when eaten and they will produce a greenish, fluorescent, water-soluble color.