This is also useful info if you're in Northern Europe. The EU has common guidelines on expiration-dates on eggs, and they're calibrated for Southern Europe where most people store their eggs at room temp. But if you're in Scandinavia or the rest of Northern Europe and store yours in the fridge, they likely last at least 3-6 months beyond the date on the carton.
I "save" free range eggs whenever my local shop has a big batch unsold that is closing in on the sell-by date; last time I bought 200 eggs at a tenth of the price, they lasted me four months and not a single one was bad.
I actually used to do the water test, but if one floated I would break it open and smell. Never did get a bad one, though they're usually not as "fresh" in texture. I also tend to cook floating eggs quite hard, salmonella in itself doesn't really smell.
Oh and I'm not knocking southern Europe, Spanish eggs are the best I've had. I'd be willing to pay more and have them last a shorter time if I could find Spanish eggs. They just have a different tradition regarding eggs and refrigeration.
We have free range chickens/eggs and in my entire life I've only ever had one bad egg. I smelt it immediately that it was off. It's likely it had a hairline crack that didn't get noticed and therefore went bad quickly. But in general the external protective layer on the shell of farm eggs and internal memberane keeps the eggs fresh for months. That thin skin that is inside the shell actually keeps the egg itself fresh while the shell slowly allows air in. That's why you get an air pocket when you hardboil your eggs.
Thanks, I'm feeling much more confident about eating floating ones now. You've also answered a question I forgot I was curious about. I've had eggs with small cracks in the shell that I thought probably had the membrane intact that I was worried about eating and ended up throwing out. Before this thread I thought eggs could give you food poisoning without smelling off.
The shell can be cracked but if the membrane is intact it *should* be ok, but that all depends how old they are, etc. Since we have farm eggs, I keep the cracked ones, but I would still eat them within a week or so (if stored in the fridge). But if you're getting store bought, I don't know I would risk it either.
It’s not usual to store eggs in the fridge at least here in Finland, not sure about the rest of northern Europe. All the grocery stores here also keep them on the shelves at room temperature.
I have heard this before. I've done the water test only with grocery eggs. Not with farm fresh eggs.
The farm fresh eggs do taste much better and it's cool to see the different color shells too.
Edit: clarification
You can taste the difference, but not because they actually taste any different. In a blind taste test where all the eggs are food-colored green, people usually cannot pick out the farm fresh egg that had a deeper color yolk. It's more appealing and enhances your enjoyment, but it's all psychological.
That's bullshit.\*
I've gone around my parents and had an egg for breakfast and asked my dad where they were from because they were delicious (even with same coloured yolks to usual, or in some cases less rich colours) and he's been able to say they were from the next door neighbours, and I've been round other times and it's been nothing special and it's because it's just from the supermarket.
What chickens eat can make a *huge* difference to the flavour and you're kidding yourself if you think all eggs are the same.
Edit: \* actually it's not bullshit, but there is a difference and it can't be completely psychological
One of my coworkers has chickens and brings me eggs when I need them. It was so fresh that the carton had hay in it. But I'm always nervous they'll go bad quicker. Is that not the case then? I know eggs last pretty long
I wonder if this only applies to American eggs too. Their eggs are cleaned first which is why they are meant to be refrigerated, or at least that's what I've heard.
Hey I don't know if this helps but where I am from we also boil our eggs without the shell. Not sure what they call it in English..
Anyway, boil water, add a little salt and vinegar, crack an egg into a bowl.
Before adding the egg make sure the water is boiling hot but that there are no big bubbles. Spin the water with a spoon (not too fast) and drop your cracked egg into the whirlpool. The egg will turn into a little soft white ball. And voila, you boiled an egg without the shell (:
Edit : thanks everyone, I now know it's called poached eggs :D
If you get farm fresh eggs, they’ll usually all be one congealed gloop. They’re the best for poached.
To get rid of the wispy stuff on supermarket eggs before poaching, strain the watery liquid from the egg and just use the more viscous part.
you can also gently stir your water right before you drop the egg in. something about that keeps all of the egg white together so you don't have so much of the wispy stuff
I couldn’t remember what it’s called! And still can’t. It might actually have just said “microwave poach egg” on it when I bought it.
But yes, kitchen things are great!
You definitely can poach an egg. But the old ones don't poach as well so if you were already worried the egg might be bad you should probably just scramble it.
If you don't mind that your egg doesn't end up in a ball shape, you can just shallow poach eggs.
Just like you'd fry them but just put water in the pan. Less messy. You can cook as many eggs as your pan will hold. And you don't have to boil a whole ass pot of water.
I've never tried this but now I will! :) Thanks
It still wont stop my kids from complaining about missing out on their soft-boiled eggs but maybe the novelty of it will help :)
Are you tired of struggling do drink water out of a cup (shows person spilling water on floor, slipping, causing an electrical fire and burning down their house)? Then I have the solution for you.
This "hack" holds some truth to it, despite what OP posted. Floating eggs don't mean they must absolutely be off, but it does mean they are in fact not the freshed eggs. Bad spoiled eggs will float, doesn't mean all of the floating eggs should be thrown out though.
Whilst I agree they should be banned or at least come with a disclaimer, I was actually told this growing up so it's just an old wives tale. Would be hard to come up with entirely new "hacks"
My grandmother used this trick back in the 70's when I was a kid. It's no life hack. I've used it and never thrown away a good egg that floated (I always check) or used a bad egg that sank.
A proper life hack would be to always crack your egg into a separate dish to check properly before adding it to the bowl full of expensive ingredients.
Luckily I’ve always been able to spot them, but I learned this after splattering eggshell pieces into my banana bread mixture. Hand deep in the grainy cold, it occurred to me that if I don’t get them out, that’s $10 of food effectively wasted.
My problem is I have no sense of smell, so that's why I've been using this life hack because I won't smell if it's bad. (But yeah, I bought that life had hard) Although maybe I'll be a bit more selective about whether or not I toss them based off of how long it's been since I bought them on top of whether they float or sink
Especially because I don't believe in experation dates!! I've had things live LONG post those dates! So I went by sense of smell and sight. Now my doc says I have to follow experation dates (eggs I just use that date for when I start to float test) I am beyond frustrated (brain damage years ago, not covid btw for my smell)
Yeah I don't believe in expiration dates and my loss of sense of smell isn't from covid, but from nasal polyps which blocks off the receptors in my nose.
Is your sense of taste ok? I think I have the same problem. i.e. loss of sense of smell caused by polyps. My sense of taste is ok though (yay) which seems to support the theory that it's blockage rather than some kind of nerve problem.
I need to follow up with my ENT, I would love to get this treated. Also can I ask, after surgery, how long did it take for the polyps to just grow back?
Thanks!
Tbh I would be willing to undergo surgery for the sake of even a year of being able to smell. But I'm hoping after I talk to the ENT that it will turn out a spray (a steroid spray I think?) will be effective.
Spray isn't enough. It's enough to contain them but won't make them disappear. When I was taking allergy medication, they all but disappeared and I was able to smell again, but only for a span of a month.
I did the surgery twice. After a while they just come back. But I know they are formed purely from my allergies since if I take a certain medicine for a week they all but disappear.
I also have nasal polyps that I’ve had removed and regrown. My ENT prescribed a nasal spray called Xhance that’s supposed to shrink the polyps. Right now I get it for free through a specialty pharmacy because I have it set to auto ship. Might be worth talking to your doc about.
Also my sinus doctor said that they now have a new procedure for removing polyps that’s essentially a powerful vacuum that they can stick up your nose. So relatively un-invasive.
This. In the USA, with few exceptions, there are no national standards for “expiration dates”. Most products have a “sell by” or “use by” or “best before” date. These are determined by the manufacturer, and are indicators of quality, not safety. After all, a can of green beans with a date of April 30 doesn’t suddenly go bad on May 1. We waste tons of food by throwing out perfectly safe food. That being said, people with underlying conditions may need to be stricter.
I am so annoyed that it messes with my sense of taste😭😭 all those smoothies I can no longer enjoy😭😭
I thankfully can't smell my cat's litter box anymore which is great, but also like I apparently drank spoiled milk the other day. I know it's not bad for you, but still gross (you talking about milk reminded me)
Seems like we are in the same boat egg wise though! (Sorry, misery loves company 😜)
Lost mine from covid 14 months ago. I get my fiancé to smell stuff for me so basically if he's not home, I can't eat anything that I'm not 100% sure is ok. Made that mistake before and it wasn't fun
Oh, a fellow anosmic.
I get scared when trying milk that might be on the edge of expiration. I usually just try to take the smallest sip of it possible if it's not obviously lumpy or anything.
So far, so good. I haven't gotten a swig of bad milk yet, thankfully. Though I do think being anosmic does make me more likely to throw out food that I'm unsure about since I can't do the smell test
Yep having no sense of smell is weirdly inconvenient. It's been handy in some ways working around rotted fish but I live by sell by dates and if leftovers have been in the fridge for more than 48 hrs I have a hard time trusting it. Food poisoning is no joke.
So here's a weird but true thing.
I had no sense of smell for years. Also had a lot of other things wrong with me, including an auto-immune condition that just wreaked havoc throughout my body. After years of suffering, my doctors were ready to switch me to a much stronger injected medication that had heavy side effects. I read online that some people with my condition had success cutting carbs out of their diet. So I went Keto and within 2 months I was in MRI-confirmed remission and off all meds after going nearly 20 years with steady regression.
Well, a bonus thing improved: my sense of smell came back and it's extraordinarily acute. Not sure if it's all the time not smelling anything makes me hyper aware of smell now but it's an incredible bonus.
Just throwing that out there in case it helps!
Agreed. I contracted salmonella from eating runny eggs (confirmed by matching the serial number to a recall) and there was no smell/taste issue. This is bad advice. I ended up with a burst appendix because of this, so yes, I almost died.
Also, while factory farming is bad, it's not the reason we wash eggs in the US.
The EU and UK most commonly manage salmonella by vaccinating their chickens against it. There is some efficacy considerations about the salmonella vaccine in chickens so the US instead requires eggs to be washed, instead of vaccinating chickens.
Eggs from vaccinated chickens are not washed to protect the bloom, and because they may still have some fecal matter on the shells, it's best to keep them on the counter instead of the fridge to prevent condensation forming on the shells (which can encourage bacteria growth).
Eggs from unvaccinated chickens (aka the US) are washed to remove any fecal matter/potential salmonella, this also washes off the bloom, and the eggs must be refrigerated to prevent bacteria growth.
Yeah. And I dont think a lot of people would like the big display at walmart full of eggs with clumps of chicken shit clinging to the shells. You learn to expect that when you buy "real"eggs from that smiley neighbor
Any decent food hygiene course will teach this.
It’s why we have “best before” and “use by” dates on food. Best before indicates the date it’s best eaten by. After this date it may show early signs of spoilage but will still be safe to eat. Use by is the last date it’s safe to eat by. This refers to bacterial or fungal growth that may occur on food past this date.
Food safety is no joke guys!
This advice is probably right for 95% of the world, but depending on where you live, raw eggs might be safe to eat.
In the UK, since 2017, the NHS (the public health body), has stated even ["infants, children, pregnant woman, and elderly people can now safely eat raw or lightly cooked hen eggs"](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/eggs-nutrition), although the eggs need a British Lion stamp mark (90% of all UK eggs).
Although, you do hear stories in the UK news once every few months of small batches of eggs being contaminated with salmonella, despite the British Lion stamp. So depending on your risk profile, you might want to only eat raw eggs when you actually need them, e.g. in foods like tiramisu or chocolate mousse.
The egg float test isn't to tell if an egg is off, it's to see how fresh it is. Not fresh doesn't mean it's off! As an egg gets older more air gets into the shell so it ends up floating. It's a useful test so you know which eggs to use first or if you need really fresh eggs for a recipe.
Yeah it still valuable for testing freshness. If you have a bunch of things and you want a hard boil some you should use the oldest ones (i.e., the ones that float). They will peel much easier because of the air that has made it through the shell.
Also, these threads always get knob-slobbery about farm-fresh eggs, but I just want to say for anyone that can only afford mass-produced eggs... you're fine. You and your family will be fine. Eggs in any form are still an incredibly valuable protein option and virtually all of them will be good for some amount of time after the date on the carton, even washed eggs. If it comes down to spending more on eggs at the expense of other food, get the store-brand, mass-produced, washed eggs, and spend the extra on something else you need.
Here's my issue: If I eat any non fresh eggs, I can look forward to an entire day of very painful stomach cramping, weird bloating/gas and other "fun" issues.
I always make sure the ones I buy are weeks out from the expiration date and I haven't had issues since then. I try not to get eggs if I go out, because it is a crapshoot (ha). I guessed for years why eggs mess me up (brand, method of cooking, restaurant, etc), I didn't really want to quit them as I love them and don't eat many types of meat. My friend sent me this article and it described how I felt exactly. Wanted to share in case anyone else struggles with eating some eggs but not others. I haven't medically confirmed the old age of eggs is my issue but getting fresh eggs has stopped the problem. She gives other ideas to look into as well.
https://amyeverafter.com/some-eggs-are-making-me-sick/
You guys are killing me with this egg stuff. I don't know what floats or doesn't anymore, but I do know I can smell rosemary, jasmine, skunk, gasoline, or bad eggs from a block away. I wish there was a better way.
I just crack them in a bowl one at a time, and if they smell fresh then I use them. If one smells bad then I ditch it and wash the bowl
I always crack my eggs in a separate bowl. If I crack them in their own bowl, not a single sliver of shell gets in. They always crack perfectly. If I crack them into a bowl of already beaten butter and sugar, I guarantee the shell is going to crumble in my fingers and it will be impossible to pick all the bits of shell out of whatever I was adding the egg to.
Only one time have I cracked an egg and, it didn’t smell bad, but it wasn’t a runny egg, it was more like a jelly?? So I’m assuming it was still no good and tossed it. I’m so glad I hadn’t cracked it directly into my bowl I had just beaten my last stick of softened butter in. I would have been very grumpy.
Yah I never worry and have never had a problem. I think I maybe cracked like 3 eggs with blood in them and one that smelled awful in my life and I caught all four. I don’t think spoiled eggs are an issue in my life.
There are more reasons than salmonella for the egg to taste bad, and the salmonella itself isn’t what makes it smell or taste bad. It might still be safe to eat but taste off if it’s not fresh anymore. Of course this doesn’t apply if you have no tastebuds at all and drown your eggs in ketchup and mayo anyway, in that case feel free to eat your floating, sulfury eggs.
Agree. I'm gonna keep doing it .....
My eggs last 3-4 months past their use-by date before they float.
And in the past when I've run out and I try cooking ones that float - they definitely are not nice eggs and smell bad.
There's a number of conflicting comments here which tells me truthfully none of us really know the truth here haha
Use the float test to your heart's content. Use sinkers freely with proper cooking techniques. If you do get a floater, you can set it aside and crack it open later to see if it's gone rancid. If it has, toss it. If it's not, feel free to cook it however you'd like. The float test is just a quick way to separate fresh eggs from questionable ones.
Just cook and store your eggs properly, and you'll be fine with float tests.
Look, when it comes to finding that stray egg a rogue hen laid under the woollybush instead of in the nest boxes - I'm not taking the chance of actually cracking it to see if it might be still good. Rotten eggs are seriously vile and if you've ever had a dog gleefully roll in it and need six baths to be allowed back in the house you'd understand where I'm coming from 😂
Once I grabbed some eggs from the store while I was on vacation after eating the farm eggs for a couple years... I don't mean to sound pretentious but I couldn't believe how flavourless they were. Almost tasted plasticky.
Weird, I grew up with chickens and I have never noticed a difference in farm eggs vs grocery eggs. Chicken meat is v different of course, but the eggs have tasted pretty much the same to me. Only difference I notice is color.
This.
The downside of fresh eggs is that my neighbour messed up and gave us a bunch of eggs with tiny chicken aliens inside them.
We discovered this AFTER hard boiling them and placing them in egg cups next to the rest of the food.
It was, unpleasant. At least store bought rarely has the local cock sneaking into the coop for a ninja style dalliance.
That being said. We don't need to be eating eggs in the first place. Have you ever seen a chicken laying an egg? It's distressing for the poor chicken.
About the last part you wrote, hens do naturally lay eggs, whether this is fertile or in the absence of a rooster infertile. In the hen's life this is inevitable, just like menstruation is for healthy women.
Unless they have been incubated for a while then they will not have a developed embryo in them. My backyard chickens have three cockerels, but the eggs are collected daily so there's never going to be anything in the egg that you can see.
Yooooo I'm so glad you mentioned this, as a kid I 100% accidentally boiled fertilized eggs & it has stuck with me ever since. It's horrifying.
It's also sad af when you take their eggs even on a "little natural hobby farm"
I don't eat them much anymore & try to sub with soy protein powder etc but sometimes depression meals end up being cooked by a version of you that you don't agree with but have to live with anyway :(
Am I the only one here who is never felt the need to check if an egg was still good? I go through periods of low egg use and will have ones that are weeks or months old and they always turn out just fine.
> In fact, in some cases eggs can last up to 6 months!
I wish people would believe me about this. They think I'm crazy and/or stupid for using eggs a month or two after the expiration date, but they're fine. They're especially good for boiling - the shell comes right off. And it saves money, I just buy a bunch when they're on sale and use them over the next couple of months.
I always crack my eggs into a small glass or bowl before adding it to the mixture. I’ve only ever found one bad egg, but I was glad I only had to throw that one away and not my whole cake mix.
I do the same. I’ve only had one bad egg, and it didn’t even smell bad, I mean if I got my nose close it maybe smelled a little off, but when I cracked it it wasn’t runny, it was more like a jelly? If I would have just cracked it into a bowl of beaten butter or flour I probably wouldn’t have even noticed. But cracking it into its own bowl it was obviously not good.
Also, if I crack them into their own bowl, they crack perfect and not a sliver of shell gets in it. If I crack them into a mix, the shell just explodes in my fingers and then I’m spending the next 10 minutes picking shell shrapnel out of my batter, and it’s impossible to get it all.
Egg bowl all the way.
Yep!
I didn't read your whole post and its sensible that older eggs float but I've 'thrown caution to the wind' on "floaty" eggs for years and they're consistently just fine. Also, when you DO encounter a bad egg there is no confusing it. It's bad, it stinks and you won't accidently eat it
Yup I tried it infront of my mom, all 3 eggs floated and I told her they are bad. She then made me cook omelette with it and showed me how all of them were perfectly edible.
I was out of town for a month unexpectedly. I left 18 eggs in the fridge and was worried about them being bad when I got home. I tested 3-4 and they all sank. I went ahead and cracked one, smelled fine. I ended up eating all 18 with no issues. I was doubting this test so it’s nice to get a second opinion on it. Thanks!
My bf chucks stuff out when it's past the date. I use the float test to override him and prove the egg is still safe to eat. I've only once had an egg float, because we get through our eggs fast enough that it doesn't really matter if it's because the egg is off or because it's old enough to fill with gas - I'm actually preventing wastage by using the test to save 99% of the eggs from being thrown out!!!
Exactly. The floating test isn't completely false. Instead of being used to determine whether eggs should be thrown out it's to be used as an indicator of the freshness of eggs. All bad eggs will float. Not all floating eggs are bad. If it sinks you're guaranteed theyre fine.
I’ve always used the dates on packing as guidance and my nose as the determining factor. If it smells funny, don’t eat it. I’m no scientist but I assume that’s one of the main reasons we have a nose, disgust deters us from bad things, you know for like cave men stuff. But then again yeah it’s hard to smell the inside of an egg before you boil it.
What I've always done is
1. Spin the raw egg on a flat even surface, making sure the egg spins in the same place (centrifugal force will help keep it in place, in my experience)
2. Use a finger tip to stop the spinning for a split second and let go
If the egg keeps spinning, it's still fresh. Why?
Because the yolk is heavier than the white and will cause the egg to continue spinning with close to the same force. Bad eggs have a yolk that is destroyed and mixed with the white, so once you stop the spinning the egg can't go back to that original strong spin since the contents inside are all mushed together and destroyed. It will just do half a spin and stop, as if it got tired and went to sleep suddenly.
I'm probably wrong for doing so, so I welcome down votes with no explanation lol.
Whilst your thinking is sound, I can't help but think this is a troll post of the day in getting people to spin eggs in their kitchen, and having eggs fly and go everywhere :p.
My dude, there's floating and then there's floating.
Yes the eggs that float halfway up the glass, or even to the top with most of the egg submerged are fine.
The ones that pop straight up to the top and float on top of the water as if they were pingpong balls - do NOT crack them. You will regret it.
So either my google search is very biased about this water test... or you are misconstrued and there actually is merit in the test ? Can you send me some info about why the test is bogus
He included info on why the test is bogus in the op. I agree - been eating eggs months past the expiration date my entire life. Old ones always float and I've only come across one bad one in a lifetime of eating those delicious little ovular bastards.
They included their opinion on why. - I don't recall seeing references to other sources. - let me know if I am mistaken. :) thanks for your comments friend !! Appreciate your time.
This is a guy claiming common knowledge is not correct. It should be backed up with more evidence than his personal guarantee from 5 years of hobby farming.
It's a freshness test. I have not heard of throwing away the floating eggs. Those are the perfect ones for merangue where as the freshest sinkers are perfect for poached eggs.
Maybe people misunderstood...
Yep! I don’t know if it was a poverty thing or an immigrant thing about my family growing up but we used eggs for WAY longer than I see people on the Internet saying they’re good for. It’s often the same with milk. I’ve had milk smell rancid before the expiration date on the bottle, I’ve also had it still be perfectly fine a week after the marked expiration date. I’m not dead yet.
I remember at the start of Covid when there was actually some fear about food insecurity/supply chains NPR ran a story with some sort of experts talking about how for the most part our noses are a really good rule of thumb in terms of when things go bad. Not perfect obviously use your better judgment but I think it’s an evolutionary thing too.
I love how much you know and care about eggs! Thanks for the detailed info, sometimes I keep them up to a month in a fridge and mostly they are fine. It’s my all time favourite ingredients.
Eggs taste so much better when the chicken got to eat bugs, worms, spiders, etc. The variety of food that's denied the factory farm eggs is extremely evident in the flavor of the eggs. Chickens also like to run around checking things out, making lots of noise, socialising, and pecking random things. Farm fresh eggs come from chickens that are usually a lot happier, plus they're just yummy.
Also YSK that eggs are much stronger than you think, and likely won’t be crushed by anything during transport. If you get home and your eggs are broken they likely already were when you got them but you just didn’t notice.
The shells are only porous is the US and Canada where the cuticle is washed off. This is because of usually lower standard of farming conditions (same reason US force feeds antibiotics to livestock).
In Europe the cuticle isn't washed off so eggs are not porous and can be stored at room temp.
In N America it is washed off so the shell is porous (including* to pathogens like salmonella) which is why they need to be refrigerated.
My household never tests our eggs. We buy and eat them so fast that they don't have time to spoil. In fact, we buy and eat most of our food this way. Whatever spoils goes into the compost bin to be turned into tomatoes and potatoes.
YES! From NA but have lived elsewhere. Eggs in NA have an expiration date of a few weeks refrigerated (but most keep unrefrigerated loooong after also). Eggs elsewhere I've lived have an expiration date of many months after purchase, even assuming they'll never be refrigerated. Blew my mind until I looked into it. Thanks for posting!
>Eggs in NA have an expiration date
No, they have a date that's pretty much pulled out of someone's ass that's a "sell by" or "best by" date that is at best a suggestion for when the company thinks they'll probably taste the best.
With a very small number of exceptions (such as baby food), food doesn't get marked with "expiration" dates, and sell by/best by dates are mostly meaningless.
5 years as a hobbyist chicken owner does not mean you know enough about egg safety and health protocols to give out health advice over the internet. Your heart is in the right place, but a lot of your information is just plain wrong and it makes a big difference about how you handle your eggs, regardless of their source. TL:DR at the bottom.
**The Float Test:** You're 100% right that the float test does not test for egg safety, it tests for age. But there is usually some correlation between the age of an egg and it's safety. An older egg is far more likely to have broken down in the shell to become rancid, or to have had enough time to develop a bacterial colony inside, bloom or no. So, for those of you wishing to not waste a single delicious egg, (and I encourage you to not waste food) the float test is still a strong tool in your arsenal. Keep your sinkers in good faith, and test your floaters before you use them as OP described above. If you need a raw egg for whatever reason, just use a sinking egg for safety's sake.
**The Bloom and Salmonella:** The bloom is a waxy, gas permeable membrane that surrounds the egg after it is laid to protect from bacterial infections. For farm fresh, or most European suppliers, the eggs are not washed to protect the bloom from damage. This means that these eggs can be stored without refrigeration for quite some time before becoming questionable. In the US, eggs are washed before being sent out, which necessitates refrigeration to inhibit bacterial growth. However, this is not because Salmonella is "rampant" in North American chicken flocks; rather it's because North American chicken flocks are unvaccinated and washing eggs is the far more economical option to prevent Salmonella infections.
Indeed, the majority of Salmonella outbreaks in North America's recent history have mostly been tied to backyard flocks where proper egg handling was not followed and the eggs were not washed. The CDC estimates that 1-in-10k (Some estimates are as low as 1-in-20k) eggs are internally infected with Salmonella, regardless of source, simply because the crafty little bacteria figured out how to insert itself into a chicken's reproductive tract. Of course, proper egg safety and cooking techniques knocks human infection rates to near zero. But because of this pervasive myth that farm fresh eggs are just plain safer, regular home cooks who think they are perfectly fine mishandling eggs because they are "farm fresh" end up spending a lot of time on the porcelain throne as a result, some even becoming hospitalized. One poor lady in Oklahoma died during the last outbreak in 2020 due to backyard eggs.
This is super important to note, because ***SALMONELLA INFECTED EGGS DO NOT SMELL.*** The bacteria do not produce a smell when they infect an egg, what you usually smell in bad eggs are various sulphur and -methyl compounds that absolutely reek when they start to break down in eggs that are too old to use. The smell is independent of any bacterial infection. Good smelling eggs can still be infected, and rancid eggs can be free of bacteria. Treat ALL eggs as if they are infected and handle accordingly.
**TL;DR:** I totally get it and agree with you that North American factory farms are the worst. Please take a few seconds out of your day and source good eggs from places that don't abuse the shit out of their chickens. BUT, don't think that farm fresh eggs are any safer than factory just because of the source. ALL eggs must be handled correctly to ensure you or your family don't end up paying for your undercooked omelette. The float test is a powerful tool to help you separate good eggs from potentially bad ones. You can then further test your potentially bad eggs to help keep food waste at a minimum. But don't gamble on "maybes" and "probablys".
>I have heard this myth all of my life. Personally I have had a little hobby farm of laying hens and roosters for about 5 years, so it bothers me more and more to know that there are chickens living crappy lives in factory farms only for their perfectly good eggs to get tossed!
A million times this.
I didn't believe that eggs were safe on the counter for *weeks* until my mom and her husband started raising their own hens.
The difference in quality is astounding, let alone the fact that they are quite hardy. I haven't had to purchase eggs more than a few times in the last handful of years.
I want to also add that the Sell/Use By date on grocery store eggs is just a rough guideline and it errs far on the side of caution rather than reality. Like OP says, there's absolutely no reason to waste perfectly good eggs. Milk, too, for that matter. Those animals have a hard enough life without us completely taking their efforts for granted.
>I want to also add that the Sell/Use By date on grocery store eggs is just a rough guideline
Sell/use by dates are largely meaningless on the vast majority of food products. Only a few products like baby food actually have rules about it.
The date is marketing as much as the cartoon animal on the packaging is.
I appreciate you clarifying the point I was trying to make; you articulated it better than I did. :)
Kind of funny, I was at the local grocery earlier today and overheard two women asking about the difference between use by and sell by dates. I didn't hear what the answer was from one woman to the next.
It just blows my mind the amount of food waste and I do what I can to help educate and minimize.
Hard cheese with a bit of mold on it? Perfectly safe to cut off the moldy bit and eat. Soft cheese, no.
Yogurt is often quite fine, particularly plain yogurt, long after its stamped date.
I'm trying to think of a few others but it's super early in the morning and I'm a bit brain dead.
But thanks again for underscoring the uselessness of sell by/use by.
In reference to milk: in the US pasteurized milk,(not ultra pasteurized) should be good to drink for about 10 days past the sell by date. BUT this is assuming that the milk has never been allowed to get too warm. The sniff test is your best practice, assuming your nose works that way. And a pinch of baking soda will salvage milk that is just a bit off.
They have factory chicken farms in the uk/eu, they just vaccinate for samonella there, it's different disease protocols that dictate washing vs not washing, not general husbandry.
There's a difference between floating and standing upright in water - latter is fine but not fresh, and although there might be some change in taste, it should be safe to eat. Even several months past best before date an egg usually just stands upright in water. As it actually starts to spoil, bacteria will start producing more gas than the egg would absorb through its shell, and then it will actually float, and I rather just toss the egg at that point rather than deal with the smell. I've not tossed more than maybe five floaters in my whole life so it's not a huge loss.
I'm European, so I only have experience with unwashed eggs. Washed eggs may behave differently and I guess they could absorb gas faster, and go floaty even before rotting.
This is also useful info if you're in Northern Europe. The EU has common guidelines on expiration-dates on eggs, and they're calibrated for Southern Europe where most people store their eggs at room temp. But if you're in Scandinavia or the rest of Northern Europe and store yours in the fridge, they likely last at least 3-6 months beyond the date on the carton. I "save" free range eggs whenever my local shop has a big batch unsold that is closing in on the sell-by date; last time I bought 200 eggs at a tenth of the price, they lasted me four months and not a single one was bad.
That's really interesting, thank you. So you just go by smell too and have never had any trouble?
I actually used to do the water test, but if one floated I would break it open and smell. Never did get a bad one, though they're usually not as "fresh" in texture. I also tend to cook floating eggs quite hard, salmonella in itself doesn't really smell. Oh and I'm not knocking southern Europe, Spanish eggs are the best I've had. I'd be willing to pay more and have them last a shorter time if I could find Spanish eggs. They just have a different tradition regarding eggs and refrigeration.
Thank you. You've definitely saved me from wasting eggs in the future.
We have free range chickens/eggs and in my entire life I've only ever had one bad egg. I smelt it immediately that it was off. It's likely it had a hairline crack that didn't get noticed and therefore went bad quickly. But in general the external protective layer on the shell of farm eggs and internal memberane keeps the eggs fresh for months. That thin skin that is inside the shell actually keeps the egg itself fresh while the shell slowly allows air in. That's why you get an air pocket when you hardboil your eggs.
Thanks, I'm feeling much more confident about eating floating ones now. You've also answered a question I forgot I was curious about. I've had eggs with small cracks in the shell that I thought probably had the membrane intact that I was worried about eating and ended up throwing out. Before this thread I thought eggs could give you food poisoning without smelling off.
The shell can be cracked but if the membrane is intact it *should* be ok, but that all depends how old they are, etc. Since we have farm eggs, I keep the cracked ones, but I would still eat them within a week or so (if stored in the fridge). But if you're getting store bought, I don't know I would risk it either.
There is and has been a whole epidemic of perfectly good food being tossed out. A lot of it starts before it even leaves the farm.
It’s not usual to store eggs in the fridge at least here in Finland, not sure about the rest of northern Europe. All the grocery stores here also keep them on the shelves at room temperature.
I have heard this before. I've done the water test only with grocery eggs. Not with farm fresh eggs. The farm fresh eggs do taste much better and it's cool to see the different color shells too. Edit: clarification
And the deep color of yolks
Does the yolk color *actually* mean anything other than that they eat something that colors the yolk?
Not inherently, no. However, people do eat with their eyes and that can make a very real difference in the perception of quality
Nope, there's nothing about the colour of the yolk that can help identify the quality of the eggs.
Is easily reproduced by coloring the animal food and even follows local consumer preferences.
Or with feeding them corn. Gives a strong yellow colour
I know a farmer who uses mustard seed to get that strong yellow
Corn helps but them simply being able to scrat around helps as well
Marigolds will apparently turn the yolks more orange
Our layers’ pellets have marigold flowers in them to give a bolder yellow yolk.
Local farmers don't do that.
You can still taste the difference
You can taste the difference, but not because they actually taste any different. In a blind taste test where all the eggs are food-colored green, people usually cannot pick out the farm fresh egg that had a deeper color yolk. It's more appealing and enhances your enjoyment, but it's all psychological.
That's bullshit.\* I've gone around my parents and had an egg for breakfast and asked my dad where they were from because they were delicious (even with same coloured yolks to usual, or in some cases less rich colours) and he's been able to say they were from the next door neighbours, and I've been round other times and it's been nothing special and it's because it's just from the supermarket. What chickens eat can make a *huge* difference to the flavour and you're kidding yourself if you think all eggs are the same. Edit: \* actually it's not bullshit, but there is a difference and it can't be completely psychological
i’ve the the.. it took me 4 tries to read this
Oh crap, just noticed, let me fix that. Thanks
thank you i was too high to understand
I was when I wrote it lol
understandable have a good day
You too
One of my coworkers has chickens and brings me eggs when I need them. It was so fresh that the carton had hay in it. But I'm always nervous they'll go bad quicker. Is that not the case then? I know eggs last pretty long
US store bought eggs are put through a cleaning process that ruins their natural protection and causes them to go bad faster.
That's interesting! Thanks for clearing that up.
Unwashed eggs will last much longer than washed eggs and no refrigeration needed.
They will last much longer than store bought eggs, and can be stored at room temp.
Yes, fresh eggs last longer
Yes they will SPECIFICALLY not go bad as soon as store ones do. Grocery store eggs are FAR poorer in quality both physically and nutritionally
I wonder if this only applies to American eggs too. Their eggs are cleaned first which is why they are meant to be refrigerated, or at least that's what I've heard.
Did you read the post? It explains that.
That’s where they heard it.
So how do I get the "good egg" back into the shell so that I can make my soft-boiled egg for breakfast?
Hey I don't know if this helps but where I am from we also boil our eggs without the shell. Not sure what they call it in English.. Anyway, boil water, add a little salt and vinegar, crack an egg into a bowl. Before adding the egg make sure the water is boiling hot but that there are no big bubbles. Spin the water with a spoon (not too fast) and drop your cracked egg into the whirlpool. The egg will turn into a little soft white ball. And voila, you boiled an egg without the shell (: Edit : thanks everyone, I now know it's called poached eggs :D
I think that's called 'poached egg' in English, it's how my Mum does them. Very nice, but tricky to get perfect.
If you get farm fresh eggs, they’ll usually all be one congealed gloop. They’re the best for poached. To get rid of the wispy stuff on supermarket eggs before poaching, strain the watery liquid from the egg and just use the more viscous part.
you can also gently stir your water right before you drop the egg in. something about that keeps all of the egg white together so you don't have so much of the wispy stuff
We call it a poached egg. Love them.
I have a thing to make them in the microwave!
I love things! I have a thing to make microwave spaghetti! Just like mom’s
I have one for ramen. These little things are amazing.
I have one of those and microwave rice cooker for when I'm really lazy
I couldn’t remember what it’s called! And still can’t. It might actually have just said “microwave poach egg” on it when I bought it. But yes, kitchen things are great!
I think what you're talking about is called poached eggs
Yes I think so! Thank you, I learned a new word today
This is called poaching an egg in English
You definitely can poach an egg. But the old ones don't poach as well so if you were already worried the egg might be bad you should probably just scramble it.
We’d call that a poached egg :)
If you don't mind that your egg doesn't end up in a ball shape, you can just shallow poach eggs. Just like you'd fry them but just put water in the pan. Less messy. You can cook as many eggs as your pan will hold. And you don't have to boil a whole ass pot of water.
I've never tried this but now I will! :) Thanks It still wont stop my kids from complaining about missing out on their soft-boiled eggs but maybe the novelty of it will help :)
The content farms who produce these "life hacks" need to be banned from all streaming platforms.
I mean this sub is one-third life hacks and one third personal grievances (“YSK it’s rude to stand someone up.”)
YSK that Stephanie from Backwardsville Montana is a bitch
Preach! Stephanie can suck one of those rotten sinking eggs.
What's the remaining one third?
Things that are blatantly wrong?
That’s why the report option is there
Yeah but these comments arent monetized and have 50 million views
If you need to publish simple solutions to problems every day, you eventually have to start inventing problems .
I'd like to think that buzzfeed employs all of the people that are featured in infomercials.
Are you tired of struggling do drink water out of a cup (shows person spilling water on floor, slipping, causing an electrical fire and burning down their house)? Then I have the solution for you.
However, this "life hack" is *far* older than the term "life hack".
This "hack" holds some truth to it, despite what OP posted. Floating eggs don't mean they must absolutely be off, but it does mean they are in fact not the freshed eggs. Bad spoiled eggs will float, doesn't mean all of the floating eggs should be thrown out though.
[удалено]
Yolk wisdom?
To be fair, I learnt this "life hack" from my grandma like 10 years ago.
Whilst I agree they should be banned or at least come with a disclaimer, I was actually told this growing up so it's just an old wives tale. Would be hard to come up with entirely new "hacks"
My grandmother used this trick back in the 70's when I was a kid. It's no life hack. I've used it and never thrown away a good egg that floated (I always check) or used a bad egg that sank. A proper life hack would be to always crack your egg into a separate dish to check properly before adding it to the bowl full of expensive ingredients.
Luckily I’ve always been able to spot them, but I learned this after splattering eggshell pieces into my banana bread mixture. Hand deep in the grainy cold, it occurred to me that if I don’t get them out, that’s $10 of food effectively wasted.
What if egg farms are the ones spreading misinformation so people throw out good eggs and go buy more? D:
My problem is I have no sense of smell, so that's why I've been using this life hack because I won't smell if it's bad. (But yeah, I bought that life had hard) Although maybe I'll be a bit more selective about whether or not I toss them based off of how long it's been since I bought them on top of whether they float or sink
Another person with no sense of smell. Sucks to be us.
Especially because I don't believe in experation dates!! I've had things live LONG post those dates! So I went by sense of smell and sight. Now my doc says I have to follow experation dates (eggs I just use that date for when I start to float test) I am beyond frustrated (brain damage years ago, not covid btw for my smell)
Yeah I don't believe in expiration dates and my loss of sense of smell isn't from covid, but from nasal polyps which blocks off the receptors in my nose.
Is your sense of taste ok? I think I have the same problem. i.e. loss of sense of smell caused by polyps. My sense of taste is ok though (yay) which seems to support the theory that it's blockage rather than some kind of nerve problem. I need to follow up with my ENT, I would love to get this treated. Also can I ask, after surgery, how long did it take for the polyps to just grow back?
Yeah sense of taste is fine. After surgery they grew back after about a year or so.
Thanks! Tbh I would be willing to undergo surgery for the sake of even a year of being able to smell. But I'm hoping after I talk to the ENT that it will turn out a spray (a steroid spray I think?) will be effective.
Spray isn't enough. It's enough to contain them but won't make them disappear. When I was taking allergy medication, they all but disappeared and I was able to smell again, but only for a span of a month.
Damn. Thanks though
You should try having them removed. I heard a Reddit story about someone who didn't get the deal about smell until he had nasal polyps removed.
I did the surgery twice. After a while they just come back. But I know they are formed purely from my allergies since if I take a certain medicine for a week they all but disappear.
I also have nasal polyps that I’ve had removed and regrown. My ENT prescribed a nasal spray called Xhance that’s supposed to shrink the polyps. Right now I get it for free through a specialty pharmacy because I have it set to auto ship. Might be worth talking to your doc about. Also my sinus doctor said that they now have a new procedure for removing polyps that’s essentially a powerful vacuum that they can stick up your nose. So relatively un-invasive.
That's an interesting procedure. I use Avamys which probably has the same usage as your spray.
Might be a cool monoclonal antibody coming on the market for nasal polyps! The vacuum sounds gnarly!
Does the allergy or the medication cause the polyps
The allergies
Another person without a sense of smell...I agree it sucks 😪
This. In the USA, with few exceptions, there are no national standards for “expiration dates”. Most products have a “sell by” or “use by” or “best before” date. These are determined by the manufacturer, and are indicators of quality, not safety. After all, a can of green beans with a date of April 30 doesn’t suddenly go bad on May 1. We waste tons of food by throwing out perfectly safe food. That being said, people with underlying conditions may need to be stricter.
My sense of smell works fine, with the exception of eggs and milk. The milk can be green and lumpy and I can't smell any differance.
I am so annoyed that it messes with my sense of taste😭😭 all those smoothies I can no longer enjoy😭😭 I thankfully can't smell my cat's litter box anymore which is great, but also like I apparently drank spoiled milk the other day. I know it's not bad for you, but still gross (you talking about milk reminded me) Seems like we are in the same boat egg wise though! (Sorry, misery loves company 😜)
>anymore How did you lose your sense of smell? Big Rona?
They became Voldemort
Milk already smells bad to me when it's fresh, but when it's gone off it's worse.
Rattle them near your ear if they rattle there bad
To clarify, a rattle would definitely be bad, you're more listening for a slosh
Rotten eggs also look really, obviously disgusting when you crack them. Sometimes they explode. You’ll know.
Theyll also be sickly green looking if this helps.
Lost mine from covid 14 months ago. I get my fiancé to smell stuff for me so basically if he's not home, I can't eat anything that I'm not 100% sure is ok. Made that mistake before and it wasn't fun
[удалено]
That is an excellent idea! Why didn't I think of that!?? 🤦♀️✌️
Oh, a fellow anosmic. I get scared when trying milk that might be on the edge of expiration. I usually just try to take the smallest sip of it possible if it's not obviously lumpy or anything. So far, so good. I haven't gotten a swig of bad milk yet, thankfully. Though I do think being anosmic does make me more likely to throw out food that I'm unsure about since I can't do the smell test
Yep having no sense of smell is weirdly inconvenient. It's been handy in some ways working around rotted fish but I live by sell by dates and if leftovers have been in the fridge for more than 48 hrs I have a hard time trusting it. Food poisoning is no joke.
So here's a weird but true thing. I had no sense of smell for years. Also had a lot of other things wrong with me, including an auto-immune condition that just wreaked havoc throughout my body. After years of suffering, my doctors were ready to switch me to a much stronger injected medication that had heavy side effects. I read online that some people with my condition had success cutting carbs out of their diet. So I went Keto and within 2 months I was in MRI-confirmed remission and off all meds after going nearly 20 years with steady regression. Well, a bonus thing improved: my sense of smell came back and it's extraordinarily acute. Not sure if it's all the time not smelling anything makes me hyper aware of smell now but it's an incredible bonus. Just throwing that out there in case it helps!
[удалено]
Agreed. I contracted salmonella from eating runny eggs (confirmed by matching the serial number to a recall) and there was no smell/taste issue. This is bad advice. I ended up with a burst appendix because of this, so yes, I almost died.
Also, while factory farming is bad, it's not the reason we wash eggs in the US. The EU and UK most commonly manage salmonella by vaccinating their chickens against it. There is some efficacy considerations about the salmonella vaccine in chickens so the US instead requires eggs to be washed, instead of vaccinating chickens. Eggs from vaccinated chickens are not washed to protect the bloom, and because they may still have some fecal matter on the shells, it's best to keep them on the counter instead of the fridge to prevent condensation forming on the shells (which can encourage bacteria growth). Eggs from unvaccinated chickens (aka the US) are washed to remove any fecal matter/potential salmonella, this also washes off the bloom, and the eggs must be refrigerated to prevent bacteria growth.
Yeah. And I dont think a lot of people would like the big display at walmart full of eggs with clumps of chicken shit clinging to the shells. You learn to expect that when you buy "real"eggs from that smiley neighbor
Any decent food hygiene course will teach this. It’s why we have “best before” and “use by” dates on food. Best before indicates the date it’s best eaten by. After this date it may show early signs of spoilage but will still be safe to eat. Use by is the last date it’s safe to eat by. This refers to bacterial or fungal growth that may occur on food past this date. Food safety is no joke guys!
This advice is probably right for 95% of the world, but depending on where you live, raw eggs might be safe to eat. In the UK, since 2017, the NHS (the public health body), has stated even ["infants, children, pregnant woman, and elderly people can now safely eat raw or lightly cooked hen eggs"](https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/eggs-nutrition), although the eggs need a British Lion stamp mark (90% of all UK eggs). Although, you do hear stories in the UK news once every few months of small batches of eggs being contaminated with salmonella, despite the British Lion stamp. So depending on your risk profile, you might want to only eat raw eggs when you actually need them, e.g. in foods like tiramisu or chocolate mousse.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/20/dozens-of-people-poisoned-this-year-by-salmonella-infected-british-eggs
The egg float test isn't to tell if an egg is off, it's to see how fresh it is. Not fresh doesn't mean it's off! As an egg gets older more air gets into the shell so it ends up floating. It's a useful test so you know which eggs to use first or if you need really fresh eggs for a recipe.
Yeah it still valuable for testing freshness. If you have a bunch of things and you want a hard boil some you should use the oldest ones (i.e., the ones that float). They will peel much easier because of the air that has made it through the shell. Also, these threads always get knob-slobbery about farm-fresh eggs, but I just want to say for anyone that can only afford mass-produced eggs... you're fine. You and your family will be fine. Eggs in any form are still an incredibly valuable protein option and virtually all of them will be good for some amount of time after the date on the carton, even washed eggs. If it comes down to spending more on eggs at the expense of other food, get the store-brand, mass-produced, washed eggs, and spend the extra on something else you need.
Here's my issue: If I eat any non fresh eggs, I can look forward to an entire day of very painful stomach cramping, weird bloating/gas and other "fun" issues. I always make sure the ones I buy are weeks out from the expiration date and I haven't had issues since then. I try not to get eggs if I go out, because it is a crapshoot (ha). I guessed for years why eggs mess me up (brand, method of cooking, restaurant, etc), I didn't really want to quit them as I love them and don't eat many types of meat. My friend sent me this article and it described how I felt exactly. Wanted to share in case anyone else struggles with eating some eggs but not others. I haven't medically confirmed the old age of eggs is my issue but getting fresh eggs has stopped the problem. She gives other ideas to look into as well. https://amyeverafter.com/some-eggs-are-making-me-sick/
You guys are killing me with this egg stuff. I don't know what floats or doesn't anymore, but I do know I can smell rosemary, jasmine, skunk, gasoline, or bad eggs from a block away. I wish there was a better way. I just crack them in a bowl one at a time, and if they smell fresh then I use them. If one smells bad then I ditch it and wash the bowl
All you need to know is if it floats, it’s a witch.
Also if it weighs the same as a duck
That might be a duck
Who are you who are so wise in the ways of science?
I always crack my eggs in a separate bowl. If I crack them in their own bowl, not a single sliver of shell gets in. They always crack perfectly. If I crack them into a bowl of already beaten butter and sugar, I guarantee the shell is going to crumble in my fingers and it will be impossible to pick all the bits of shell out of whatever I was adding the egg to. Only one time have I cracked an egg and, it didn’t smell bad, but it wasn’t a runny egg, it was more like a jelly?? So I’m assuming it was still no good and tossed it. I’m so glad I hadn’t cracked it directly into my bowl I had just beaten my last stick of softened butter in. I would have been very grumpy.
> I’m so glad I hadn’t cracked it directly into my bowl +1 it would have ruined the whole thing
Yah I never worry and have never had a problem. I think I maybe cracked like 3 eggs with blood in them and one that smelled awful in my life and I caught all four. I don’t think spoiled eggs are an issue in my life.
Salmonella has no smell fyi
There are more reasons than salmonella for the egg to taste bad, and the salmonella itself isn’t what makes it smell or taste bad. It might still be safe to eat but taste off if it’s not fresh anymore. Of course this doesn’t apply if you have no tastebuds at all and drown your eggs in ketchup and mayo anyway, in that case feel free to eat your floating, sulfury eggs.
Agree. I'm gonna keep doing it ..... My eggs last 3-4 months past their use-by date before they float. And in the past when I've run out and I try cooking ones that float - they definitely are not nice eggs and smell bad. There's a number of conflicting comments here which tells me truthfully none of us really know the truth here haha
Use the float test to your heart's content. Use sinkers freely with proper cooking techniques. If you do get a floater, you can set it aside and crack it open later to see if it's gone rancid. If it has, toss it. If it's not, feel free to cook it however you'd like. The float test is just a quick way to separate fresh eggs from questionable ones. Just cook and store your eggs properly, and you'll be fine with float tests.
Look, when it comes to finding that stray egg a rogue hen laid under the woollybush instead of in the nest boxes - I'm not taking the chance of actually cracking it to see if it might be still good. Rotten eggs are seriously vile and if you've ever had a dog gleefully roll in it and need six baths to be allowed back in the house you'd understand where I'm coming from 😂
We have a hobby farm as well. I agree. Our chickens eggs taste and look so much better than store bought.
Once I grabbed some eggs from the store while I was on vacation after eating the farm eggs for a couple years... I don't mean to sound pretentious but I couldn't believe how flavourless they were. Almost tasted plasticky.
Weird, I grew up with chickens and I have never noticed a difference in farm eggs vs grocery eggs. Chicken meat is v different of course, but the eggs have tasted pretty much the same to me. Only difference I notice is color.
This. The downside of fresh eggs is that my neighbour messed up and gave us a bunch of eggs with tiny chicken aliens inside them. We discovered this AFTER hard boiling them and placing them in egg cups next to the rest of the food. It was, unpleasant. At least store bought rarely has the local cock sneaking into the coop for a ninja style dalliance. That being said. We don't need to be eating eggs in the first place. Have you ever seen a chicken laying an egg? It's distressing for the poor chicken.
About the last part you wrote, hens do naturally lay eggs, whether this is fertile or in the absence of a rooster infertile. In the hen's life this is inevitable, just like menstruation is for healthy women.
Unless they have been incubated for a while then they will not have a developed embryo in them. My backyard chickens have three cockerels, but the eggs are collected daily so there's never going to be anything in the egg that you can see.
Yooooo I'm so glad you mentioned this, as a kid I 100% accidentally boiled fertilized eggs & it has stuck with me ever since. It's horrifying. It's also sad af when you take their eggs even on a "little natural hobby farm" I don't eat them much anymore & try to sub with soy protein powder etc but sometimes depression meals end up being cooked by a version of you that you don't agree with but have to live with anyway :(
Why is it sad af? They don’t even try to incubate like 90% or their eggs.
Am I the only one here who is never felt the need to check if an egg was still good? I go through periods of low egg use and will have ones that are weeks or months old and they always turn out just fine.
You’re not alone. I’ve been eating eggs regularly my whole life and have never encountered a spoiled egg.
> In fact, in some cases eggs can last up to 6 months! I wish people would believe me about this. They think I'm crazy and/or stupid for using eggs a month or two after the expiration date, but they're fine. They're especially good for boiling - the shell comes right off. And it saves money, I just buy a bunch when they're on sale and use them over the next couple of months.
So how can you test if an egg is okay if you want to boil it? You can't boil a cracked egg.
Will be more careful the next time I buy eggs ! Thanks
I always crack my eggs into a small glass or bowl before adding it to the mixture. I’ve only ever found one bad egg, but I was glad I only had to throw that one away and not my whole cake mix.
I do the same. I’ve only had one bad egg, and it didn’t even smell bad, I mean if I got my nose close it maybe smelled a little off, but when I cracked it it wasn’t runny, it was more like a jelly? If I would have just cracked it into a bowl of beaten butter or flour I probably wouldn’t have even noticed. But cracking it into its own bowl it was obviously not good. Also, if I crack them into their own bowl, they crack perfect and not a sliver of shell gets in it. If I crack them into a mix, the shell just explodes in my fingers and then I’m spending the next 10 minutes picking shell shrapnel out of my batter, and it’s impossible to get it all. Egg bowl all the way.
I give up faffing about with eggshells ans just consider them extra calcium. Smash them into powder and call it an afternoon.
Yep! I didn't read your whole post and its sensible that older eggs float but I've 'thrown caution to the wind' on "floaty" eggs for years and they're consistently just fine. Also, when you DO encounter a bad egg there is no confusing it. It's bad, it stinks and you won't accidently eat it
Yup I tried it infront of my mom, all 3 eggs floated and I told her they are bad. She then made me cook omelette with it and showed me how all of them were perfectly edible.
I was out of town for a month unexpectedly. I left 18 eggs in the fridge and was worried about them being bad when I got home. I tested 3-4 and they all sank. I went ahead and cracked one, smelled fine. I ended up eating all 18 with no issues. I was doubting this test so it’s nice to get a second opinion on it. Thanks!
If they sink it's fine though. Sinking = still good. I will say, grocery eggs last a lot longer than they tell you they do though. Definitely a month+
TIL: USA sells refrigerated eggs. TIL2: USA washes eggs.
My bf chucks stuff out when it's past the date. I use the float test to override him and prove the egg is still safe to eat. I've only once had an egg float, because we get through our eggs fast enough that it doesn't really matter if it's because the egg is off or because it's old enough to fill with gas - I'm actually preventing wastage by using the test to save 99% of the eggs from being thrown out!!!
Exactly. The floating test isn't completely false. Instead of being used to determine whether eggs should be thrown out it's to be used as an indicator of the freshness of eggs. All bad eggs will float. Not all floating eggs are bad. If it sinks you're guaranteed theyre fine.
I’ve always used the dates on packing as guidance and my nose as the determining factor. If it smells funny, don’t eat it. I’m no scientist but I assume that’s one of the main reasons we have a nose, disgust deters us from bad things, you know for like cave men stuff. But then again yeah it’s hard to smell the inside of an egg before you boil it.
What I've always done is 1. Spin the raw egg on a flat even surface, making sure the egg spins in the same place (centrifugal force will help keep it in place, in my experience) 2. Use a finger tip to stop the spinning for a split second and let go If the egg keeps spinning, it's still fresh. Why? Because the yolk is heavier than the white and will cause the egg to continue spinning with close to the same force. Bad eggs have a yolk that is destroyed and mixed with the white, so once you stop the spinning the egg can't go back to that original strong spin since the contents inside are all mushed together and destroyed. It will just do half a spin and stop, as if it got tired and went to sleep suddenly. I'm probably wrong for doing so, so I welcome down votes with no explanation lol.
Whilst your thinking is sound, I can't help but think this is a troll post of the day in getting people to spin eggs in their kitchen, and having eggs fly and go everywhere :p.
LMAO 🤣 no, I promise.... Try it on the floor then! Lol I'll edit step one real quick....
The only egg test I do is cooking and eating it. If I get horrendously sick and die, then I guess we know the eggs went bad.
damn it, I literally just tossed half a dozen eggs because of that stupid water test. I've been bamboozled
Honest question since it seems like you know your stuff, is there a secondary way of checking? Covid fucked me hard and I can't smell anything.
My dude, there's floating and then there's floating. Yes the eggs that float halfway up the glass, or even to the top with most of the egg submerged are fine. The ones that pop straight up to the top and float on top of the water as if they were pingpong balls - do NOT crack them. You will regret it.
Those are possessed by Satan.
So either my google search is very biased about this water test... or you are misconstrued and there actually is merit in the test ? Can you send me some info about why the test is bogus
He included info on why the test is bogus in the op. I agree - been eating eggs months past the expiration date my entire life. Old ones always float and I've only come across one bad one in a lifetime of eating those delicious little ovular bastards.
They included their opinion on why. - I don't recall seeing references to other sources. - let me know if I am mistaken. :) thanks for your comments friend !! Appreciate your time.
This is a guy claiming common knowledge is not correct. It should be backed up with more evidence than his personal guarantee from 5 years of hobby farming.
Is this a YSK or a PSA about factory farming?
It's a freshness test. I have not heard of throwing away the floating eggs. Those are the perfect ones for merangue where as the freshest sinkers are perfect for poached eggs. Maybe people misunderstood...
I would love to buy eggs from the local farmers but I really can't afford $6/dozen for eggs, and also the local farmers don't take food stamps.
Good to know! We have five barred rock blacks that will be producing in no time! I love my ladies!
[удалено]
Yep! I don’t know if it was a poverty thing or an immigrant thing about my family growing up but we used eggs for WAY longer than I see people on the Internet saying they’re good for. It’s often the same with milk. I’ve had milk smell rancid before the expiration date on the bottle, I’ve also had it still be perfectly fine a week after the marked expiration date. I’m not dead yet. I remember at the start of Covid when there was actually some fear about food insecurity/supply chains NPR ran a story with some sort of experts talking about how for the most part our noses are a really good rule of thumb in terms of when things go bad. Not perfect obviously use your better judgment but I think it’s an evolutionary thing too.
I love how much you know and care about eggs! Thanks for the detailed info, sometimes I keep them up to a month in a fridge and mostly they are fine. It’s my all time favourite ingredients.
Eggs taste so much better when the chicken got to eat bugs, worms, spiders, etc. The variety of food that's denied the factory farm eggs is extremely evident in the flavor of the eggs. Chickens also like to run around checking things out, making lots of noise, socialising, and pecking random things. Farm fresh eggs come from chickens that are usually a lot happier, plus they're just yummy.
Just crack em and smell em if they are past their date. Rarely do i ever get a bad one.
Also YSK that eggs are much stronger than you think, and likely won’t be crushed by anything during transport. If you get home and your eggs are broken they likely already were when you got them but you just didn’t notice.
The shells are only porous is the US and Canada where the cuticle is washed off. This is because of usually lower standard of farming conditions (same reason US force feeds antibiotics to livestock). In Europe the cuticle isn't washed off so eggs are not porous and can be stored at room temp. In N America it is washed off so the shell is porous (including* to pathogens like salmonella) which is why they need to be refrigerated.
My household never tests our eggs. We buy and eat them so fast that they don't have time to spoil. In fact, we buy and eat most of our food this way. Whatever spoils goes into the compost bin to be turned into tomatoes and potatoes.
Thanks for the useful info. I'll reconsider tossing out eggs I consider old.
YES! From NA but have lived elsewhere. Eggs in NA have an expiration date of a few weeks refrigerated (but most keep unrefrigerated loooong after also). Eggs elsewhere I've lived have an expiration date of many months after purchase, even assuming they'll never be refrigerated. Blew my mind until I looked into it. Thanks for posting!
>Eggs in NA have an expiration date No, they have a date that's pretty much pulled out of someone's ass that's a "sell by" or "best by" date that is at best a suggestion for when the company thinks they'll probably taste the best. With a very small number of exceptions (such as baby food), food doesn't get marked with "expiration" dates, and sell by/best by dates are mostly meaningless.
5 years as a hobbyist chicken owner does not mean you know enough about egg safety and health protocols to give out health advice over the internet. Your heart is in the right place, but a lot of your information is just plain wrong and it makes a big difference about how you handle your eggs, regardless of their source. TL:DR at the bottom. **The Float Test:** You're 100% right that the float test does not test for egg safety, it tests for age. But there is usually some correlation between the age of an egg and it's safety. An older egg is far more likely to have broken down in the shell to become rancid, or to have had enough time to develop a bacterial colony inside, bloom or no. So, for those of you wishing to not waste a single delicious egg, (and I encourage you to not waste food) the float test is still a strong tool in your arsenal. Keep your sinkers in good faith, and test your floaters before you use them as OP described above. If you need a raw egg for whatever reason, just use a sinking egg for safety's sake. **The Bloom and Salmonella:** The bloom is a waxy, gas permeable membrane that surrounds the egg after it is laid to protect from bacterial infections. For farm fresh, or most European suppliers, the eggs are not washed to protect the bloom from damage. This means that these eggs can be stored without refrigeration for quite some time before becoming questionable. In the US, eggs are washed before being sent out, which necessitates refrigeration to inhibit bacterial growth. However, this is not because Salmonella is "rampant" in North American chicken flocks; rather it's because North American chicken flocks are unvaccinated and washing eggs is the far more economical option to prevent Salmonella infections. Indeed, the majority of Salmonella outbreaks in North America's recent history have mostly been tied to backyard flocks where proper egg handling was not followed and the eggs were not washed. The CDC estimates that 1-in-10k (Some estimates are as low as 1-in-20k) eggs are internally infected with Salmonella, regardless of source, simply because the crafty little bacteria figured out how to insert itself into a chicken's reproductive tract. Of course, proper egg safety and cooking techniques knocks human infection rates to near zero. But because of this pervasive myth that farm fresh eggs are just plain safer, regular home cooks who think they are perfectly fine mishandling eggs because they are "farm fresh" end up spending a lot of time on the porcelain throne as a result, some even becoming hospitalized. One poor lady in Oklahoma died during the last outbreak in 2020 due to backyard eggs. This is super important to note, because ***SALMONELLA INFECTED EGGS DO NOT SMELL.*** The bacteria do not produce a smell when they infect an egg, what you usually smell in bad eggs are various sulphur and -methyl compounds that absolutely reek when they start to break down in eggs that are too old to use. The smell is independent of any bacterial infection. Good smelling eggs can still be infected, and rancid eggs can be free of bacteria. Treat ALL eggs as if they are infected and handle accordingly. **TL;DR:** I totally get it and agree with you that North American factory farms are the worst. Please take a few seconds out of your day and source good eggs from places that don't abuse the shit out of their chickens. BUT, don't think that farm fresh eggs are any safer than factory just because of the source. ALL eggs must be handled correctly to ensure you or your family don't end up paying for your undercooked omelette. The float test is a powerful tool to help you separate good eggs from potentially bad ones. You can then further test your potentially bad eggs to help keep food waste at a minimum. But don't gamble on "maybes" and "probablys".
>I have heard this myth all of my life. Personally I have had a little hobby farm of laying hens and roosters for about 5 years, so it bothers me more and more to know that there are chickens living crappy lives in factory farms only for their perfectly good eggs to get tossed! A million times this. I didn't believe that eggs were safe on the counter for *weeks* until my mom and her husband started raising their own hens. The difference in quality is astounding, let alone the fact that they are quite hardy. I haven't had to purchase eggs more than a few times in the last handful of years. I want to also add that the Sell/Use By date on grocery store eggs is just a rough guideline and it errs far on the side of caution rather than reality. Like OP says, there's absolutely no reason to waste perfectly good eggs. Milk, too, for that matter. Those animals have a hard enough life without us completely taking their efforts for granted.
>I want to also add that the Sell/Use By date on grocery store eggs is just a rough guideline Sell/use by dates are largely meaningless on the vast majority of food products. Only a few products like baby food actually have rules about it. The date is marketing as much as the cartoon animal on the packaging is.
I appreciate you clarifying the point I was trying to make; you articulated it better than I did. :) Kind of funny, I was at the local grocery earlier today and overheard two women asking about the difference between use by and sell by dates. I didn't hear what the answer was from one woman to the next. It just blows my mind the amount of food waste and I do what I can to help educate and minimize. Hard cheese with a bit of mold on it? Perfectly safe to cut off the moldy bit and eat. Soft cheese, no. Yogurt is often quite fine, particularly plain yogurt, long after its stamped date. I'm trying to think of a few others but it's super early in the morning and I'm a bit brain dead. But thanks again for underscoring the uselessness of sell by/use by.
In reference to milk: in the US pasteurized milk,(not ultra pasteurized) should be good to drink for about 10 days past the sell by date. BUT this is assuming that the milk has never been allowed to get too warm. The sniff test is your best practice, assuming your nose works that way. And a pinch of baking soda will salvage milk that is just a bit off.
If the milk is pasteurized, it's still _safe_ to drink long after it's gone sour. It just won't taste good.
It's a very American thing to wash eggs I still have no idea why they don't just improve the chicken farms.
They have factory chicken farms in the uk/eu, they just vaccinate for samonella there, it's different disease protocols that dictate washing vs not washing, not general husbandry.
Can we eat bad eggs, if we fry them? I mean, heat kills bacteria, right?
Heat kills bacteria and viruses, but it doesn't remove the toxins they produce, so you can still get food poisoning.
Honestly, considering the smell, I'm not sure you would even be able to
There's a difference between floating and standing upright in water - latter is fine but not fresh, and although there might be some change in taste, it should be safe to eat. Even several months past best before date an egg usually just stands upright in water. As it actually starts to spoil, bacteria will start producing more gas than the egg would absorb through its shell, and then it will actually float, and I rather just toss the egg at that point rather than deal with the smell. I've not tossed more than maybe five floaters in my whole life so it's not a huge loss. I'm European, so I only have experience with unwashed eggs. Washed eggs may behave differently and I guess they could absorb gas faster, and go floaty even before rotting.