How to Tell if Eggs are Still Good

If you are hit by the pungent odor once you crack open the shell, the egg is no longer edible. Eggs are used in several recipes. No wonder, a majority of home owners store at least a carton of eggs in the refrigerator at all times.

The shelf life of raw eggs can be increased by keeping them in the refrigerator, but it is always better not to use them past the expiry date written on the carton. Is there any way of knowing whether the eggs are fresh or stale? Well, try the following methods to know if an egg is still good, without cracking it open.

If raw eggs have been lying in your refrigerator, you can consume them anytime within 5 weeks, but hard-boiled eggs in the shell will last only for a week. When you place the eggs in the refrigerator, make sure that you place them in the carton.

When they are stored in the carton, moisture loss is slower and this also prevents the eggs from the strong smells from other food items. This helps in retaining the freshness. If eggs have been lying in your refrigerator for some time, you must smell them before using them for cooking.

You might be able to smell a rotten egg without cracking the shell. In case, the smell seems to be similar to one of the foods lying in your refrigerator, you will need to try the other methods given here.

Take a deep bowl and fill it with water. Now, put the egg in the bowl gently. Does it sink to the bottom? If the egg is fresh, it will sink straight to the bottom. The pores that are present in the eggshell allow air to move in and out of the egg. The amount of air present in a fresh egg is very little, which is why it sinks to the bottom.

As eggs lose their freshness, shells become very porous, the inner portion gets dried up. Therefore, a rotten egg floats on the surface and doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl at all. If the smaller end of the egg lies towards the bottom of the bowl and the broader end is pointing towards the surface, the egg is not very fresh, but can still be consumed.

In order to determine if an egg is fresh or stale, crack the egg open onto a flat plate. If the egg is fresh, the yolk will be round and firm, and the egg whites will be thick and cloudy. The white part will stay closer to the yolk. If the egg is stale, the yolk will not be firm and might break easily. The egg whites will be translucent

The eggs that float on the top, are the ones that have gone completely bad. Cracking them open might leave your kitchen or your home reeking with a pungent smell for a long time. So, it would be better to throw them into the bin.

So, the next time you see spot a carton of eggs that have been lying in your refrigerator for some time, you can try the aforementioned tests to determine if the eggs are fresh or not.