When Do Eggs Go Bad?

Farm fresh eggs should keep a couple of months in the fridge. I've used eggs several weeks past the expiration date on the carton without a problem and we would keep them a week or so unrefrigerated on camping trips.

According to Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education (see: http://www.canfightbac.org/cpcfse/en/cookwell/ask/eggs/#3.... this is a GREAT site for all sorts of food related questions

"It is safe to use eggs up to two weeks after the "best before date" on the carton providing they have been handled and stored correctly since purchase. Use in ways in which they are thoroughly cooked"

An experiment you can perform to test the freshness is to place the egg in a cup of fresh (not salted) water. Fresh eggs will lie on the bottom of the bowl, while eggs that tilt so that the large end is up are older, and eggs that float are rotten. The tilting is caused by air pockets in the eggs that increase in size over time as fluid evaporates through the porous shell and oxygen and gases filter in. The older an egg gets the more gas builds up inside it. More gas = more floating. (http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/EggsFloat.htm)

Carefully lower your eggs into fresh cold water using a spoon:
• If the egg stay at the bottom - it is fresh.
• If the egg is at an angle on the bottom - it is still fresh and good to eat.
• If the egg stands on its pointed end at the bottom - it is still safe to eat but best used for baking and making hard-cooked eggs.
• If the egg float - they're stale and best discarded.

The final test: To make sure the egg is not spoiled, break it into a clean bowl and check to make sure it doesn't have a bad odor or appearance.

I have to say I laughed when I read your question. I thought your question was going to be on "ovary-type" eggs. LOL!

I had a friend who used to inspect eggs for the USDA and she once told me that the date on the carton is a "freshness" guideline and not a "get rid of" past this date. Honestly, I remember using eggs several weeks to a month past the freshness date. When you're baking you want to use fresher eggs for the best results. She also told me that medium-size eggs were the best eggs because they come from younger chickens. (I guess that spring chicken saying is really true?)

Anyway... enjoy your chicken eggs! LOL! Bake a lot, make egg salad, put deviled eggs in your kids lunches and have breakfast for dinner. Ooooh, and make some meringues!

S.

Typically, straight from the chicken, eggs are good for about 2 months. Big chain grocery stores keep eggs in the back for up to 6 weeks before putting them on the shelves.

Right around 2 months, do the sink/float test that's described by another poster below. Often eggs will continue to be fresh for 3-4 months, but I start checking around 8 weeks. I just use a sharpie on the box for the laid date.

When I use farm fresh egg I always crack them into a different container then the one I'm going to use to make sure they're not bad or that there isn't an embryo in there, then if their safe add them. you'll know if there bad by smell or if they are like water not thick like regular eggs or if they are bloody. Also fresh eggs have what looks like a little brown seed in them that's fine it won't H. anything

Here is a great article to check for the freshness of eggs:
http://www.helpwithcooking.com/egg-guide/fresh-egg-test.html

R.

Thought I'd also mention that if they have NOT been washed or refrigerated, "homegrown" eggs can be kept at *room temperature* for up to a month (this is great for bread baking, making meringue, etc., when you should use room temperature eggs rather than cold ones--no waiting). When you wash the eggs, it removes a protective antibiotic layer from the shell, and air can get into them more easily--so if washed, they do need to be refrigerated!

But since most people refrigerate eggs anyway (and they stay good longer that way), I agree with the others--fresh eggs will easily last a couple months in the fridge. We had chickens up until last year, and in the past, I've had a dozen eggs last almost six months! They were labeled with the collection date, in the back of the fridge; I'd forgotten they were there. I cracked them (outside, just in case), and they were still okay--we had nice omelets for brunch that day! lol

And, oh yes, you can *definitely* tell if an egg is bad when you crack it... ;-)

You might try stilltasty.com...it has information on eggs and many other foods as well.

I always test my eggs, even store bought ones because when a package of eggs gets broken one in it they put the good ones into other packages that had a broken one and they may not have the same date on them.

If an egg floats it is so bad you should gently carry it outside to the trashcan. The fresher the egg the more it stays on the bottom of a glass of water.

How fortunate that you have fresh brown eggs, they are so good! Should be good for at least a month or six weeks refrigerated. The eggs purchased in grocery stores are way older than a month and I have kept them longer. One way to tell if an egg is old, place it in water and if it floats, it is old.
When you boil eggs, you do not want the very freshest, because they are harder to peel, as the shell does not separate from the flesh of the egg and chunks of egg will come off with shell.
Eggs that are old, will also be "lopsided" when boiled, there will be dents or "hollows" in the ends. When broken, the old eggs will not come out of the shell as easily, sort of like they are "sticky".

Tip for boiling eggs, if they turn dark around the "yellow", you have OVER cooked them. Once the water boils, don't leave them cooking more than 10 minutes. Immediately put them in cold water, take shells off and refrigerate. Use within 3 days REFRIGERATED.....NEVER USE boiled EGGS THAT HAVE been at ROOM TEMP for very long. One can easily get salmonella food poisoning from them..
You would want to use the freshest for serving poached, fried, making custards, but the older ones could be used in cooking, like cakes or cookies or other cooked dishes.
Just my opinion.

Eggs that I buy in a store that have a date on them , I have used a month after that date , I buy Cage free organic eggs (unsure if that makes a difference). But yes if they were off you would know as soon as you cracked the shell....they stink!!!