Eggs – How To Check If They Are Fresh?

Eggs, even refrigerated, can spoil relatively easily and quickly. Eating stale eggs can have many unpleasant consequences, so it’s important to know a few simple home ways to judge whether an egg is fit for consumption.

If you don’t know any of them yet, be sure to read this article and learn how to check if your eggs are fresh.

How do I know if my eggs are fresh?

There are at least several ways to determine if an egg is still edible or it is safer to throw it away. Perhaps you’ve even heard from your mother or grandmother about one of them. Below you will find some of our proposals that will not disappoint you.

Dip the egg in the water

One of the most popular ways to check whether an egg is fresh is to put it in a pan of water. Here’s what you need to pay attention to in such an “experiment.”

• If the egg sinks quickly and remains parallel to the ground, it is still fresh.
• If the egg sinks very slowly or stays on the surface vertically, then it is not fresh.

In a nutshell: the greater the angle of the egg, the older it is.

• If the egg does not sink and stays afloat, then it must have spoiled and should be thrown away. 

Boil the eggs

• Boil the egg and cut it in half.

• If the yolk is exactly in the center and only a small area is left filled with air, it is safe to eat the egg.
• However, if the yolk is approaching the shell and there is a lot of air in it, it is better not to eat it as it may have gone bad.

Break the shell

Another way to quickly check if an egg is still fresh is, of course, to break the shell and pour the egg into a glass or pour it onto a plate.

• If the egg poured on the plate does not splash and the yolk remains intact – the egg is fit for consumption.

• However, if the protein mixes with the yolk, it is better to refrain from eating such an egg.

Look for the expiry date on the package

It is also worth bearing in mind the various markings that can be seen on the shell or on the packaging in which the eggs are sold. The point at which the hen lays the egg is known as “week zero”. From this point on, eggs spoil in week 4.

This is why eggs should not be released for sale as early as week 3. The maximum storage time for eggs is 5 weeks.

There are also recommendations that eggs should always be kept in their original packaging, in a dry and cool place. Then nothing bad should happen to them for at least 3 weeks. On the other hand, if we are talking about already cooked eggs, you can keep them in a vacuum container for up to 3 to 4 days.

However, it is worth paying attention to the fact that their smell does not spread through the refrigerator. Remember that the shelf life shortens with increasing ambient temperature. It can even be shortened to 2 days.