There are some Grade A Jumbo eggs in the refrigerator that I’ve been meaning to try and cook… That is until I noticed the expiration date: July 9. I’m not the kind to eat anything past the expiration date but I’ve also heard that eggs really don’t “go bad” but deteriorate in quality.
What’s the straight dope? Safe to eat? There’s about 2 in one package and nearly a full dozen in the second one so I really don’t feel like wasting them all.
Aloha Brandon…
If you store your eggs in the coldest part of the refrigerator (usually the bottom shelf) in their original carton, they’ll stay fresh for about three weeks. After that, it’s best to use them in cooked dishes, since the egg whites become thinner than most people like and they may not taste as good. Hard-boiled eggs should be kept refrigerated and eaten within a week.
My advice is to put them in a few inches of cool water. The ones that float to the top are not going to taste all that great, believe me.
One site says to trash those eggs:
http://www.homefoodsafety.org/news/tips/high_risks.htm
Another says don’t consume eggs older than 5 weeks:
http://www.malehealthcenter.com/Columns/foodpois.html
I think I used them up to a month after without any problems. Maybe I was lucky. Now I won’t go more than than a few days after the stamp date simply because there has been news about problems with various food products (like ground beef recently).
I was planning on trying to make an omelet FWIW. If they are bad, I guess I can just make one and throw it away.
try the float test. trust me. if it produces enough gas to float, you want nothing to do with it.
So exactly how do I do the float test? Fill a bowl with water and drop the egg in (shell on I guess?) and if it floats it’s probably bad?
Yeah. Over time, gasses build up inside the shell. A fresh egg will lie on its side at the bottom of a bowl or glass of water. An old one will stay at the bottom, but be vertical–the gasses accumulate in one end, which is lifted to the top position. A rotten egg will float.
Eggs are what, a buck or buck and a half a dozen? Is it worth getting sick to save that kind of money?
Yeah. Over time, gasses build up inside the shell. A fresh egg will lie on its side at the bottom of a bowl or glass of water. An old one will stay at the bottom, but be vertical–the gasses accumulate in one end, which is lifted to the top position. A rotten egg will float.
Eggs are what, a buck or buck and a half a dozen? Is it worth getting sick to save that kind of money?
For an omelet I would use only fresh eggs. The eggs don’t get completely cooked in an omelet.
i’ve used the float theory. it works.
Dude, just throw them out. A dozen eggs only costs like .95 to buy.
When I first studied in Russia, eggs in supermarkets were generally stored at room temperature. You had to pay extra for “dietetic” eggs (meaning ones less than 10 days old). OK, I got food poisoning a lot in Russia, but probably more from the dorm food than from anything I made from supermarket food.
Your eggs probably won’t get you sick, but they probably won’t be at ther optimum either.
Ehhh, I don’t know about the “float” method. Just crack an egg into a teacup. If you can get your nose next to it, it’s okay. If it stinks, throw it out.
Older eggs work best for hardboiled. You can peel the shells off a LOT easier if the eggs are absolutely, fresh from the chicken butt.
~VOW
Okay, make that NOT fresh from the chicken butt…
(note to self: engage brain before typing)
~VOW