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 after the expiry date written on the carton. Is there any way of knowing whether the eggs are fresh or stale? What if you knew how to tell if eggs are still good. Scroll down to find steps that can be followed to know if an egg is good without cracking open the egg.

How to Tell If Eggs Are Fresh

Smell The Eggs
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 below.

Swimming Test
Let me tell you ways to test the freshness of eggs. Take a bowl and fill it with water. Now put the eggs in the bowl gently. Does it sink to the bottom? Wondering why a fresh egg sinks straight to the bottom? The pores present in the eggshells are responsible for an egg sinking or floating in the water. These pores allow air to move in and out of the egg. The amount of air present in a fresh egg is very little, therefore, it sinks to the bottom. As eggs lose their freshness, shells become very porous, the inner portion gets dried up and 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, it indicates that the egg is not very fresh, but can still be consumed.

Plate Test
Is there any way to know whether an egg has gone bad or not? Well, the eggs which are found floating in a bowl filled with water are the ones that have gone bad. Let me tell you another test 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. Such throw them into the bin.

The next time you see a carton of eggs lying at the back in your refrigerator, you can try out these tests. So, don't throw those eggs in the trash without trying out these easy methods.