I remember reading somewhere (I don’t remember where) that you could determine the freshness of eggs by placing them in water:
If they lie at the bottom, long side down, they are fresh.
If they lie at the bottom, short end down, they are still good.
If they float, toss 'em.
While I have seen all of these results which seem to coincide with the date on the carton… just wondering how valid this method is, or if there is a better way?
I’ve read that too. Something about air entering through the shell over time. I don’t know of any other… except cracking the shell , and trying it.
I found this
Yes. Rely on the date on the carton, having bought them from a reputable source.
Yeah… but I keep them on the bottom shelf of a very cold fridge and they are always good well after that date (at least 10 days - sometimes quite a bit more).
Have you ever bought an egg that wasn’t still good?
I have to look up that date thing again. I get my eggs from a local “CSA” farm, and I noticed the last carton says “pasturized”, and then under that 3:15:22. Which at least on the surface, could mean tommorow!
I know a couple of people who keep chickens and if they find eggs in weird places (such as under the hedge) and don’t know how long they’ve been there, that is the method they use to decide whether to toss or keep those eggs.
I use the float test.
I buy eggs through my CSA and they have no date on the carton. I usually write the date of purchase on the carton and typically use them within a couple weeks. If I have eggs that have been hanging out for a while, I will test an egg to see if it floates before using the egg in a baked good.
Another difference between Americans and the rest of the world. In America eggs a scrubbed and power washed then stored in the fridge. In Europe and a good chunk of the ret of the world, eggs never see the inside of a fridge. Trick is don’t but so many eggs that they would be in storage for weeks.
The only time I recall eggs going bad on me was when we left eggs one autumn at the country house and didn’t get back for months. When I cracked an egg open and it was basically dried out.
