How To Tell If Eggs Are Bad?

how to tell if eggs are bad

Most of us have experienced a funny yet weird situation, where we reach into the fridge to get an egg while imagining it to fry it and serve it to ourselves with cheese and topped with herbs but hey wait! The hurdle comes when we can’t remember or unable to calculate how long the egg has been sitting on the fridge. Uh-oh, so how to tell if eggs are bad or aren’t perfect to use now?

Oh yes, it is true that eggs may be good enough to eat for a couple of weeks but sometimes the quality of an egg starts declining after a time once the air pocket inside the egg gets larger and making the white thinner. The egg turns bad once it starts to decompose because of mold or bacteria. We know you might be tensed and a question would be lingering on your head that ‘how to tell if eggs are bad?’ So worry not, we have written the top 4 methods for you that will help you in determining if the eggs in your fridge have turned bad or are good to go!

4 Ways How to Tell if Eggs are Bad

desi eggs
Source: Pinterest

Expiration Date Matters The Most

To know if the eggs you have brought are turned bad is to know through the expiration date on the carton. But if you do not use the eggs in your fridge and throw those refrigerated eggs then you may be wasting good to be eaten eggs and that is such a big waste!

In different countries that have some good marts, the eggs are labeled with the expiration date, so you may get an idea about it and know whether the eggs you buy are fresh or not.

By this mentioned date, store management can also get an idea if the eggs are fresh or not.

The mentioned expiration date usually tells that these eggs are less than fresh still some of those can be used and not decomposed yet. 

Some of the cartons have the dates on which the eggs were graded, washed, and then packed. But you may get confused between these dates as you do not know which date you should consider as the expiry date! But don’t you worry as the quality of an egg may decline after a time period but it still is good to be used for many weeks IF you have refrigerated it!

A Sniff Test Is All That You Need

God old times where you can simply smell whether the egg has turned bad or not! It is the simplest yet oldest method that is considered as most reliable to tell if the egg has gone bad or not!

Let us suppose if you see an egg crossing its expiration date or the date it was graded then a simple sniff can tell you if the eggs are still good to be used or it is a big NO! The eggs that aren’t good to be used will give an absolutely horrific smell no matter if the eggs are raw or cooked – we are telling this before, mind you! But if there is no odor at all that means it is a good sign that the eggs can be used!

Time For A Visual Inspection

Your eyes can help you a big-time in letting you know whether the egg has turned bad beside your nose. See whether the eggshell is not slimy, cracked, or a bit powdery while the egg is still inside the shell. The eggs’ cracks or sliminess can show if there are bacteria in it or not and the eg has started decomposing while if the eggs have turned powdery then it means there may be mold on the eggshell.

If the eggshell is still perfect but you doubt, if the egg is good to be used or not, then take a plain while plate or bowl and crack the egg into it. Look if there is any blue, green, black, or pink discoloration or substance in the egg yolk or egg white. It shows that the egg may be affected by the bacteria growth. Throw the egg right away!

A Float Test Is Necessary

Afloat test is the most tried and tested method by the majority of people and is the most popular among all other methods. The age of a fertilized egg can also be indicated through this method.

To simply go for the float test, take a bowl or bucket filled with water and gently set the egg you have into it. If the egg floats, it means it is old but if it sinks that means it is fresh to be used! As the egg gets older, the air pocket in it that is very small starts getting larger over time – and because of that, eggs start flowing on the water surface.

Egging up

People are unaware whether the eggs are good to be used or it is time that an egg has started decomposing and now it is better to throw it away. We have listed four methods that can help you to know whether the eggs are perfect to be eaten or used or not! Because we believe health matters the most – so if you doubt that the eggs in your fridge are not good to be used, then go through these methods to know better!

To Top