According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, eggs can be sold for up to 30 days after they were packaged. So when your eggs' expiration date has passed, they could be two months old—and still more than likely safe to eat.
You can probably eat those expired eggs and never look back. If refrigerated, eggs typically stay safe well after their expiration date. Regardless of what that date actually is, the optimal storage time for raw eggs in their shells, according to the USDA, is three to five weeks.
According to the USDA: A "best if used by/before" date lets you know how long the eggs will be at their best taste and highest quality. You can definitely still eat eggs once this date has passed (as long as they aren't spoiled). A "sell-by" date lets the grocery store know how long it's okay to still sell the eggs.
Eggs may be refrigerated three to five weeks from the day they are placed in the refrigerator. The "Sell-By" date will usually expire during that length of time, but the eggs will be perfectly safe to use. Always purchase eggs before the "Sell-By" or EXP (expiration) date on the carton.
Because of this date distinction, hard boiled eggs are good for and may safely be used to complement your favorite meals even after a best by or sell by date has lapsed.
To perform the float test, place the egg in a large bowl of water. If it sinks or stays at the bottom, it is still fresh. An older egg will either stand on its end or float.
How Can You Tell If Hard-Boiled Eggs Are Bad? The best way to test if your eggs are still good after you've boiled them is, again, the smell test. Basically, you'll notice the smell is off if an egg is starting to go bad. This is true for raw eggs and it's true for boiled eggs—the funk doesn't lie.
Surprisingly, eggs can stay good for an exceedingly long time, multiple months in the refrigerator. Occasionally they'll rot, but it's much more common for them to dry out, very slowly, by losing water through their shell.
The most accurate way of testing whether your eggs have gone bad is to crack them open. If the yolk or white has any discoloration, the egg is no good. Discoloration is an indication of bacterial growth. If your eggs look good but have an off or sulfuric smell to them, they are bad.
Eggs may be introduced as soon as baby is ready to start solids, which is generally around 6 months of age. Egg is a common food allergen, so consider baby's risk factors and start with scant quantities of well-cooked egg (white and yolk) as some babies can have severe reactions to even the smallest amount of eggs.
It is recommended to introduce well cooked whole egg into your child's diet in the first year of their life - around six months of age, but not before four months.
So, when can babies eat eggs? Start offering eggs around the same time you start your baby on solid foods, after 6 months of age.
Some egg cartons have sell-by dates on them, while others have expiration dates. Neither should be regarded as an indication of when the eggs are no longer safe to use. Both the Food and Drug Administration and Egg Safety Center agree that eggs are usually good for several weeks past the stamped date.
In the EU, eggs are marked with a best before date, which is fixed by law at no more than 28 days after the egg was laid. While it is ideal to eat eggs before this date has passed, they are often still be safe to eat after this date, but its quality may have decreased.
Simply fill a bowl with cold tap water and place your eggs in it. If they sink to the bottom and lay flat on one side, they are fresh and good to eat. A bad egg will float because of the large air cell that forms at its base. Any floating eggs should be thrown out.
Fresh eggs with the bloom intact can be stored on the counter for about a month and refrigerated for up to six months. Eggs that are preserved with the water glassing method can last up to a year or more. The water glassing method seals the eggshell, keeping them fresh just like eggs just laid.
Hard-boiled eggs can be kept for 1 week in your refrigerator. If the egg develops an unmistakable odor or slimy or chalky texture, discard it, as eating spoiled eggs can make you sick.
As eggs go bad, they develop other types of bacteria like E. Coli that lead to severe illness. If an egg is bad, symptoms of illness appear within six to 48 hours and may include: Diarrhea.
Salmonella illness can be serious and is more dangerous for certain people. Most people who get sick from Salmonella have diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. Symptoms usually begin 6 hours to 6 days after infection and last 4 to 7 days. People with diarrhea should drink extra fluids.
If an it's less than 5 weeks old, you're probably good to go. Whether you're frying your eggs or using them to bake, you don't have to toss them out just because they're past their expiration date. If your eggs still look and smell good, they probably are good.
As long are they are kept refrigerated at 45 °F or lower, fresh shell eggs are safe to be consumed four to five weeks beyond the carton's Julian date (the date eggs were packed).
Eggs out of the shell
And in that case, know that stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, raw egg whites will keep for up to four days, while raw egg yolks will keep for up to two days.
Eggs are a top source of protein for children and are easy to make and serve. You can give your baby the entire egg (yolk and white), if your pediatrician recommends it. Around 6 months, puree or mash one hard-boiled or scrambled egg and serve it to your baby.