Still, as long as they remain free of contamination from bacteria or mold, they may still be safe to eat for days or weeks longer. Eggs have an average shelf life of 3–5 weeks. With proper storage, most eggs are still safe to eat after 5 weeks, though their quality and freshness will likely begin to decline.
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. For example, you might notice changes in colour, flavour or texture if you choose to eat eggs after the best before date.
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.
“The shelf life of an unrefrigerated egg is 7 to 10 days and for refrigerated egg it's about 30 to 45 days,” notes Dr Batra. But that doesn't mean you can pop a 2-month old egg for a quick omelet. - Eggs can last for about 5-6 weeks if refrigerated properly.
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).
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.
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.
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.
If it's fresh, the yolk should be bright yellow or orange, and the white shouldn't spread much. If you're not sure, give it a good sniff: fresh eggs shouldn't have much of a smell at all. The yolk will be flatter and the white will be much runnier in an older egg.
Soft-boiled eggs have runny, undercooked yolks and aren't considered safe to eat for babies (6 months and onward) especially because of the risk of contracting salmonella. Instead, offer hard-boiled eggs as a comparable option, or switch to scrambled eggs or poached eggs with firm yolks for variety.
Fresh eggs stored in the carton should last anywhere from four to five weeks after that Julian calendar date, per the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
An egg can float in water when its air cell has enlarged sufficiently to keep it buoyant. This means the egg is old, but it may be perfectly safe to use.
Once you've cracked the egg into a bowl, check if there is any discoloration of the yolk or egg white. Remember, the egg should only have a bright yellow or orange yolk, and the white should be clear or slightly cloudy. If you happen to see any other colors, toss the egg out.
Eggs have a fairly long shelf life under refrigeration. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends storing eggs in their original carton and using them within 3 weeks for the best quality.
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.
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.
Egg storage
The main risk of eating raw or bad eggs is food poisoning, specifically salmonella. According to a 2009 research review, Salmonella bacteria can grow inside the yolk, egg white, and shell of an egg.
Eggs can legally be sold up to a month after the sell-by date, after which they are indeed illegal but still very much edible for another two weeks or so, longer if they're hard-boiled and kept in the shell.
If a person has any doubt about whether an egg has gone bad, they should throw it out. The main risk of eating bad eggs is Salmonella infection, which can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and fever.
Summary: Fresh eggs can be kept for 3–5 weeks in the fridge or about one year in the freezer. Store them in the original carton away from the door of the fridge to preserve quality.
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 the egg sinks, it is fresh. If it tilts upwards or even floats, it is old. This is because as an egg ages, the small air pocket inside it grows larger as water is released and replaced by air. If the air pocket becomes large enough, the egg may float.
If the egg stands on its pointed end at the bottom – it is still safe to eat but best used for baking and making hard-cooked eggs. If the egg float – they're stale and best discarded.
Put simply, yes. The egg float test works and is surprisingly accurate. People who do this test a lot can tell you with great accuracy how many days old an egg is.