Dates on eggs / how long do they keep for?

sleepless_saver

I'm planning to make cake this morning, but the eggs are a bit old. They smell OK but the whites are a bit cloudy. Does anyone know if they are OK to use?

VfM4meplse

sleepless_saver wrote: »

They smell OK but the whites are a bit cloudy

I guess it's now too late to float the eggs in water?

If in doubt, I would recommend not using them, to avoid wasting good ingredients. You can use a bit of oil / crushed linseed in water as an alternative in cakes.

sleepless_saver

The one that isn't broken sinks. Is that bad?

olliesmummy06

I've just googled it and this is what it's come up with....

It is a good rule of thumb to only eat egg whites that are clear. Cloudy egg whites are old or something can be not right with them. Keep safe, not sorry.

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NO! -- This is actually exactly the opposite of the truth! Cloudy egg whites indicate FRESHNESS! (Really!) The fresher the egg, the more CO2 it will contain. As eggs age, the CO2 slowly escapes through tiny pores in the shell.

Now if the egg white looks off-color -- say pink or green -- then it's dangerous. But cloudy eggs are not bad for you, and for breakfast eggs -- especially soft-boiled or soft-scrambled -- they're the best! (FYI -- Older eggs do work better for baking, and especially meringue.)

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Eating_cloudy_egg_whites#ixzz1dU2MBDeN

I would say from that they should be ok-all the other websites say the same thing-that they are ok to eat....enjoy your cake.xx

becs

As above i always test mine in a bowl of water. If they float they're bad.

VfM4meplse

sleepless_saver wrote: »

The one that isn't broken sinks. Is that bad?

No, it is fresh enough to use. If they're all from the same batch go ahead and use them.

(It's the build up of noxious gases that causes eggs to float).

sleepless_saver

Thanks all for the fast responses. So it's banana bread day then :T.

VfM4meplse

sleepless_saver wrote: »

So it's banana bread day then :T.

Spend 3 and a half minutes looking at this first - eggless is possible.

Penelope_Penguin

sleepless_saver wrote: »

I'm planning to make cake this morning, but the eggs are a bit old. They smell OK but the whites are a bit cloudy. Does anyone know if they are OK to use?

They look OK then As this has fallen from the front page of OS, I'll add this to the existing thread on elderly eggs to keep ideas together.

pinkteapot

I have eggs in the fridge that aren't in their box. The date is stamped on them, but I can't remember if egg boxes say "use by" or "best before".

Do I need to do something with them before they go past the date?