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Dates on eggs / how long do they keep for?
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The float test really works because there is science behind it.
If you hard boil an egg then peel it there's a flat bit at the fat end - that's where there was an air pocket in the egg. As the egg gets older the air pocket grows.
So a fresh egg has a little air pocket and lies flat in a bowl of water.
A not so fresh but still perfectly good egg stands up because there is more air in the fat end of the egg
An older egg floats because there is a big air pocket in it.
I wouldn't use an egg that floats but it might still be worth cracking them individually into a dish to sniff test them.
Eggs are designed to last until mum hen has laid a whole clutch - and that might take some time. So they have a pretty long shelf life.
If you've got eggs dated 26/07 I would go ahead and enjoy them.
HTH
Lizzyb"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass...it's about learning how to dance in the rain." ~ Vivian Greene0 -
If they have been in the fridge they are probably fine. I regularly use eggs which are more than a month past their best before date, obviously using the sniff test when I crack them open. Not dead yet!Trust me - I'm NOT a doctor!0
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I NEVER keep eggs in the fridge. eggs are best used room tempurature. a bad egg smells bad and looks strange. if, when, you crack an egg it looks and smells ok then its ok to use! dont keep them in the fridge please people, eggs should be kept at room temperature not in arctic conditions!
oh and where do you find eggs in the supermarket? in the chiller? NO!!! out in the store no matter what the temperature is! thats because supermarkets KNOW not to store eggs at cold temps!0 -
Agree, don't store eggs in the fridge. We're lucky enough to have hens so I rarely buy eggs but would ignore the best before date, always use the float test. I don't break the egg to check for freshness by smell, because the stink of a bad egg is one of the most revolting scents imaginable!
One of my bantams went AWOL for two days and we found her sitting on 16 eggs, probably laid by her sisters as well, over several days. I put them all into the washing-up bowl full of cold water, one floated and was binned, three were bobbing on tiptoes, the others laid flat on the bottom and the were fine to eat.
We like hardboiled eggs and they are much easier to peel if 1 or 2 weeks old. Use very fresh eggs for soft boiling, and not too old for frying. Otherwise there's plenty of time to use them as you wish. I also freeze them - beat 3 eggs, label a small freezer bag with the date and quantity, put the empty bag into a beaker and pour the beaten eggs into it. Freeze, then next day remove the bag of frozen beaten eggs from the beaker so it can be used again, and leave the bag in the freezer. I stand it back in the beaker to defrost and use for making sponge cakes just the same as breaking 3 fresh eggs into the bowl. Good way to avoid wasting a glut of eggs!
Remember in the days before date labels, and even before fridges, people used common sense, and mostly they did ok. I guess the biggest difference is they didn't shop in bulk so there wasn't so much food in the house to keep fresh.0 -
I personally would NOT use them and OP, wouldn't recommend you did either.0
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Didn't know you could freeze raw egg like that - what a good tip, thank you twiglet98!
We get eggs from the milkman & I often don't use them before their date, sometimes as long as 3 or 4 weeks after, but never poisoned any of us!July 2024 GC £0.00/£400
NSD July 2024 /310 -
I personally would NOT use them and OP, wouldn't recommend you did either.
As someone else said why not? We are far too governed by dates and this is why there is soooooooo much food wastage in this country... ! As like many others I regularly use eggs that are well past their sell by date and just use commonsense ....0 -
What difference does it make if they are stored in the fridge or not? A genuine question, I am curious.Old-Style Enthusiast :j0
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I keep eggs in the fridge, and regularly buy them when they are reduced (often only paying 20p for a dozen free range eggs) as they are at their use by date - we get through loads in a week and out of the five of us non have ever had any problems.
never had a bad egg either, despite regularly using them when they are over 6 - 8 weeks past their stamped date.wading through the treacle of life!
debt 2016 = £21,000. debt 2021 = £0!!!!0
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