How to know when an Egg is bad

You reach into the fridge for an egg, but you have no idea how long it's been there. This happens to almost everyone.

When an egg's whites become thinner and the air pocket grows wider, its quality begins to deteriorate over time. Only when it begins to degrade due to germs or mold does an egg become "bad."

In fact, you may be able to consume your eggs for a long time to come.

It is possible to tell if eggs are excellent or terrible based on a variety of techniques. Here are a few ways to do so.

Check the Expiration Date

Checking the “sell by,” expiration or “pack date” on an egg carton can tell you if an egg is still good. But just because an egg has passed its date does not always mean it has gone bad.

However, if your eggs are passed the date printed on the carton, you may need to use another method to tell if the egg is good or bad.

Smell test

The best way to know whether an egg is bad is to smell it. A rotten egg smells when the shell is cracked open. This smell will persist even though the egg has been cooked. When an egg is old or rotting, the odor can be detected before cracking it open. Any eggs that smell bad should be thrown aside. Because this test is so reliable, it's best to smell each egg first.

Perform a Float Test

The float test is a simple technique to assess an egg's freshness. The float test does not tell if an egg is rotten, but it does indicate its age.

To perform the float test, place the egg in a large bowl of water. If the egg sinks or stays at the bottom, it is still fresh. An older egg will either stand on its end or float.

The float test works because the egg's float rises with age.

A floating egg may still be safe to eat. The egg can be cracked open to smell it and examined for visual signs of contamination.

Conclusion.

A lack of knowledge about how to tell when an egg has gone bad leads some people to needlessly throw away good eggs. Among the five strategies listed here, cracking an egg open, giving it a sniff and checking for discolouration is the most conclusive method of determining freshness.

Keep in mind though those eggs containing bacteria that cause food-borne illness, such as Salmonella, may look and smell completely normal.

So don’t forget that even if an egg passes these tests, it’s important to fully cook it to a safe temperature before you eat it.