How to Tell If Eggs Are Good
The date stamped on an egg carton is a rough guide, not a hard deadline. Eggs can stay good for weeks past a sell-by date if stored properly, and the surest way to know is to test the egg itself rather than trust the box.
Steps
- 1Fill a bowl or glass with enough cold water to fully submerge an egg.
- 2Lower the egg gently into the water and watch how it settles.
- 3If it sinks and lies flat on its side on the bottom, it's fresh.
- 4If it sinks but stands upright or tilts at an angle on the bottom, it's still good but older, best used soon in baking or hard-boiling.
- 5If it floats to the surface, discard it. Air has built up inside the shell through its pores over time, a sign it has aged past safe use.
- 6Crack any egg that passes the float test into a separate bowl before adding it to a dish, and check the smell. Good eggs are odorless; spoiled eggs give off a distinct sulfur smell immediately.
- 7Look at the texture and color while it's in the bowl. A fresh egg has a compact, rounded yolk and a thick white that clings close to it. A watery, spread-out white is a sign of age but not necessarily spoilage.
Common mistakes
- Trusting the sell-by date alone: eggs are often still good 3-5 weeks past that date if refrigerated at a consistent temperature.
- Tossing an egg just because it stands upright in the float test: that only means it's aging, not spoiled. Only floating eggs should be discarded outright.
- Skipping the smell check after cracking: smell is more reliable than appearance, since a bad egg can still look visually normal in the shell.
- Storing eggs in the door of the fridge: door shelves see the most temperature swings, which speeds up spoilage compared to a shelf further inside.
Equipment
- Bowl or glass
- Cold water
- Separate small bowl for cracking
FAQ
Does a floating egg always mean it's spoiled?
Not always, but it means enough air has entered through the shell that spoilage is likely. Crack it into a separate bowl and check the smell before deciding, rather than assuming it's automatically bad.
How long do eggs actually last in the fridge?
Properly refrigerated eggs typically stay good for 4-5 weeks past their pack date, well beyond the sell-by date printed on most cartons.
Can you use the float test on eggs that have been left out at room temperature?
The float test still works, but eggs left unrefrigerated for more than two hours should be treated with more caution regardless of how they test, since bacteria grow faster at room temperature.
Is a pink or discolored egg white a sign of spoilage?
Yes. Pink, iridescent, or greenish tints in the white usually indicate bacterial contamination, and the egg should be discarded even if it passed the float test.
Need exact temperatures or timing? Check our Time & Temperature Guide →