If you ever crack open an egg and smell a putrid smell, something that smells like death itself, throw it out immediately. Our goal is to teach you how to tell if an egg is bad, so you don’t have to experience this horrible moment.
The egg float test is the easiest method you can use to determine if it’s is safe to eat. Placing your egg in a glass of water will uncover it’s freshness. Albeit, visual and smell detection is the most accurate determining method.
This article will help ease your mind in determining if your eggs are safe to eat, so you can go ahead and enjoy your breakfast.
What is the Egg Float Test
Can you really determine if an egg is good or bad by floating it in water? The answer is might surprise you.
The egg float test allows you to determine if an egg is safe for consumption by floating it in water. If the egg sinks and lays on its side, it’s safe to eat; if the egg floats near the top, it’s unsafe for consumption.
How Does the Egg Float Test Work?
The egg test is a simple test that works by dropping an egg easily in a glass of water and give the egg enough time to settle in its final position. The position of the egg will determine the freshness of the egg.
- Grab a big enough glass that your egg can fit inside of.
- Fill the glass with water.
- Examine the egg to make sure it doesn’t have any cracks.
- Easily drop the egg in the glass of water.
- Give the egg a moment to reach the bottom.
An egg that sinks and lays on it’s side it’s safe to consume.
If the egg stands straight up but is still at the bottom it’s older, but is still safe to consume.
If your egg floats the egg is much older, you should examine the egg more closely before making your choice of whether or not to consume the egg.
Can you rely on the egg float test? I and my wife have used this method for many years. It works for us. However, if you try the egg float test method and your eggs float, it’s not a true indication that the egg is bad. It simply means that the egg is old.
I recommend cracking open the egg and observe the egg’s appearance and smell. This is a much better indication if an egg is safe to eat.
How Long Do Eggs Last
A common question we hear is “How long do eggs last?”. The answer you need will depend on what you are referring too, if you are talking about consumption you’ll get one answer, and if you are talking about incubation you will get another. I will answer both questions for you below.
How Long Do Eggs Last for Consumption? Eggs will last up to five weeks for their peak of freshness. After this amount of time the egg starts to lose its freshness. You should never eat a spoiled egg as it can lead to food poisoning.
Nobody wants to eat a bad egg, and the length of the age of an egg correlates whether it’s safe to eat or not. If you are unsure about whether or not your eggs are safe to eat will give you some tips and tricks in determining if you can eat them or not.
How Long Do Eggs Last for Incubation? It’s recommended to start incubating your eggs no more than ten days after they are laid. It’s best to start incubating before seven days to increase the viability of the eggs.
Can You Eat Eggs After Best by Date
A big myth is you can’t eat eggs after the best by date. There are millions of eggs wasted a year because of a lack of knowledge and understanding that the best by date is a point of reference for freshness and not that the eggs have reached their expiration date.
Yes, you cane eat eggs after the best by date. The best by date is simply a reference for the peak of freshness. If you are concerned about whether or not an egg is fit for consumption, you can use a few simple tests to determine if it’s safe to consume.
Use your best judgment when it comes to what you consume. If you are worried that your eggs that expired yesterday will make you sick, don’t just throw them away. Boil them up and feed them to your animals. It’s a great source of protein and will significantly reduce the amount of waste generated by doing such a thing. However, don’t feed your animals eggs that are significantly older without testing the first.
If you want to live your life on the dangerous side, you can use a few of these tips to determine if your egg is worth eating, or needs to be tossed. Chances are you have been throwing away perfectly edible eggs.
How to Tell If an Egg is Bad
If you are worried about eating a bad egg you are not alone. You should never consume eggs that have spoiled, it can cause many uncomfortable problems that you will later regret.
There are a few methods you can use to determine if an egg is bad, one of the most common methods is the egg float test, the other methods are visual and smell detection.
The most common methods to test if an egg is bad or not are:
- Egg Float Test
- Visual Inspection
- Smell Detection
Those three methods are the tried and true methods of determining if an egg is good to eat. I will explain how to use them below so you can start testing your eggs.
What Does a Bad Egg Smell Like
If you have never had the privilege of smelling a bad egg, oh joy, are you in for a treat. It’s one of the vilest smells that you can have within your kitchen, and my wife said it’s even more rank than me (lol).
A bad egg will smell like sulfur. It is one of the most pungent smells that is easily recognizable. If you smell sulfur, do not eat the egg. Throw it away.
If you are not sure what sulfur smells like if you have ever smelled propane or natural gas that is the smell of a rotten egg.
The smell of a rotten egg can for sure clear the room, you will have no issues in determining if an egg is bad just by the smell.
What Does A Bad Egg Look Like?
How can you tell an egg is bad by the way it looks? There are tell-tell signs of when an egg is bad by visually inspecting it. Be careful, visually inspecting an egg might not be for everyone, especially if you have a week stomach. Also, a genuinely rotten egg can explode. So fingers crossed that doesn’t happen.
A bad egg will have its egg white/albumen be less present, the egg yolk will not hold together as it will start to break down and become watery. You may be able to see discoloration and mold spots within the egg.
If the egg is really bad it will be various shades of black and green.
Some badly rotten eggs can even weep through the shell. A rotten egg weeping looks like little beads of moisture coming through the eggs.
What Does a Bad Egg Taste Like
First, I hope you are not crazy enough to cook a bad egg in the first place. However, I understand that forgetting about a cooked egg and consuming it is very possible. It might not be your fault, you may be invited to a cookout where there are deviled eggs and you just don’t know.
The honest answer is it depends. Eating a cooked egg that has gone bad might not taste like anything out of the ordinary.
What Happens if You Eat Bad Eggs
If you have never ate a bad egg consider yourself lucky. The amount of discomfort it can cause is truly gut wrenching, no pun intended.
Eating a bad egg can lead to food poisoning caused by salmonella. Common side effects are vomiting, fever, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. These side effects will appear within 12-72 hours after eating the infected food.
I hope that you never have to experience food poisoning. It’s an unimaginable sickness that takes you going throw it to understand.
In summary
Millions of eggs are wasted every year because of a lack of understanding that eggs are edible way beyond their best by date.
It’s important to stop wasting perfectly good eggs not only for our environment but for our wallets as well.
Help stop the waste!
We can easily do this by understanding how to tell if an egg is bad or not. It will take just a bit of time in determining if your eggs are edible.
The float test is the easiest way to determine if you can eat your eggs or not.
The visual and smell test are the most accurate way to determine if your eggs are edible.
If you have more questions about eggs check out the USDA website or submit your question to us at hello(a)ohcluck.com we’ll be happy to answer your questions.
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