Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Testing the freshness of an egg
• Method 2 of 3: Recognize a rotten egg
• Method 3 of 3: Using dates and times
• Warnings

Do you know that? You are busy baking or cooking when you see that your eggs have already passed their expiration date. Or maybe you have a container of eggs that don't have an expiration date and you're not sure if you should throw them away. Fortunately, you can easily spot a spoiled egg. This article will show you how to find out if your eggs are good or bad and give you some tricks to determine their freshness.

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Method 1 of 3: Testing the freshness of an egg

1. Place the egg in a bowl or a tall glass of cold water to see if it floats. Eggs have a small part that is filled with air: the air chamber. Over time, more and more air enters the egg through the porous eggshell. The air chamber then expands, so that the egg floats better.
   • If the egg is on its side in the bottom of the bowl, it is very fresh.
   • If the egg is upright on one side but still touching the bottom, the egg is past its peak but you can still safely eat it.
   • If the egg floats, it is not a fresh egg. This does not necessarily mean that the egg is spoiled or that it is unsafe to eat. Test the egg by breaking it open and smelling it or looking for evidence that it has gone bad.
2. Hold the egg to your ear and shake it. See if you hear it sloshing. As the egg ages and moisture and carbon dioxide escape through the shell, the yolk and egg white dry out and shrink. The air chamber in the egg also expands. A larger air chamber gives the egg more room to move in the shell, so you hear a sloshing sound.
   • A fresh egg should make little or no noise when you shake it.
   • A sloshing sound only means it is an old egg. It does not mean that the egg has gone bad and you can no longer eat it safely.
3. Break the egg open on a plate or in a large bowl and look at the quality of the yolk and the white. As the egg ages, the structure will weaken. An old egg will therefore not hold as well as a fresh egg. Check if the egg on the plate is sprouting very much, or if it remains relatively compact. An egg that hatches or that appears to be slightly watery has a thinner protein and is already past its peak.
   • If the yolk is flat and falls apart easily, it is an old egg.
   • If the yolk moves back and forth easily, it means that the strands of sprinkles (the thicker bands of egg white that hold the yolk in place) are weakened and the egg is a bit older.
   • Look at the color of the egg white. Cloudy egg white indicates a very fresh egg. If the egg white is bright white, it means that it is an older egg that is probably still edible.

Method 2 of 3: Recognize a rotten egg

1. Break open the egg and see if it smells bad. This is the best indication that it is a spoiled egg. A rotten egg gives off a pungent, foul odor when you break it open. You will immediately notice the sulfur-like odor when you break open the egg (and maybe even before that), and you should throw the egg away.
   • A rotten egg will smell bad, whether raw or cooked.
2. Break the egg into a small bowl and observe the color. The color of the egg yolk depends on the food that the hen that laid the egg has eaten. The yolk's yellow or orange hue has nothing to do with how fresh the egg is. Instead, look at the protein or albumin. If it is pink, green or multicolored, then the egg is infected with Pseudomonas bacteria and you cannot safely eat it. If you see black or green dots in the interior of the egg, then it is contaminated with mold and you should throw it away.
   • If there is a green ring around the yolk of a hard-boiled egg, it means the egg has been overcooked or cooked in water that contains a lot of iron. You can safely eat the egg.
   • If there is a blood stain or a flesh-colored spot on the egg, you can still safely eat it. It does not mean the egg is contaminated or rotten. Blood stains occur when a blood vessel ruptures during egg formation. This has nothing to do with the freshness of the egg.

Method 3 of 3: Using dates and times

1. View the sell-by date on the packaging. This date is also indicated by the letters "UVD". According to European rules, eggs may be sold to consumers up to a maximum of 21 days after the laying date. The sell-by date is seven days before the expiration date. Eggs that are kept refrigerated and have no cracks or tears should be good for at least a month after the sell-by date.
   • The sell-by date is indicated in the order of day - month - year, but the year is not mandatory in this case. The day is listed as two digits and the month as two digits, an abbreviation, or with the full name.
   • The sell-by date is the last day on which the eggs can be sold in the store. After this date, the eggs must be removed from the sale. It does not mean that the eggs are no longer good or have gone bad after this date.
2. View the expiration date on the packaging. The best before date is also indicated with "best before" or "best before". The best-before date may, according to European rules, be a maximum of 28 days after the laying date. Try to use the eggs within two weeks of the expiration date.
   • Before the expiry date, you should be able to use the eggs without any problems. The date refers to the period when the eggs are at their best, in terms of freshness, texture and taste. It is also best to use the eggs before this date as a binding or thickening agent. It does not mean that the eggs are no longer good or have gone bad after this date.
3. Look at the other information on the package to learn more about the eggs. In addition to the mandatory best-before date, the packaging also states the size of the eggs (S, M, L or XL), which type of eggs are involved (organic, free-range, free-range or cage), storage advice, the packaging date and the packing station where the eggs are packed. You can also find the quality class on the packaging. For table eggs this is always class A.
   • Look at the code stamped on the egg, for example 2 NL 45146 01. The first number indicates the chicken's habitat, for example organic or free-range. The two letters after that stand for the country of origin, in this case the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, almost only eggs are sold from their own country. The last set of numbers refers to the company where the egg comes from. If there is something wrong with an egg, you can trace the company.
   • According to European Union rules, eggs must have a packing date. Even when the eggs are sold loose and not in a marked egg carton, the consumer should be able to read this information somewhere.
4. Discard any eggs that have been refrigerated and then left out of the refrigerator for two hours or more. When you have chilled an egg in your fridge, you need to make sure that it stays the same temperature. A cold egg that ends up in a warmer environment will sweat, which can cause bacteria to grow on the outside of the egg. Because an eggshell is porous, the bacteria on the outside of the egg can get through the shell to the inside and contaminate the egg.
   • To avoid temperature fluctuations, keep your eggs in the coldest part of your fridge and not in the door. The temperature will fluctuate more quickly in the vicinity of the door when it opens and closes. This makes the eggs sweat.
   • If you buy your eggs unwashed and at room temperature, you don't have to keep them in the fridge. In many European countries, eggs are kept at room temperature. This is safe because the hens have been vaccinated against salmonella before laying their eggs.
5. Follow the Dutch packaging guidelines to determine how long you can keep your own eggs. If you have your own hens that lay eggs and are wondering how long you can use them, know that a fresh egg can be kept for at least 28 days after laying. However, it is safe to assume that your eggs will last for at least two months, and maybe even longer.
   • If you're not sure how old your fresh eggs are or you think they are over two months old, find out how to spot good and bad eggs so you can decide whether or not to use them in cooking .

Warnings

• If the eggs are eaten by people who belong to a risk group (young children or the elderly), it is best to only use eggs that are really fresh. You can usually safely use eggs for a few weeks after the expiration date, but it is good to take extra precautions when cooking for people with less immune system and only use very fresh eggs.