Eggs – Fresh or Not?

I love eggs but don’t eat them often. In fact if I eat eggs these days they’re usually egg whites. I do however use them when baking as in the Birthday Cake recipe below.

Since the carton of eggs that I purchase may sit in my refrigerator for a while I never really know if they’re still good. So if you’re like me you might find yourself asking the question, “Are my eggs still good?”

Food poisoning is one of the worst experiences a person can go through, and it can even be lethal. Eggs can be the source of some delicious meals or desserts, but they can also be the source of food poisoning if they are eaten when they’ve gone bad. How do you tell when an egg is fresh or if it has gone bad, without cracking it open to find out? Here’s a simple method that anyone can do.

Place the egg into a bowl of cold water. The water level should be deeper than the egg.

Observe what the egg does.

Fresh eggs will sink to the bottom of the bowl and probably lie on their sides.
Slightly older eggs (about one week) will lie on the bottom but bob slightly.
If the egg balances on its smallest tip, with the large tip reaching for the top, it’s probably close to three weeks old.
Eggs that float at the surface are bad and should not be consumed, as seen in the photo above.

So next time when in doubt follow these steps and you’ll be sure to know how fresh your egg is.

Are you an egg lover? Here is a great Egg Slicerand fun Egg Timer