Apartment Therapy The Kitchn | Kitchen Tip: Testing Eggs For Freshness

Kitchen Tip: Testing Eggs For Freshness

Even though the "Use By" date on the side of the egg carton says they've expired, sometimes eggs stay fresher past that date. How can you tell their freshness level without cracking them? We have a tried and true method for doing this.

Place an egg in a bowl of water.
If the egg lies on its side at the bottom, it is very fresh.
If the egg lays upright on the bottom, it is still fine to eat, but should be eaten very soon, or hard boiled.
If the egg floats to the top, do not eat. Discard it in your compost bin.

Why this works: Eggshells are very porous, and an egg's shelf life diminishes as more air enters the shell. The more air that enters the shell, the more buoyant the egg becomes. There you go!

(Image: Utah's Own)

Comments (6)

Wow, what a great trick! Thanks!

posted by ami on March 26th 2008 at 9:11am
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Very good to know!

posted by millzee on March 26th 2008 at 9:21am
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I thought the yolks and whites shouldn't go in compost, just the shells. Incorrect? I'm new to composting so bear with me!

posted by nongsa on March 26th 2008 at 10:55am
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hm, thanks!

posted by Lady J on March 26th 2008 at 11:55am
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nongsa, the San Francisco city composting program allows dairy, meat, brown paper bags, paper towels, milk cartons, etc. to be composted. If you are composting with your own heap, edit the above to discourage pests from partying at your house!

posted by wig3000 on March 26th 2008 at 12:28pm
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I learned this trick from a Nancy Drew cookbook when I was a kid!

posted by evamae on March 27th 2008 at 11:24am
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