Are Your Eggs Fresh? Here’s How to Test Your Eggs for Freshness

Kelli Foster
Kelli FosterSenior Contributing Food Editor
Kelli is a Senior Contributing Food Editor for Kitchn. She's a graduate of the French Culinary Institute and author of the cookbooks, Plant-Based Buddha Bowls, The Probiotic Kitchen, Buddha Bowls, and Everyday Freekeh Meals. She lives in New Jersey.
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updated Aug 15, 2022
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Have a carton of eggs with an expiration date that’s already passed? Wait! Don’t toss them just yet. Even though the use-by date on the side of the egg carton says they’ve expired, sometimes eggs stay fresh past that date.

Do you know the tried-and-true method to test if an egg is good to use? The solution is as simple as placing the egg in a glass of water.

(Image credit: Kelli Foster)

How to Test the Freshness of Eggs

  1. Place the egg in a bowl of water.
  2. If the egg lays on its side at the bottom, it is still quite fresh.
  3. If the egg stands upright on the bottom, it is still fine to eat, but should be eaten very soon, or hard-boiled.
  4. If the egg floats to the top, it’s past its prime, and not good for eating.

Why this method is accurate

Eggshells are very porous. Over time air passes through the shell into the egg, and its shelf life diminishes as more air enters the shell. Also, the more air that enters the shell, the more buoyant the egg becomes.

Have you ever tried this method for testing the freshness of your eggs? Does it work well for you?

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