Will Eggs Go Bad? How Long Can You Keep It?

Eggs, like any other fresh food, do go bad. While they will remain fresher for longer when kept in colder storage and other factors may change just how long eggs will remain good.

• Bacteria can begin to grow in raw eggs when left in temperatures of over 40 degrees Fahrenheit. You should not consume eggs that have been left out in these temperatures for more than two hours.

• Eggs will typically remain fresh for up to four weeks after the expiration or sell by date listed on the carton. To ensure they stay fresh for this time period, you want to keep your eggs stored in the main part of the refrigerator and keep them in the cartoon they were bought in. If you store your eggs on the door in your refrigerator, you want to make sure there is no mold growing as the door tends to be warmer and the eggs will not stay fresh for as long when stored in the main body of the fridge.

• If you are only using the egg whites or egg yolks, you can easily store the unused part of the egg uncooked in the freezer for up to a year.  

  If freezing the whole egg you want to pierce the yolk lightly and mix a half a teaspoon of salt if you plan to use it for main dishes. If using the raw eggs later for baking, add a tablespoon of sugar. Keep the raw egg in an airtight container with a cover or a freezer bag.

• If you have already cracked the egg out of the shell and do not use it right away, it can be stored in the fridge. Do eggs go bad out of their shell? Cracked eggs do not last nearly as long as eggs that are still in the shell. While whole raw eggs out of their shell will last for up to four days if stored in the refrigerator, egg yolks will only last for a day or two.

While you may now know that eggs can last for quite sometime when left in the shell, how exactly can you tell if your eggs are still fresh? If you are unsure how long your eggs have been sitting in the fridge, here is how you can tell if you should throw them or cook them.

Firstly, to make it clear, you don't need to throw your egg out as soon as the sell by date or expiration date on the carton arrives. The sell by date refers to when the store can offer the eggs up for sale and does not indicate that the eggs are no longer fresh. An expiration date on the cartoon does refer to the date that the eggs will be at their freshest, but again does not mean they are unable to be consumed after this date. Do eggs go bad after the expiration date? While you can still use your eggs after the sell by or expiration date, you might also want to consider using another method to determine if your eggs are still fresh.

Smell

One of the most commonly used methods to tell whether the eggs are still good in your refrigerator is to give them a sniff. Eggs that are no longer fresh will have a distinguishable smell. You should be able to smell this while the egg is still in its shell, but if you are still unsure, you can crack it. Be sure to use a clean plate and crack the egg on the plate and smell it to determine if it is still good.

See it

You can look at egg to see if they are still good as well. Eggs that are still in the shell should not have any cracks to the shell and should not be slimy or have powdery feeling. Crack or a slimy texture tends to indicate that bacteria is growing in the egg and a powdery feeling can be the result of mold. When you go to use the egg, it should be cracked open and should look clean. It should not have any discoloration and the eggs whites should not be too runny.

Float test

Another popular way to determine if your eggs are still good is with a float test. Simply fill a bowl, pot or bucket with water and gently place the eggs in the water. If the egg stays at the bottom of the container, then the eggs are still fresh. Do eggs go bad if they float when performing this test? Well, if the egg floats instead, the egg is not as fresh because as the egg ages, the air pockets inside the egg grow, causing water to replace the air that used to be inside it. But, just because the egg does float, it doesn't mean you can't eat it.

The candle test

Candling is a test that is used prior to the packaging of the eggs to ensure the eggs being package are meeting the proper grading. This testing can also be done in your home. You will need to do this test in a dark room and have a bright light source on hand. This was used to be done with a candle which is where the name originates from, but a small bright flashlight can be better to use. Turn the flashlight on and hold it up to the side of the egg that is larger. Tilt the egg and quickly turn it from right to left, you should see the insides of the egg illuminated. You should notice the air cell - fresh eggs will have a thin air cell that is around an eighth of an inch. Also, notice how the content of the egg moves. If there is not much movement in the egg, then this is a good indication that the egg is fresh.