Eggs are a nutritious and tasty staple around the world. But while they are a healthy and affordable meal for many, the question remains: can you eat expired eggs?
If you leave a carton in the fridge or on your counter for a few weeks, you may be wondering whether or not your eggs have gone bad. It is true that keeping them in the refrigerator helps prolong the expiration date, but how do you know if the ovules are expired?
There are a few ways to tell if your eggs are expired. Here are some of the tell-tale signs:
A bad smell. If you find a sulfuric odor coming from your eggs, avoid eating them.
Look at the expiration date. Anything after a month should probably be thrown away.
Take a close look at your egg. If it’s cracked, slimy, or has dust residue on it, bacteria are high and you shouldn’t eat it.
Shake your egg. If it looks like a lot of liquid is spilling, your egg may not be the freshest. Still, this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s broken.
Ultimately, the only truly foolproof way to tell if you can safely eat expired eggs is to open one and check to see if it’s bad. Of course, if it ends up spoiling, you should not eat it. Salmonella and other bacteria can cause foodborne illness with some serious effects.
But since the packing dates and storage methods surrounding eggs are so ambiguous, eggs that are technically “expired” might not actually be rotten or contaminated with bacteria.
How long do eggs last?
Eggs can last 3-5 weeks in the fridge and have a longer shelf life than other perishable proteins like milk or meats. Still, you don’t always know how long your eggs have been on a shelf at the grocery store and how much longer they have on them.
Tip to prolong the freshness of your eggs
Put them in the fridge when you get home; higher temperatures can cause them to spoil faster.
Check Dates – Some labels may have an expiration date, which is more of a vague suggestion, while others have an expiration date. You can also look up a packing date, which will let you know how much time you have left.
3. If you are unsure of the date, even if the eggs are not spoiled, cook them to a minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit, which will help prevent foodborne illness.
4. Don’t wash your eggs. Many people think that washing eggs can help remove bacteria, but in fact, it does the opposite: once the egg is washed, it is more likely to transfer bacteria from the outside of the shell to the inside.
5. Take the water test. Fill a bowl with cold water and place the egg inside; if it sinks, your egg is safe. If it floats, it may be past its time.
6. Do the candling test. Using a dark room and a small, focused light source, you can do this test. Hold your light source towards the egg and tilt it from left to right, which will reveal the contents of the egg. If you see a large air bag, it may be bad.
What to do if you ate an expired egg
You can see the signs of an egg-based food illness in symptoms like nausea, vomiting, headaches, and cramps. For a healthy person, you should be fine in a few days, but the very young, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems should seek medical attention.
If you ate moldy eggs, you may get a rash, runny nose, itchy skin, or wheezing. Be sure to hydrate with water, ginger ale, and sports drinks that can help replenish your electrolytes.
Who should avoid expired eggs?
Anyone who is immunocompromised, younger children, and the elderly are at increased risk of contracting Salmonella and other foodborne illnesses. If you are at higher risk, consider purchasing pasteurized eggs. Pasteurized eggs are heated in warm water that kills bacteria on the outside of the shell without cooking the egg on the inside. These eggs are also safer to use in recipes that call for raw eggs, such as hollandaise sauce or caesar dressing.
Ultimately, you have to go with your gut and if something tastes or smells bad, it’s best to throw away the cardboard. But one of the reasons we love eggs is that they last a long time, so if they’ve been in there for a couple of weeks, don’t worry!
