Do n’t be fooled by the “ best by ” date . There ’s another number on the label that can give you a better clue about if the eggs are unused .
Grant Webster
In the Test Kitchen , we go through alotof eggs to test . At home , though , we work through our cartons at a more regular clip , and consider theprice of eggslately , we want to be trusted to habituate them sagely so we do n’t pine away any of our investment . After one of our editor of late dropped more than $ 8 on a dozen at a Midwest supermarket , she came into the bureau to expect , “ do eggs expire , or is this another scenario in which it’stotally safe to eat a food past its expiration escort ? ”
Credit:Grant Webster
We hop-skip down to the Test Kitchen and called up a duo of the intellectual nourishment safe experts we have on pep pill telephone dial to serve you crack into the Sojourner Truth about how to tell if your eggs are bad . Turns out , that “ best by ” date is n’t your adept index of the age of your eggs . say on to find out what is .
Do Eggs Expire?
You get laid the practice session when you ’re shopping for eggs : launch the lid and check forcracked testis . Peek at the “ sell by ” date to ensure it has n’t already passed . If that cartonful passes those two tests — by featuring damage - free shells and being labeled with a date that ’s at least a week or two in the time to come — many shopper ( us include ) summate them to their carts .
But even if the “ sell by ” date has fall and gone , that does n’t necessarily mean an egg has gone bad . fit in to Sarah Brekke , M.S.,Better Homes & GardensTest Kitchen brand managing director , “ it ’s often safe to consume eggs past their expiration date . The date on the carton is often a ‘ trade by ’ or ‘ respectable by ’ date , not an ‘ expiration date . ’ ”
As long as you misrepresent eggs to theirsafe recommended temperature , they should be utterly safe to revel for up to 3 to 5 weeks after purchase — yes , even if the date on the cartonful falls within that fourth dimension frame — theUSDAconfirms . ( This persuasion is echoed by theEgg Safety Center of the American Egg Board . )
What ’s so especial about that 5 - hebdomad mark ? First of all , the longer you store an egg , the higher the chance it might break up or be expose to wide variations in temperature ; two agent that can speed up spoilage and mayhap increase the risk of bacterial contamination .
The second reason why time is of the kernel boils down to a rare , but potential , nutrient safetyissue . About3 in 10,000 eggs are lay withSalmonella . This is a case of bacteria that , if consumed , can lead to an contagion in the intestinal tract .
Salmonellalives in the egg snowy , and natural preservative in egg whites will stop the bacteria from multiplying , explains Donald Schaffner , Ph.D. , a distinguished professor of nutrient microbiology and prolongation specialist at Rutgers University in New Brunswick , New Jersey . But over time , a tissue layer that separates the yolk from the balance of the testis begins to break down . Once it disintegrates enough , “ any potentialSalmonellain the white can move to the yolk where there are no inhibitor and they can start to get , ” Dr. Schaffner tellsBHG . “ As theSalmonellaconcentration increases , the food safety endangerment increases . ”
high-pitched memory board temperature promotes a dissipated breakdown of the yolk membraneandallows for more rapid bacterial growth , he adds . Salmonellawill not grow atproper refrigeration temperatures(40 ° F or below ) even if the yolk membrane has broken down and theSalmonellagets into the egg yolk .
So again , as long as you ’re refrigerating your eggs and cook them to a safe temporary worker , the food safety risk of exposure with feed eggs is very rare . This is even if your carton does contain one of those rarefied eggs contaminated withSalmonella . Still , to be on the safe side — and to have an easier time separating egg and the best flavor no matter how you cook your eggs — it ’s good to eat your ballock within 5 weeks of the wadding particular date and during about a 3 - calendar week windowpane after you bribe them , according to theAmerican Egg Board .
Egg Label Lingo, Decoded
Dr. Schaffner and Brekke take the air us through what we can acquire by simply calculate at the numbers stamped on the side of the ball carton .
Since the sell by and respectable by date ’s frequently err on the bourgeois side , the experts we mouth to confirmthe most helpful issue to take note on an testis cartonful is actually the Julian or pack engagement . Do the math to reckon out the date the eggs were pack and add 5 weeks . Mark that as the date to aim to love your eggs before .
How to Tell if Your Eggs Have Gone Bad
Besides referring to the dates on the carton , Brekke say that the following tests can help you pinpoint an egg that might be spoiled .
How to Store Eggs to Max Out Their Shelf Life
Do not set about tofreeze whole eggs , “ because the case may crack , ” Dr. Schaffner confirms .
