Eggs expired? Until then, you can still eat them!

Have you ever wondered while making breakfast if you can still eat expired eggs? Here is the answer!

I've often stood in front of the oven with an expired egg in my hand, pondering whether I can still use it for my cake.

Maybe this has happened to you? You're craving an egg dish, but your eggs are all expired. Do you have to throw them away now? Are they really bad and how can you find out?

We will now show you how to recognize expired eggs, until when you can still prepare them and when eggs taste best of all.

What does the best-before date say about expired eggs?

Freshness is an important quality characteristic for eggs, as it is for many other foods.

So that you as a consumer know how long your eggs are edible, they are marked with a best-before date (MHD).

You can see the date on almost every egg carton and directly on the eggs themselves.

The best before date for eggs is determined as follows: Laying day of the egg plus 28 days. This period is required by law.

As the name suggests, the best-before date indicates the time by which the eggs must be at least are durable. Here you have to pay close attention. The MDH does not give the expiration date of the eggs.

Many foods are still edible after the expiration date. Whether this is also the case with expired eggs, you will find out in a moment.

How many eggs can you eat per day?

How to check if expired eggs are still edible

In today's society, it is almost normal to dispose of food when the best-before date has passed. However, most products have a much longer shelf life than it says on the packaging.

We declare war on senseless waste.

If your eggs have expired and exceeded the best before date, you should heat them before eating. You can use them for cooking or baking.

Expired eggs don't have to be bad. For this reason, you should definitely check whether your expired eggs are still edible. This way you can avoid throwing away food unnecessarily or prevent the consumption of eggs that are actually spoiled.

There are four easy ways you can test if your eggs have expired.

The Impact Test: Trust Your Senses

Just crack the egg on a plate and smell it. An expired egg smells strongly of fish and rotten, a fresh egg smells neutral.

So you can dye eggs with natural ingredients!

The swim test: send the possibly expired egg for a swim

In the water test, you place the egg (complete and unopened) in a bowl of water.

If your egg sinks to the bottom, you can eat it without any problems.

If the egg on the bottom of the bowl is just standing up, you should cook it as soon as possible. We recommend that you eat the egg heated.
If it floats on the surface of the water, your egg has expired and really belongs in the trash.

The float test is a very informative method to detect the freshness of eggs.

Sidefact: Why does the egg float on the water surface? The older your egg is, the more water evaporates through the eggshell. The empty space inside the egg fills with air, causing it to rise to the top of the water shell. So if it eventually floats to the surface, the egg has expired.

The shake test: scrambled eggs with a difference

Shake it, shake it. You know this more from shakes and cocktails, but the shake test can tell you a lot about the condition of eggs.
Take an egg and shake it next to your ear.

If the egg is still fresh, you shouldn't hear anything.

When the egg has expired, you will hear a sloshing or gurgling sound. The sounds come from the yolk being shaken through the interior of the egg.

The light test: Bring light to the inside of the ice

The eggshell of fresh eggs is still very translucent.

If you hold the egg against a lamp and can see the yolk through the shell, the egg is probably not yet bad and fresh.

What do yolk color and runny egg white tell us about expired eggs?

Let me paint you a picture of the perfect and fresh egg:

When you crack the egg, the radiant, slightly domed yolk is in the center of the thick egg white.

You can already guess that the yolk color and the egg white also indicate whether an egg has expired or not.

If you want to test the shelf life based on the yolk and the egg white, you need to crack the egg very carefully on a straight surface.
If the yolk floats, in the middle, your egg is fresh.

With expired eggs, the yolk would slip to the edge or even run out completely. Older eggs have much more liquid egg white and thus can no longer hold the yolk.

You can use up a lot of eggs with these yummy eggs!

How to store eggs optimally and extend shelf life

To avoid having to deal with expired eggs in the first place, we're going to tell you how to store your eggs properly. Eggs MUST be stored in the refrigerator to prevent them from expiring is just a myth.

You can keep the eggs unrefrigerated for the first 18 to 20 days. During this period, the eggs can protect themselves against germs and pathogens through natural defenses.

However, the storage place should be dark and, of course, safe. Such an egg is quickly broken. I feel every weekend one falls from the counter. The egg carton is perfect as a storage place.

The temperature should also be constant. Too large fluctuations reduce the natural protection against pathogens and reduce the shelf life. The eggs would then expire more quickly.

From the end of the second or from the third week, you should store eggs as cold as possible. If you put them in your refrigerator, you can extend the shelf life by two to four weeks beyond the best before date.

In the refrigerator, you should make sure that the eggs do not come into contact with foreign odors or tastes. Through the pores of the shell they absorb them very easily. I always store my eggs in the carton in the refrigerator.

There are egg compartments in the door, but most of the time the egg carton doesn't even fit in there. Besides, the eggs are always exposed to a temperature difference when you open the refrigerator door.

During the hot season, you should put eggs in the refrigerator right after you buy them so they don't drain.

The eggs are really bad? Use applesauce instead!

When do eggs taste best? Can expired eggs also taste good?

Expired eggs are one thing, but when do they actually taste best?

On some days the breakfast egg simply tastes better than on theirs? Or the egg whites are easier to whip? There's a reason for that!

Eggs usually taste best after three to four days. They then have developed their full flavor and the best usability.

I have noticed that I can make very good beaten egg whites with three day old eggs. These young chicken eggs are also super good for lost eggs or poaching!

For boiled eggs, you should use slightly older specimens. If they have been in their egg carton a little longer, air can get between the shell and the shell membrane. The air will make the shell much easier to peel off and not stick to the egg.

Expired eggs: Here they are a no-go

There are dishes for which you should never use expired eggs. Often these are raw dishes such as tiramisu and mayonnaise or drinks. Here you should take freshly laid eggs.

If you don't have fresh eggs at hand, you can also use older ones. But after 18 days of storage time is the end. Otherwise you run a great risk of poisoning yourself by germs or bacteria.

Once the MDH is exceeded and the eggs have expired, you should only use them for baking or cooking. It is important that the eggs are heated.

The inspection of the eggs is mandatory before processing, once the MDH has expired.

Our conclusion

When eggs are expired, they are not immediately spoiled. You can still use them in many ways. The only important thing is that you check the freshness of the eggs. You can choose whether to bathe them or use your sense of smell.

For a delicious cake or boiled eggs for breakfast, you may be able to use expired eggs for a few days after the MDH has passed.

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