Ever Wonder About Life of Eggs in Refrigerator?

We all have stored eggs in refrigerator. In fact growing up by seeing that eggs were the item  always found inside the fridge, you’ve got a carton of eggs that’s been sitting in the back of the refrigerator for a week… or three. You have the nagging feeling you should chuck them, but you’d also hate to waste food that’s still good. Short of checking the sell-by date (which isn’t always there, BTW), how come you supposed to know what to do?

In theory, eggs are at their highest quality when used within three weeks of the carton packing date — so when in doubt, throw them out. There are, however, some other rules of thumb to go by when it comes to your huevos.

How long eggs could kept in the fridge?

Definitely look to the egg carton sell-by dates to judge freshness. The date can be no further ahead than 30 days after the packing date, stated USDA. The USDA, however, isn’t hard and fast on consuming foods by the sell-by date. They say that if the sell-by date has passed, a product should still be safe and wholesome if handled properly until the time spoilage is evident.

“Spoiled foods will develop an off odor, flavor or texture due to naturally occurring spoilage bacteria. If a food has developed such spoilage characteristics, it should not be eaten,” it says on their website.

In short, if it stinks when you crack it open or smells funky at all, don’t eat it.

How can you tell when eggs have gone bad?

Eggs are unlikely to go bad in a refrigerator setting but would dry up over time. Eggs don’t automatically go bad or spoil after a certain date.

If the eggs do not already have salmonella, then their sitting in the fridge isn’t going to make the bacteria spontaneously generate. If your eggs do contain salmonella, the number of bacteria will be quite small, because it does not grow in cold environments like a refrigerator. Proper handling and cooking will kill any bacteria present, incredibleegg.org.

An easy way to test the freshness of an egg is to place it in a bowl of water. A fresh egg will sink, and an older egg will float.

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Tip on cooking eggs

Use fresh eggs for poaching and other recipes where shape is important. Save the older eggs for scrambled eggs and other dishes made with eggs.