Imagine a scenario where your whole (extended) family is home for a holidays and while making eggs for breakfast, you realise after breaking an egg into the bowl with other eggs that the said egg is bad. Of course all the whole bowl of eggs has to be thrown away.
There are some easy and quick ways to tell if an egg is fresh or not and they are as easy as filling a pot with water.
Water/Floating Test
Place the egg into a bowl of cold water. The water level should be about 2 times higher than the egg.
- Fresh eggs will sink to the bottom of the bowl and lie on their sides.
- Slightly older eggs (about one week) will lie on the bottom but bob slightly.
- If the egg balances on its smallest tip, with the large tip reaching for the top, it's probably close to three weeks old.
- Eggs that float at the surface are bad and should not be consumed.
All these eggs are fresh and good for eating, with the white one being the freshest. Image source
Sloshing Test
Hold the egg up to your ear. Listen for sloshing.
- If you can hear a distinct sloshing sound, it's best not to consume the egg.
- If you can't hear anything, the egg is likely fine.
Surface Test
Crack the egg on a flat surface, like a plate. Observe the yolk and egg white (albumen).
- If the yolk is slightly globe-shaped and sitting high, and the egg white is gathered closely around it, then the egg is fresh.
- If the yolk is sitting a bit lower and the egg white is transparent, but still gathered close, then the egg is a bit older, but still safe to eat.
- If the yolk is flat and the egg white is runny (almost like water), then the egg is bad.
Have you tried any of these methods before? Which of them did you know about before reading this post?
Source: WikiHow