A good friend called me a while back, wanting to know if there was some trick or something special about using home-raised eggs, as opposed to store-bought. Her neighbor would give her some of his excess every once in a while, but she wasn't impressed with their strong smell. I finally asked if she had ever done the float test.
??
This woman knows just about everything when it comes to cooking and baking, and
she'd never heard of such a thing. So I explained it to her, and she
conducted her test as we chatted on the phone. The eggs from the
neighbor, who was so generous as to share his bounty, were floating.
To conduct your own float test, place the eggs in a bowl of cool water, with
enough water to cover the eggs by about two inches. If they sink, they're
good. If they stand on end, they are probably still good. Eat them
very soon. If they float, they're bad. Treat as if you are handling
an extremely fragile container of hazardous waste.
The above is from an article I wrote five years ago and re-posted once. Further research today sheds a lot more light on the issue and may help prevent needless waste—even if the eggs are floaters!
As noted above, a fresh egg will sink and rest on its side. A less fresh egg will stand upright on the bottom of the bowl. It’s still good, but you should use it soon. An egg that starts to float up slightly is past peak freshness but is probably ok to eat. Do the sniff test (see below). And here’s the new info from the USDA: An egg that floats may be perfectly safe to consume. Intrigued? Scared? I understand. Here’s what the USDA says:
An egg can float in water when its air cell has enlarged sufficiently to keep it buoyant. This means the egg is of poor quality, but it may be perfectly safe to use. Crack the egg into a bowl and examine it for an off-odor or unusual appearance before deciding to use or discard it. A spoiled egg will have an unpleasant odor when you break open the shell, either when raw or cooked.[1]
I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume most of us can identify an off-odor in eggs. But just in case, here’s the sniff test:
Sniff. Does it smell bad? If yes, throw it out. If not, proceed to the next test.
Examine the white. Fresh eggs have thick whites. Older eggs have runny whites. They aren’t necessarily unsafe to eat.
Check the yolk. Fresh eggs have round, domed yolks. They look plump. If the yolks look flat, they are probably older.
Now, what should be done with older eggs? The USDA says they may still be perfectly safe to eat. We are entering uncertain times and may be reluctant to throw away this liquid gold if we don’t have to. How can we safely use these eggs?
Older eggs are ideal for making meringue. They actually whip up better than fresh eggs! Another solution is to hard boil the eggs to get another week of life out of them. And finally, the dogs will happily eat them, cooked or raw.
Do not use older eggs to make mayonnaise. Likewise, don’t use them to make cookie dough or cake batter, or anything else you or family members may be tempted to eat raw.
Links to related posts:
[1] https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/eggs/shell-eggs-farm-table (accessed 17 February 2025).
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