Do you have eggs in the refrigerator and you can’t determine how edible they are now? Knowing how to check whether an egg is rotten or not, you can find spoiled eggs without breaking the shell. There are several ways to do this.

Check by appearance

Fresh and rotten eggs differ in appearance. In fresh specimens, the shell is smooth and slightly shiny in the light. For those that have had time to lie down, the shell becomes matte and a little rough to the touch. And if it becomes stained and becomes a little soft, then the egg cannot be used - it is definitely rotten.

Checking with an ovoscope or a regular lamp

Pick up an egg and look through it at any source of bright light. Fresh whites shine through perfectly, and the yolk is located in the center. After a week or two, the white will still show through, but there will be small dark areas visible. Rotten eggs will not show through.

Hearing test

If you have keen hearing, then bring the egg to your ear and shake it. Inside a fresh specimen, no particular shaking is felt, but something that has been sitting thoroughly will gurgle a little, and its contents will actively move when shaken. The harder the contents hit the shell, the more likely it is to become rotten.

Smell test

Rinse the egg with water and smell it. Hydrogen sulfide, released by spoiled contents, gradually corrodes the egg membrane and penetrates the shell. With a well-developed sense of smell, this smell can be detected.

Water test

Fill a saucepan with cold water. Dip the eggs one at a time into the water and see what happens to them. The most recent, 2- or 3-day-old specimens will simply settle to the bottom. Those that are already about a week old will also first lie at the bottom, then begin to move up and sink down again. After 2-3 weeks of storage, the eggs will sink to the bottom only with the sharp tip and will balance on it. This means that they are no longer very fresh, but are still edible. But those specimens that remain floating on the surface can be safely thrown away - even if they are not rotten, they are still no longer suitable for food.

Visual assessment of freshness

If you are not sure about the freshness of the eggs, but for some reason do not want to check them using one of the above methods, then before starting cooking, simply break them over a separate bowl and look at the whites. You will notice a rotten copy immediately. Its characteristic smell and dark spots on the surface will not leave the slightest doubt. But the degree of freshness of an egg that has not yet spoiled will be a little more difficult to determine. To do this, look at its protein. Fresh protein will be fluffy and quite dense; it has two noticeable layers: jelly and liquid. The density of stale protein will be significantly lower; it will spread across the plate in a thin mass.

Experienced cooks recommend that before adding an egg to a dish, break it into a separate bowl to check if it is rotten. However, the smell of rotten eggs still remains and spoils the rich aroma of the kitchen cooking. It is possible to determine the freshness of eggs without breaking the shell; there are even several ways to do this.

Water test

One of the most popular tests for egg freshness is testing with water. Pour fresh, cold tap water into a saucepan that is at least as high as the length of an egg, or simply fill the sink with water. Drop the eggs one at a time and watch what happens to them:

If the eggs settle to the bottom, then they are fresh, they are no more than 2-3 days old; - if the eggs lie on the bottom, but at the same time move up and settle down again, then they are about a week old; - eggs sink to the bottom with a sharp tip and balance on it, which means they are stored for about 2-3 weeks; - if the eggs float on the surface of the water, they are very old and, most likely, have had time to rot.

This test is one of the oldest; it was first described in cookbooks of the early 18th century.

Very fresh eggs are not suitable for all dishes; for example, for hard-boiled eggs it is better to use products that are more than a week old

Listen to the eggs

Another way to identify a rotten egg requires good, sensitive hearing. Bring the egg to your ear and shake gently, listen. If there is something splashing and gurgling inside the egg, it means it is rotten. The sound of a rotten egg will be barely audible. Fresh eggs do not make any sound when shaken.

Smell the eggs

Wash the eggshells with water or a fragrance-free detergent and smell the shells. Hydrogen sulfide breaks down the egg membrane and penetrates the porous surface of the shell, which is why you can smell it from rotten eggs.

Keep an eye on the date

Eggs rot over time or when bacteria get inside through punctures or cracks through the protective membrane, so when choosing eggs, pay attention to the date and check the integrity of their shells. If you bought fresh whole eggs, you don't have to worry about them for 1-2 weeks. If you have a lot of chicken eggs and you won't have time to use them all in a few weeks, freeze them.

How to get rid of the smell of rotten eggs

If you break a rotten egg in a hurry or the test for rottenness does not produce results, then you are faced with the problem of how to get rid of the smell. Naturally, food spoiled by rotten eggs will have to be thrown away. In the kitchen, open the windows to create air circulation.

In a saucepan on the stove, put water and vinegar to boil, put 1 teaspoon of vinegar per 100 ml of water, you can also add any essential oils with a pleasant smell, especially lemon or orange essential oil. Put spices in the water - cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves. The smell of vinegar will soon disappear along with the smell of hydrogen, and the smell of spices will return coziness to your kitchen.

Eggs are a valuable food product that is used in every family. They are eaten as an independent dish or used as an additional ingredient in various recipes - soups, baked goods, cutlets. They buy them in dozens and use them gradually as needed. However, there are times when the shelf life is called into question. How to determine the freshness of eggs at home?

The freshness of a chicken egg depends on the time of production and storage conditions.

Eggs can be divided into several types.

1. Dietary - the freshest, the shelf life of which at low temperatures does not exceed 7 days.
2. Canteens - 25 days at room temperature and 90 in the refrigerator.

Boiled chicken eggs can be refrigerated for up to 14 days if they are hard-boiled. And if soft-boiled, then no more than two days. Cracked and peeled - no more than three days, and broken raw - only two days.

Easter eggs dyed with natural dyes (onion peels, vegetable juices) are stored for no more than two weeks. If painted with artificial paints, the shelf life increases by another one or two days. Colorful thermal film, which does not allow air to pass through, greatly reduces freshness, these eggs should be eaten within the next three days.

And if you keep chickens, you can safely store fresh eggs for up to 3 months, in the refrigerator, of course. When buying homemade eggs on the market, even from a trusted seller, do not store them for a long time, make allowances for the fact that they have been collected for sale for more than one day.

Most people keep eggs in the refrigerator; there is a special shelf for them on any door. But it turns out that it is not recommended to store them in this way, because the refrigerator is often opened and closed, so the food on the door is subject to temperature changes, which does not have the best effect on their freshness. But the vegetable compartment is best suited for eggs - these are closed containers with a constant temperature. The optimal mode is from +2 to +4 degrees.

Before putting eggs in the refrigerator, they should not be washed - the shelf life will be reduced to 12 days, because the protective film is washed off, the pores open, and the penetration of bacteria inside increases.

The shell has a porous structure and easily absorbs foreign odors, so place the eggs in a closed container with the pointed nose down, then the yolks will be located in the center, and nothing will interfere with the supply of oxygen to the contents. Try not to let the eggs touch each other.

Many housewives, in the old fashioned way, keep eggs outside the refrigerator, for example, in enamel pans. This storage method is possible if the temperature does not exceed 20 degrees. The eggs stay fresh for three weeks. It is recommended to wrap each one in any paper and place it with the sharp end down.

Salt is an excellent preservative. Dissolve salt in water at the rate of 1 tablespoon per liter of water, lower the eggs into it and place in a cool, dark place. In this way, eggs can be stored for up to one month.

How to tell if eggs are fresh

Determining the freshness of an egg at home is quite simple. If you have a sneaking suspicion that the egg is stale, try a few proven methods.

If the eggs industrial production, that is, they were demolished by chickens at a poultry farm, then each of them is stamped with the exact date of manufacture. This is very convenient because you can always check how fresh the egg is.

Dietary eggs are marked in red, table eggs are stamped in blue with the obligatory indication of the category:

• highest (HV) – large, reaching 75 g;
• selected (SO) – quite large, 65-74.9 g;
• first (C1) – from 55 g;
• second (C2) – from 45 g;
• third (C3) – from 35g.

Be sure to check the date of manufacture when purchasing and give preference to poultry farms in your region.

To the light

There is a special device called an ovoscope; by the way, it’s easy to make with your own hands in just 5 minutes. It shines through the eggs and determines their freshness. If the yolk is in the center, then the product is suitable for consumption. The presence of darkened areas near the white means that the testicles have been lying around for a week or two, but they can be eaten without any problems. And stale eggs are not translucent at all.

Since you most likely do not have a device, bring the egg to a light source with a power of at least 100 W and take a good look at it in the light. The following factors indicate that eggs are not fresh:

• an air gap of more than 9 mm between the shell and the protective film;
• blood ring or large clots (pinpoint blood spots are allowed).

If you have an ultraviolet lamp, a fresh egg will show a bright red color, while a spoiled egg will show a pale purple or gray color.

One of the most popular home methods is to determine the freshness of eggs in water. This method was also used by our great-great-grandmothers, who did not have a refrigerator and were not familiar with GOST standards for storing eggs.

Immerse the egg in a glass of cold water and monitor the result:

• lies on the bottom on its side - fresh, recently demolished;
• at an angle: a sharp nose at the bottom, a blunt one floating up - a week-old egg;
• stands in the middle of the glass with the blunt tip up - the egg is two to three weeks old;
• floating on the surface - rotten.

Egg shells are porous and breathable. The moisture inside evaporates over time, leaving air, which lifts the testicle upward. The “older” the egg, the higher it will rise in a glass of water.

Visual inspection

Start your inspection with the appearance of the shell; it should be rough and matte. Stale eggs have a characteristic shine and gloss. Cracks and chips are not allowed unless you yourself did not save the egg on the way home.

Fresh eggs smell like lime, but if the smell is hydrogen sulfide, the egg is rotten.

Shake the egg. Fresh food will not make sounds, but spoiled food may gurgle with its contents.

Break the egg onto a plate. The white may have a greenish or yellowish tint due to carbon dioxide, which gives the color. If the yolk is round and convex and the white holds its shape, then everything is fine. If the yolk is loose or flattened, the white is transparent and does not separate from it, then the product is edible, but the shelf life is already running out. Sometimes a broken egg has pinpoint blood spots - this is normal and not scary. If you feel uncomfortable, remove the clot.

Perhaps you have noticed protein flagella along the edges of the yolk? They are designed to hold it in the middle of the egg so that the embryo is in the warmest place. The presence of these flagella indicates freshness; over time they dissolve.

A stale egg will have an unpleasant odor, spread - the white is runny, and the yolk becomes flat.

The color of the yolk or shell does not in any way indicate the age of the bird; it depends on the bird’s food and its breed. This also does not affect the nutritional value, except that brown eggs have a stronger shell.

Eggs are the third most common food poisoning after meat and dairy products. Poisoning often occurs due to the Salmonella bacterium; the incubation period is only 72 hours, develops rapidly, and if urgent measures are not taken, death is possible. The biggest danger of infection is eating raw eggs; the bacterium “lives” on the inside of the shell under a protective film.

Recently, quail eggs have been very popular; you cannot become infected with salmonellosis from them, since when quails lay eggs, the eggs are released at a temperature of 40 degrees, and all bacteria die.

If you have allergic reactions to egg products, then you need to eat only fresh dietary eggs. The longer they are stored, the greater the likelihood of allergies.

Try not to buy dirty eggs with adhering droppings or feathers - this indicates poor hygiene in the keeping of chickens.

Conclusion

If you have any doubts, break the egg into a separate container before adding it to food, make sure there is no unpleasant odor or foreign impurities. Dirty shells should be washed first to prevent harmful bacteria from getting into the dish. If eggs are not cooked in the recipe, then use only diet eggs or freshly laid homemade ones.

Buy fresh eggs and do not use them if they are past their expiration date.

Mother of two children. I have been running a house for more than 7 years - this is my main job. I like to experiment, I constantly try different means, methods, techniques that can make our life easier, more modern, more fulfilling. I love my family.

Eggs provide many excellent health benefits and can be used to make delicious meals. With that said, there is nothing more unpleasant than opening the refrigerator and smelling that unpleasant sulfuric "aroma."

A strong odor is a sign that your eggs have gone bad. However, it is much easier to know that eggs are on the verge of expiration rather than waiting for them to spoil.

Is the expiration date on the package the only sign that your eggs have gone bad? Or can you use them after it expires?

Below you will find five methods that will make it easy to determine the freshness of eggs. So, grab a box and get ready to learn some interesting things.

Why do eggs disappear?

Eggs must be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of 2 to 5 degrees Celsius. Depending on their condition, their shelf life will vary.

• Raw whole eggs (shelled) – 4 to 5 weeks from date of packaging or within 3 weeks of purchase
• Raw whole eggs (with slightly damaged shell) – up to 2 days
• Raw egg whites – up to 4 days
• Raw egg yolks – up to 2 days
• Hard-boiled eggs (in shell) – up to 1 week
• Hard Boiled Eggs (peeled) – Use the same day for best quality.

There are also several dates that manufacturers print on packaging that are important when deciding whether to throw them away. The packing date tells the consumer when the eggs were cleaned, graded and packaged. The product must be sold within 45 days from this date. The expiration date after which the product is sometimes marked instead of the sell-by date.

Is it possible to eat eggs after the expiration date?

With meat, cottage cheese and herbs, it's quite easy to tell if they've gone bad. Since the egg is hidden in the shell, you cannot evaluate them visually or by smell. Therefore, many people throw away eggs according to the expiration date.

Even though eggs deteriorate in quality after a certain date, they can still be eaten for a few more weeks, especially if they are stored properly. Refrigerated storage preserves egg quality and prevents bacterial growth. Eggs are definitely bad if you smell something bad, but there are a few signs that can be seen a couple of days before.

How to tell if an egg has gone bad

Smell test

The smell test is the easiest way to tell if an egg has gone bad. If your eggs are past their expiration date, you can tell if they are fresh by simply smelling them.

Step 1: Smell the egg. Eggs that have spoiled have a sulfur smell that is difficult to confuse with anything else. If there is no smell, the egg can be consumed.

Step 2: If you are unsure, crack the egg onto a clean plate or bowl and smell again. If there is an unpleasant odor, discard the egg.

Step 3: Wash the bowl or plate with hot water and soap before use.

Egg in a cup method

This one-step method is a reliable way to check if your eggs have gone bad. The shell is porous and the liquid inside evaporates over time. More air in the egg causes it to float on the surface of the liquid. Fresher eggs sink and older eggs float.

Step 1: Fill a bowl with cold water and place the eggs inside. If they sink to the bottom and lie on their sides, they are fresh. If they are several weeks old, they will sink to the bottom, but their tips will remain in the water. If they float to the surface, they are no longer fresh enough to eat.

Listen to the eggs

This method is the same as above.

Step 1: Hold the egg to your ear and shake it.

Step 2: Listen. If you hear any sounds inside the egg, it has most likely gone bad. If you haven't heard anything, you can eat the egg.

Open and smell

You cracked an egg into a frying pan and noticed that it looked strange. Usually, most people continue to cook the egg, hoping that heat treatment will save them from bacteria. Here's a way to avoid this:

Step 1: Crack the egg onto a flat surface.

Step 2: Inspect the egg. If it is fresh, the yolk should be bright yellow or orange and the white should not be too runny. If the egg is old, the yolk will be paler and the white will run out quickly.

If the yolk is pale and runny, you will most likely notice an unpleasant odor. Eggs should have no odor. You may not want to fry this egg, but you can hard-boil any remaining eggs in the container.

Flashlight Test

This looks more like a fun experiment for kids than a kitchen hack, but it's worth a try. Believe it or not, a flashlight can be used to determine the freshness of an egg or to evaluate the development of chicks in a fertilized egg. Since you're probably not studying embryonic egg development if you're reading this article, use this method at home to find out if eggs have gone bad.

Step 1: Enter a dark room with a flashlight. Candles have been used in the past, but it is more practical to use a small flashlight.

Step 2: Hold the flashlight at the larger tip. Tilt the egg, quickly turning it from left to right. This will illuminate the inside of the egg.

Step 3: Examine the contents of the egg. This will allow you to see the size of the air cell. According to the University of Florida, “Fresh eggs have an air chamber thinner than 3.175 mm. As the eggs age, air replaces the liquid, which evaporates and the air pocket becomes larger.”

It is highly likely that millions of edible eggs end up in the trash every year. Lack of knowledge on how to determine the freshness of eggs leads many to simply throw them away. Of course, even if your egg passes all the tests, it needs to be thoroughly cooked before eating. Some eggs contain bacteria that cause digestive tract diseases such as salmonellosis. Salmonella bacteria may be present in eggs that look and smell normal, so it is important to cook them properly.

The article was prepared based on materials from www.littlethings.com.

Sometimes chicken eggs linger in the refrigerator for quite a long time, and it is difficult to remember how long they have been there. A week? Month? A few years? In order to protect yourself and your family from poisoning and a subsequent trip by ambulance to the hospital, you need to check the freshness and suitability of each egg before consumption. So, how to check the freshness of eggs?

First way:

Take the egg in your hand and shake it, but not too hard. If it is fresh, then there will be almost no shaking inside the shell, otherwise, that is, if the egg has been in your refrigerator for a long time, its internal contents will gurgle inside, and you will feel it.

Second way:

Also in order to check whether the egg is rotten or not, you can use plain water. Place some cool water in a saucepan, large glass, or similar and place the eggs in it. If they are fresh, they will remain at the bottom in a horizontal position. If they are in the refrigerator for a week, they will lie in the water at a slight angle. Completely stale eggs will float to the surface. This phenomenon is explained by the fact that the longer the egg lies, the more air accumulates in it (yes, yes, air even passes through the shell, eggs are not airtight). Accordingly, stale chicken eggs draw air to the surface. This process is depicted in more detail in the figure below.

Third way:

The freshness of an egg can be quite easily determined externally. The color tone of fresh eggs is even, the shell is clean and even slightly shiny. Stale eggs become dull and acquire a gray tint.