Eggs and use by date

I have always kept eggs in a cool larder but read the other day that they should be kept in the fridge. We get so many contradictory pieces of advice. It all just adds to the confusion.

In countries where protein is in short supply you go to the market with a tall jug of water. Fresh eggs sink to the bottom, rotten ones float. Anything in between it is up to you but once you break them you will know for sure!
When I have loads of eggs I make frittata. Tonight it is butternut squash, sweet potato, onion and colourful sweet pepper frittata with a side salad. Mmmmm yummy!

You can freeze eggs, as long as you freeze the yolks and the whites separately. Then join them up again for making omelettes, baking or Yorkshire pudding

Kept mine for over a week took the advice of the chef James Martin, don’t keep them in a fridge, I keep them in a basket on the kitchen worktop.

We store ours at room temperature too. I don't even bother to check the best before dates. If it looks right and smells right, I use it.

I'm with the float/sink, crack and smell brigade, though if the white is totally runny I think twice about using them.

"Fresh from the hen" eggs don't boil very well-- the whites go milky. Did you hear on the radio today that the Co-op is going to sell food that is past its best-before date, such as tins and pasta , for 10p an item? Brilliant idea. Their slogan is "Don't be a binner, have it for dinner".

ps if they are off you will hardly need to sniff them it will knock you out!

I find they are fine weeks after date on box, break individually a quick sniff and get cooking.

Eggs in my experience don't go off. I have never had a bad one. I do store them in the fridge, contrary to the advice of others, but not the very cold Champagne and wine fridge.

I agree with you grandMattie - I have a pot of cream that is past the date on the lid, but if it smells OK and looks OK (I do taste a tiny bit first) I'm still eating it on my mince pie!

Eggs if refrigerated can keep a long time after date on box. Break individually, sniff and if smell ok I would use them. If not sure about smell then ditch. I have used eggs 2 weeks over date on box and perfectly fine.

Agree with everyone. I use quite old eggs - eyesight isn't good enough to read the date - if they smell OK, they are OK to eat.
The "use by" and "Best Before" dates are a load of tosh, IMHO. Surely, people have the nous to see, smell, or taste if things are off?
I gave DGS some chorizo the other day with had a BBE date of 16 November. DH was appalled, I replied that the clue was in the name "preserved meat", DGS was happy to eat it, so he did!

I bought a chicken shaped egg basket to put on my worktop, but then a friend put me off it because she said she used to keep her eggs in one but they went off quickly, so I still keep mine in the fridge!

You're right, Craftycat, the shells are brilliant preservatives. Keep eggs in a cool place but not in the fridge. When my hens went in to overdrive, I used eggs more than a month old. The whites go a little bit runny but are great for baking. We're all getting so precious about sell/use by dates...use your nose!

according to my chef guy (he knows all about elf and safety where food and kitchens are concerned) eggs will still be ok after two months. but don't store them in the fridge.

Eggs last for ages after the date given on the box - but best not to try and use the whites for meringues on old eggs because they are less likely to whip up well.

When presented with a glut I do the crack and sniff then put three liquid eggs at a time in polybags, remove all the air, seal and freeze them. They are fine for cakes.

Our chickens got very good at hiding eggs a few years back & when I found them I no clue how old they were. I used the sniff test but never actually found a bad one. I think the egg shell is a brilliant preservative.

I have never even looked at use by dates on eggs - but I do not eat them! I do cook with them though. I apply the sniff test - if they smell OK then that is fine.

Don't the Chinese bury their eggs for 100 years or something like that?!

I always float them - if they settle on their sides at the bottom they're fine; if they settle on their ends at the bottom, they're still OK, but use them promptly; if they rise to the top discard them!

Just looked at the egg box in the kitchen. Best Before 24 Nov. Scrambled eggs for lunch then! But it is Best Before - not Use By. So they just deteriorate after that day I suppose.

Oopps! It hadn't occurred to me there was a sell by/use by date on eggs! I've never looked! How long do they supposedly keep? Our butcher has erratic supplies of duck eggs and I do prefer to use them first. I feel sure that we've had hens eggs sat on the side (not in the fridge) for weeks sometimes - especially in summer as we often go away for a few days to DDs and leave them there.

Having been brought up with hens kept for eggs to sell, we usually had the older ones so I always automatically crack them into a cup to check they're ok before using.

Wasn't there something years ago about not using an egg before it was three days old? Apparently it was very bad for you - but can't remember why.

Always crack eggs, one at a time, into a small dish before adding them to a cake, the pan or the other eggs. You’ll soon know if they’re ‘off’ your nose will tell you that.

Nature designs the eggs to keep.

I use eggs weeks and weeks after sell by in fact I should think I rarely use them in sell by I never look never have a bad one that I can remember and yes I store in the fridge ( not enough room on the worktops