Eggs expired - what's the worst that can happen?

fiery

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Apr 11, 2005
Messages
349
Purraise
1
Location
Suburbia, CO
Hey all,
so I have eggs that expired about a month and a couple of days ago.. and.. I wanna boil them. I'm starving and have no car with which to get around and it's cold outside. So!

What's the worst that can happen? My boyfriend swears that eggs never go bad unless they smell, and these don't, so.. hmmmm...

if I end up with food poisoning, I'll let you know! ^_^;
 

whiteforest

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 27, 2008
Messages
1,230
Purraise
11
Location
Michigan
I've asked this question of my BIL (he's a chef). He says eggs can last a pretty long time if you're going to cook them and eat them, they just aren't good for baking/cooking unless they're fresh.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

fiery

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Apr 11, 2005
Messages
349
Purraise
1
Location
Suburbia, CO
Sweet! One person for, one person against! ^_^;
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

fiery

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Apr 11, 2005
Messages
349
Purraise
1
Location
Suburbia, CO
Thanks for the vibes! Alright.. going to go mix up some tasty mixture to dip them in.. Hopefully I don't die! Probably won't, though. I have a good immune system.. I'll take some vitamins just in case though.
 

kittkatt

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Messages
6,108
Purraise
14
Location
Online
I don't know how true this is, but someone once told me that if you stick the eggs in a pan of water and they float, throw them out!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

fiery

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Apr 11, 2005
Messages
349
Purraise
1
Location
Suburbia, CO
Well, they do float if they're older rather than new because air gets in there and, like most things with bubbles, they tend to float.

I had three and they tasted good! ^_^ Hopefully they won't taste bad a second time...
 

natalie_ca

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
21,136
Purraise
223
Location
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Originally Posted by Fiery

Hey all,
so I have eggs that expired about a month and a couple of days ago.. and.. I wanna boil them. I'm starving and have no car with which to get around and it's cold outside. So!

What's the worst that can happen? My boyfriend swears that eggs never go bad unless they smell, and these don't, so.. hmmmm...

if I end up with food poisoning, I'll let you know! ^_^;
The date you see on packages isn't an "expiry" date. It's a "best before" date, which is completely different. Just because something has reached or passed the "best before" date, doesn't mean it suddenly becomes inedible.

I called our Health Department and asked about this because the store across the street from me tends to leave things on the shelves for months after the "best before" date. IE: a crunchy cookie may take on a more soft or cake-like texture, but that doesn't make it poisonous to eat. The same with crackers. A box of Saltines will still be edible months down the line, but they may taste a bit stale and not be as crunchy, but you can still eat them.

The Health Department explained to me that the date is simply a guideline to let the consumer know when the product is the freshest. If it's before the date, it's peak freshness. If it's after the date it's still edible but may not be as "fresh" as it would have been before that date.

If your eggs have been in the fridge and not left out on a counter at room temperature, the eggs can be consumed months after the "best before" date. If I buy a dozen eggs, sometimes I don't use the last egg until 3 months after the "best before" date. The egg is still fine. It looks fine, it smells fine and cooks fine.

The same goes with other things like yogurt, butter, oils, vinegar, condiments, milk, packaged goods, yeast, baking powder etc. If it looks ok and smells ok, it is ok.
 

calico2222

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 9, 2004
Messages
7,731
Purraise
41
Location
Over the river and through the woods...
Apparently, you didn't get sick because you are still here so they seem to be ok. I always crack open the egg in a separate bowl to make sure it is ok (mom's advice that has stuck with me) because you don't know if people mix up eggs in the market. That's for mixing/baking...and believe me, if you have a bad egg you will KNOW!

If you were hard boiling them, again...you would know if the egg was bad. Actually, I had one blow up on me while boiling and I'm guessing it was because it was bad (VERY bad!
) I think you're fine.
 

owenj

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 31, 2008
Messages
59
Purraise
1
Location
Spartanburg, SC
I'm glad this thread got started, because I was actually wondering this exact thing last night. Looks like I'm having eggs this weekend!
 

jellybella

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Feb 10, 2007
Messages
2,314
Purraise
3
Location
UPNY
Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

If your eggs have been in the fridge and not left out on a counter at room temperature, the eggs can be consumed months after the "best before" date. If I buy a dozen eggs, sometimes I don't use the last egg until 3 months after the "best before" date. The egg is still fine. It looks fine, it smells fine and cooks fine.

The same goes with other things like yogurt, butter, oils, vinegar, condiments, milk, packaged goods, yeast, baking powder etc. If it looks ok and smells ok, it is ok.
We almost never go through the entire dozen before "the date", but we've been good so far. Boiling them is probably a good step if you're unsure. I have experienced rotten eggs, and believe me, you'd know it.
 

alleygirl

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 2, 2006
Messages
11,814
Purraise
24
Location
hiding in the bathtub
Originally Posted by KittKatt

I don't know how true this is, but someone once told me that if you stick the eggs in a pan of water and they float, throw them out!
This is true, they do float when they get old.

I will use them a week or so past the date, but after that I usually throw them out. I've had food poisoning before and am very careful about things now.
 

yosemite

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Apr 26, 2001
Messages
23,313
Purraise
81
Location
Ingersoll, ON
Natalie_ca is right - the date is simply a best before. I get a chuckle out of our daughter - if she sees a best before date of yesterday, she's convinced the product has magically gone bad overnight.


In regard to the eggs, they are probably just fine because as another poster said, if they were bad you would surely know it. The smell of a bad egg is rather horrible.
 

goldenkitty45

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 29, 2005
Messages
19,900
Purraise
44
Location
SW Minnesota
Nat,

I and probably the others appreciate your research on this. Very imformative


Eggs don't last that long in our house....DH is becoming a master at baking our own bread now
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #17

fiery

TCS Member
Thread starter
Alpha Cat
Joined
Apr 11, 2005
Messages
349
Purraise
1
Location
Suburbia, CO
Well, I'm still here! And not sick, although I did have a *REALLY* weird dream last night.. so I'm going to go with the freshness theory. ^_^ Give me another seventy two hours and we'll see if I'm still okay!
 

misty8723

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 16, 2006
Messages
7,688
Purraise
8,129
Location
North Carolina
I go by what my mother told me:  If they sink, they're fine. If they stand on end, cook them quick. If they float, toss them.

So this thread is saying that even if I have month old eggs in the fridge, I can cook?

I've had food poisoning.  Not sure I'd want to risk it.
 
 
Last edited:
Top