Eggs- How to test for Freshness
I have been wanting to add some basic baking tips and tricks to my blog for a while now. I am going to call them “Bearfoot Basics.” It will hopefully answer some questions you might have about baking such as, is it alright to use eggs after the “sell by” date. These are things I have had questions about through the years so, I thought it might help answer some of your questions.
Have you ever wondered if your eggs are fresh? Well, there is a very simple way to test them. It is kind of fun and the kids will love helping you do it.
Supplies for Testing Eggs for Freshness:
Eggs
Cold Water
Deep Bowl
All you need is a bowl of deep cold water and the eggs you want to test. How the egg reacts is how you will know if it is good.
- If the eggs sinks to the bottom, it is good and fresh. It is safe to eat.
- If the egg floats but, stands on one end it means it is about 2 weeks old and needs to be consumed fairly quickly.
- If the egg floats without touching the bottom of the bowl, it is bad. Throw it away. Do not eat it.
You may wonder how and why this works. Well, I didn’t do so good in my high school science class because there was a really cute boy that was way too cute to ignore. I do however know enough to explain this, I think. I will give it my best shot.
When a egg is fresh, it is heavy and has a little bit of air inside the shell. The older the egg becomes, more air somehow get into the shell with the egg. The egg will feel lighter because of this. The more air inside the shell, the more it will make the egg float. Simple science if there is not a cute boy distracting you.
I hope you use this tip to test your eggs or, there are a few more ways to test them. Have you heard of the sloshing test? Or the Cracking test? Click here if you want to see them. I linked this up at 36 Avenue you should see some of the amazing stuff there. You should heck it out if you have time.
If you are looking for more tips and tricks, you may enjoy the “Beginners Guide to Cookie Decorating”.
Bear hugs,
Hmmm, I wonder if that’s the reason I didn’t do well in chemistry class! 🙂 Great tip btw!! Hugs!
Tall dark and handsome got me every time in HS! LOL
Haven’t heard of sloshing or cracking – but the sinking, I’ve actually done. I’ll have to remember to pass this info along to my daughter – thanks!
You are welcome. This was the first time I had heard of the sloshing also.
This isn’t exactly baking related, but may be useful come Easter: if possible, never use fresh eggs to hard boil. The shells are impossible to get off! When they’re a little older (a week or so) that thing happens where there’s a little bit of a skin underneath that helps you peel off the shell in bigger pieces. I learned that from my mom and her chickens 🙂
That is a great tip about eggs! That is good to know:)
I’ve always wondered this!! Thanks! Can’t wait to see more Bearfoot Basics!
Thanks Lizy!!
Fun tip, Lisa! I’ve never tried this trick myself – it seems that eggs never last long in our house, with all of the baking happening! 🙂
Another great tip, Lisa. I heard that older eggs are easier to peel, which makes more sense with the air inside the shell that you mentioned. (PS- I love the photos in this post! So rustic chic. :-P)
Thanks for the great tip – I had no idea that you could differentiate between eggs that are bad and eggs that are about to go bad 🙂 And I agree with Mike, your photos are beautiful, worthy of framing!