Using out-of-date eggs question

[bubba]

Hey, would you use eggs with an expiration date of 2 weeks ago if when cracked they still look and smell fine?

 

[Walt34]

I would, and have. But if you get sick then I was wrong.

 

[freebird5825]

No. The cost of a newer fresh dozen eggs is far less expensive than severe illness.
My general rule of thumb is to use them fresh up until the expiration date, and then hard boil them, refrigerate with shell on and use for egg salad or deviled eggs within 4 days of cooking them.

 

[chris2008]

Sure I would - and have before.
Eggs cannot read. "Best before" or "sell by" does not mean that they turn bad immediately thereafter.

 

[growing_older]

In my experience, eggs last a fairly long time after their expiration date if they have been well refrigerated. Your risk is likely whether these particular eggs were left out for an extended period before you acquired them. Some stores keep their eggs continuously refrigerated and some put the pallets in the aisle near the refrigerated section when they restock and get to it when they have time, perhaps many hours later, counting on the safety margin in the expiration dates to cover their period of poor storage. Do you feel lucky?

If it were me, I would be sure to cook them thoroughly.

 

[Dimsumkid]

Sure, we've eaten eggs that were 3-4 weeks past expiration. I remember watching Alton Brown on the Food Network talking about eggs and I think he said "eggs never go bad". Always trust your own sense of smell and sight. Mostly, you'll experience shrinkage the older the egg is. Here's a link to IL Dept of Ag that gives a lot of good info:

Illinois Department of Agriculture

 

[martyb]

In my experience, eggs last a fairly long time after their expiration date if they have been well refrigerated. Your risk is likely whether these particular eggs were left out for an extended period before you acquired them. Some stores keep their eggs continuously refrigerated and some put the pallets in the aisle near the refrigerated section when they restock and get to it when they have time, perhaps many hours later, counting on the safety margin in the expiration dates to cover their period of poor storage. Do you feel lucky?

If it were me, I would be sure to cook them thoroughly.

Agree with all of this.

 

[FreeAtLast]

I think that the expiration date is just a guideline. In my opinion 2 weeks would be pushing the limits. Hard call. Wait another week and ask the same question and I would say No.

 

[kcowan]

We never look at the dates and have never had a problem. Unlike Milk, eggs and cheese do not go bad by a date. Keep them cold though.

 

[MichaelB]

No egg is bad if it cooked with bacon.

 

[calmloki]

Pro tip - unwashed eggs have a coating that lets them keep for months in a cool dark place. When my folks homesteaded in Alaska eggs were kept fresh for months by coating them with water glass, sodium silicate. We commonly keep store bought eggs for weeks and don't think about the pull date - the cartons are gone as soon as the eggs go in the frig. Still alive. Wouldn't eat a stinky egg though...

How to store fresh eggs without refrigeration - MrsSurvival Discussion Forums

 

[W2R]

If they are cracked, I would throw them out and buy new eggs. Sometimes even unexpired eggs have gone bad if they are cracked.

If they weren't cracked, then I would use them if they look and smell fine. But this is just me, and I have been known to do dumb things in my lifetime.

 

[Bestwifeever]

I always heard that freshest eggs are best for baking, meringues, etc., but otherwise okay to eat beyond expiration date. And older eggs are supposed to be easier to peel after hardboiling.

You can put raw eggs (still in the shell of course ) in a bowl of water, and the ones that float the most are the oldest--the fresher ones sink to the bottom.

 

[ladypatriot]

Hey, would you use eggs with an expiration date of 2 weeks ago if when cracked they still look and smell fine?

Yes. If the eggs had been well-refidgerated, and if you're cooking them until they're fully cooked (as in hard-cooked eggs) or using them in baking.

 

[haha]

My idea is that unless you are starving or very poor, since typical large eggs rarely cost more than $2.50-$3.00, why would you use anything about which there might possibly be a question?

I'll spend $3 any day to avoid some small chance of stomach upset. Í doubt the chance is zero, after all eggs are a prime medium for growing pathogens.

"As long as they have always been kept cold..."-How could one trace their path from the egg factory? Been sure that someone didn't take a cigarette break with the eggs on a loading dock some sunny 110 degree afternoon?

Ha

 

[M Paquette]

Hey, would you use eggs with an expiration date of 2 weeks ago if when cracked they still look and smell fine?

If refrigerated or stored in the escape trunk they may be good up to 45 days or so. Past that they may smell funny even when scrambled...

At least that's what our cooks said back on the USS Ustafish.

 

[Nords]

Hey, would you use eggs with an expiration date of 2 weeks ago if when cracked they still look and smell fine?

If refrigerated or stored in the escape trunk they may be good up to 45 days or so. Past that they may smell funny even when scrambled...
At least that's what our cooks said back on the USS Ustafish.

Our USS Ustafish guidance was at least 60 days in the torpedo room bilge. The cooks verified this with a set of double-blind no-consent tests on the wardroom officers.

When our daughter left for college last August, we didn't get around to finishing a carton of eggs until the following February. No problems.

I'd say you're OK as long as you don't hear the yolk rattling around inside the shell like a golf ball in a tin can...

 

[kcowan]

My idea is that unless you are starving or very poor, since typical large eggs rarely cost more than $2.50-$3.00, why would you use anything about which there might possibly be a question?

We have a blonde friend who cleans out her freezer of all stale-dated foods. We asked her to call us and we will do it for her!

 

[Meadbh]

Yogurt is also good to eat for weeks after its expiry date. It's supposed to have bacteria in it!

 

[arebelspy]

Just used some eggs at are about a month, month and 1/2 past the expiration in some cookies last night, and hard boiled this morning. No ill effects so far.

 

[eytonxav]

From the USDA site:

"Dates on Egg Cartons
Use of either a "Sell-By" or "Expiration" (EXP) date is not federally required, but may be State required, as defined by the egg laws in the State where the eggs are marketed. Some State egg laws do not allow the use of a "sell-by" date.

Many eggs reach stores only a few days after the hen lays them. Egg cartons with the USDA grade shield on them must display the "pack date" (the day that the eggs were washed, graded, and placed in the carton). The number is a three-digit code that represents the consecutive day of the year starting with January 1 as 001 and ending with December 31 as 365. When a "sell-by" date appears on a carton bearing the USDA grade shield, the code date may not exceed 45 days from the date of pack.

Always purchase eggs before the "Sell-By" or "EXP" date on the carton. After the eggs reach home, refrigerate the eggs in their original carton and place them in the coldest part of the refrigerator, not in the door. For best quality, use eggs within 3 to 5 weeks of the date you purchase them. The "sell-by" date will usually expire during that length of time, but the eggs are perfectly safe to use."

 

[powerplay]

I've never used eggs that were more than a few days beyond the carton date or maybe a week at the most. This morning I purchased a dozen eggs from Trader Joe's for $1.69 so the cost of potentially disposing of a couple 'old' eggs would not keep me awake at night.

When I was a kid we purchased our eggs from a local farm. Two brothers ran a commercial dairy farm and also kept chickens selling their eggs to the local community. The eggs were never refrigerated when we went to pick them up although we kept them cold at home. These eggs were not washed at the farm so I bet that is why they didn't need to be kept cold. The yolks were also a vibrant orange-yellow color unlike the yellow color yolks of the store bought eggs of today.

This has been an interesting and informative thread. Thanks to all for their contributions and I have a much better understanding about shelf life of eggs now.

 

[bubba]

Thanks, everyone for your response. It's not so much that I hated wasting this carton of eggs; I wanted eggs and didn't want to go to the store. So, I took my life in my hands and scrambled 2 of them. No ill effects and they smelled and tasted great. Moral of this story, don't be afraid to take a chance on eggs 2 weeks past their expiration date.

 

[arebelspy]

Bringing the thread back on topic with the forum: I wonder how our answers (don't eat em vs eh go for it vs smell them and see, etc) correspond to our risk tolerance levels.

 

[kcowan]

Yes dabbling in small caps in akin to avoiding breaking too many eggs