5 Simple Ways To Tell If An Egg Is Good Or Bad - Healthline

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Evidence Based4 Simple Ways to Tell If an Egg Is Good or Bad

Medically reviewed by Adrienne Seitz, MS, RD, LDN — Written by Taylor Jones, RD — Updated on January 17, 2025

Expiration date
Sniff test
Visual inspection
Float test
FAQ
Takeaway

Simple tests, such as a sniff test or a float test, may help you determine whether your egg is good or bad, but safe cooking is still important.

Almost everyone has been faced with this conundrum — you reach into the fridge for an egg but can’t remember how long it’s been sitting there.

It’s true that over time, an egg’s quality begins to decline as the air pocket inside gets larger and the whites get thinner. However, an egg only “goes bad” when it starts to decompose because of bacteria or mold. When in doubt, there are several methods to help determine if eggs may be safe to eat.

Here are four great tips for deciding if your eggs are good or bad.

Check the expiration date

One of the easiest ways to tell if your eggs are still good is to check the date on the carton. But if you throw your refrigerated eggs out as soon as this date arrives, you could be wasting perfectly good eggs.

In the United States, eggs may be labeled with either a “sell by” or expiration date, depending on which state you live in, to let you know if your eggs are still fresh.

Sell by date

A “sell by” date indicates how long a store should offer eggs for sale — no more than 30 days after packing — but not necessarily that the eggs have gone bad.

Expiration date

An expiration date, on the other hand, marks the date after which the eggs are considered less than fresh.

If neither of these labels is present, you can look for yet another date to determine the freshness of your eggs.

Pack date

Eggs that the USDA has graded are required to show the “pack date” on the carton, which is the day that the eggs were graded, washed, and packaged. But you may not recognize it if you don’t know what to look for.

What it means

None of these dates may tell you if the eggs are spoiled or safe to eat. They mainly refer to the best quality of the product, not its safety.

If your eggs are still within the expiration or “sell by” date on the carton or within 21–30 days after the “pack date,” they may still be safe to eat.

Even though the quality of an egg may start to decline after a certain date, it may still be good to eat for several weeks, especially if it has been refrigerated, which preserves the quality and slows bacterial growth.

However, if your eggs are past the date printed on the carton, you may need to use another method to tell if the egg is good or bad.

Conduct a sniff test

The sniff test is the oldest, simplest, and most reliable method of determining whether an egg has gone bad. Even if your eggs are past their “sell by” or expiration date, you can tell if they are still good with a simple sniff.

Eggs that have gone bad will give off an unmistakable smell, regardless of whether they are raw or cooked.

If you can’t already tell while the egg is in the shell, crack the egg onto a clean plate or bowl and give it a sniff. If anything smells off, toss the egg and wash the bowl or plate with hot, soapy water before using again.

If things smell normal, meaning there is no odor at all, that’s a good sign that the egg is still safe to use.

However, it’s important to practice food safety principles such as washing your hands after you handle any part of an egg, keeping plates, bowls, tools, or surfaces that have come into contact with any part of an egg separate from other raw food, and cleaning them with soap and water before using them again.

How to safely handle eggs

According to the FDA, these steps should help prevent contamination from eggs that contain bacteria like salmonella or mold:

Wash all surfaces, mixing bowls, utensils, and dishes with hot, soapy water before and after contact with raw eggs.
Keep eggs in the refrigerator – never leave them out for more than 2 hours.
Cook dishes containing raw eggs immediately. To cook later, refrigerate immediately and cook within 24 hours.
Cook casseroles and other dishes containing eggs to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees F. Use a food thermometer to ensure the dish is 160 F.
Always cook eggs until both the white and yolk are firm.
Serve cooked eggs and dishes containing eggs immediately after cooking. If you must delay serving them, place cooked eggs or egg casseroles in a shallow container to cool faster. Once cool, refrigerate immediately. Eat them within 3 to 4 days.

Complete a visual inspection

Your eyes and nose are valuable tools for telling whether an egg is good or bad. While the egg is still in its shell, check the shell to be sure it is not cracked, slimy, or powdery.

Sliminess or cracks may indicate the presence of bacteria, while a powdery appearance on the shell may indicate mold.

If the shell appears dry and undamaged, crack the egg into a clean, white bowl or plate before using. Look for any pink or iridescent discoloration in the yolk or whites, as this may indicate bacterial growth.

If you notice any signs of discoloration, throw the egg out and wash the bowl with hot, soapy water before testing a new egg.

You can also check to see if the whites or yolk of the egg are runny. This is an indication that the egg is old and that the quality has declined.

Perform a float test

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The float test is one of the most popular methods for checking whether an egg is good or bad. This is also a common method for determining the age of a fertilized egg that is developing into a chick.

To perform the float test, gently set your egg into a bowl or bucket of water. If the egg sinks, it is fresh. If it tilts upward or even floats, it is old.

This is because as an egg ages, the small air pocket inside it grows larger as water is released and replaced by air. If the air pocket becomes large enough, the egg may float.

While this method may tell you whether an egg is fresh or old, it doesn’t tell whether it is good or bad. An egg that sinks can still be bad, while an egg that floats may still be fine to eat.

Frequently asked questions

How long do eggs stay fresh?

According to the FDA, eggs that are refrigerated and stored in their original purchase container may last up to 3 weeks.

What happens if I eat a bad egg?

If you eat a “bad” egg, you may get an illness from consuming bacteria like salmonella. Symptoms of salmonella begin from 6 hours to 6 days following consumption of an egg or other food containing the bacteria. Symptoms of salmonella include:

watery diarrhea that might have blood or mucus
stomach cramps that can be severe
headache
Loss of appetite
nausea
vomiting

Takeaway

Some people throw away good eggs needlessly because they lack knowledge about telling when an egg has gone bad.

Among the strategies listed here, cracking an egg open, sniffing it, and checking for discoloration is the most conclusive method of determining freshness.

Eggs containing bacteria that cause food-borne illness, such as Salmonella, may look and smell completely fine.

Remember, even if an egg passes these tests, it’s important to fully cook it to a safe temperature before you eat it.

How we reviewed this article:

SourcesHistoryHealthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. We only use quality, credible sources to ensure content accuracy and integrity. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Food product dating. (2023).https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/food-product-dating
Shell eggs from farm to table. (2024).https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/eggs/shell-eggs-farm-table
Symptoms of salmonella infection. (2024).https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/signs-symptoms/index.html
What you need to know about egg safety. (2024).https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/what-you-need-know-about-egg-safety
Yurlov AK, et al. (2022). Long-term observation of the egg and chick size in the nests of Larus ichthyaetus in Lake Chany, Russia.https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-022-01454-8.pdf?origin=ppub

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Evidence Based

This article is based on scientific evidence, written by experts and fact checked by experts.

Our team of licensed nutritionists and dietitians strive to be objective, unbiased, honest and to present both sides of the argument.

This article contains scientific references. The numbers in the parentheses (1, 2, 3) are clickable links to peer-reviewed scientific papers.

Medically reviewed by Adrienne Seitz, MS, RD, LDN — Written by Taylor Jones, RD — Updated on January 17, 2025

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Check the expiration date

Sell by date

Expiration date

Pack date

What it means

Conduct a sniff test

How to safely handle eggs

Complete a visual inspection

Perform a float test

Frequently asked questions

How long do eggs stay fresh?

What happens if I eat a bad egg?

Takeaway

How we reviewed this article:

Evidence Based

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