The shelf life of eggs is greatly reduced if the eggs are not kept constantly refrigerated as they may become unsafe to eat. Eggs should always be stored in the fridge right before and after use. But remember, eggs, like a lot of dairy products, usually have a sell by date or a “best if used by” date and not a use by date. Because of this distinction, you may safely use eggs to complement your favorite meals even after the sell by date has lapsed but please consume them prior to their eat by date. Practicing proper hygiene and food safety techniques will help prevent foodborne illness.

How to tell if Eggs are bad, rotten or spoiled?

A common question is how to tell if eggs are bad? Although not a perfect test, your senses are usually the most reliable instruments to tell if your eggs have gone bad. To tell if eggs are bad, look at the egg white. The freshest eggs have a cloudy white color to the “white” of the egg and as the egg ages the white becomes more of a clear color (the egg is still fresh). Alternatively, if the white of the egg has a pinkish or iridescent color and also if it has a slight rotten smell when cracked, then the egg has gone bad. If you open an egg and smell something rotten, be sure to throw that egg away.

There are, of course, certain health risks associated with spoiled eggs including the very dangerous Salmonella and E-Coli strains of bacteria (which cannot be seen), so remember to always practice food safety and enjoy your eggs well cooked and prior to the eat by dates suggested above.

How to store Eggs to extend their shelf life

How long eggs are good for? Proper food storage is key to extending the shelf life of foods. You can help eggs keep fresh longer by storing eggs in the their original container in the refrigerator. Storing eggs in this fashion will help keep out moisture and other contaminants.

Freezing is not recommended for eggs because after freezing and thawing the eggs will turn into a thick clumpy paste. So, if you want to freeze your eggs to extend their shelf life, it is best to crack the eggs into a freezer safe container and gently blend in 1/2 teaspoon of salt before freezing. The eggs can then be thawed and used, but these eggs will not rise much if later used in making baked goods. If you do this, also be sure to thaw the frozen eggs in the refrigerator before using.

Interesting facts about Eggs:

How to use extra before your Eggs go bad?

If your eggs are nearing their Eat By Date and you’ll soon have bad eggs, try one of these suggestions to extend the shelf life of eggs for another week:

• Make hard boiled eggs. By boiling eggs, it will extend the shelf life of eggs for an additional week. For perfect eggs, see our article on how long to boil eggs?.
• Make a Quiche. Use your eggs to make and bake a quiche that can be micro-waved slice by slice to extend the shelf life of eggs for another 4-5 days.

How long are Eggs good for when prepared in a dish?

How long are eggs good for? That depends what else is in the dish. How long does cheese last? In general, eggs are good for as long as the quickest expiring ingredient in the recipe.

To find out how long foods are good for, please visit the Dairy, Drinks, Fruits, Grains, Proteins, Vegetables and Other sections of Eat By Date or use the search function below.

What are our shelf life resources?

In determining how long Eggs lasts, our content incorporates research from multiple resources, including the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Food & Drug Administration. In addition, we scoured the web for informative articles and reports related to food safety, food storage and the shelf life of Eggs.

*An important note about expiration dates…

Although the Egg shelf life information on Eat By Date is generally reliable, please remember that individual cases will vary and that our advice should only be taken as an opinion and not a replacement for your health care professional. Please eat responsibly!