How to tell if eggs are OK?

hilt_dwane, Feb 7, 10:25am
How do you tell which are OK and which aren't by floatation? Have been given some and I'm a bit suspicious.... thanks

mackkas, Feb 7, 10:31am
You need to put them into cold water, about 12cm deep. The rotten ones float and the good ones stay on the bottom, although they do bobble around a bit on the bottom. Hope this helps.

illusion_, Feb 7, 10:31am
lying down in the bottom of a bowl of water = fresh
standing up but not floating = not fresh but still ok
floating = biff them out

nik12, Feb 7, 10:59am
Be careful though I think they may get 'passed' that test. I found some in the garden from my chooks - I kept all that passed the float test, but not all good when I cracked them.. gross lol.

nik12, Feb 7, 11:19am
Got sidetracked, should have edited.Don't use them for hardboiled, but crack them into a cup in the sink.. you'll know pretty quick if they are passed it and wash them down the drain.

winnie231, Feb 7, 4:10pm
This little ditty is courtesy of our beloved TMCooks family member 'fisher' ...

If not sure you ought-ter, then place it in water. If it lies on its side, then it's fresh; eat with pride. ..... After three or four days, at an angle it lays. But, it still is a treat, so go on and eat. ..... Ten days, stands on end, in your baking 'twill blend. 'Cause it's definitely edible, in your baking, incredible. ..... But, if it floats on the surface, that egg serves no purpose. 'Cause a floater's a stinker! Out the back door best fling 'er!

hilt_dwane, Feb 7, 7:18pm
What if there is an odour but none float? Any thoughts?

rainrain1, Feb 7, 7:40pm
If at first you don't succeed....suck eggs....ha ha my mother used to say that

harrislucinda, Feb 7, 7:47pm
just useforbakingandnothardboiled ,breakontoaplateyou will seeifnogoodtheyokeshaveturnedtoliquidlike,andnotbeasolidyoke

uli, Mar 31, 3:01pm
In theory - yes.

In practice however it is much easier to just open them (one after the other) into a glass before adding them to the baking or cooking. You will soon see or smell if they are not ok to eat and simply wash them down the sink in that case.

A lot of perfectly good eggs will float, because the air chamber at the end is bigger than in a newly laid egg. That alone doesn't make them "bad" though.

They go bad if they sit in one position all the time, letting the egg yolk sink and stick to the side of the shell and then start going rotten with the help of the bacteria that come into the egg interior via the porous shell.

So even if the yolk runs a bit when you break the egg it is still perfectly ok to use in baking or scrambled eggs. No need to throw them all out.