What is the shelf life of eggs? (2023)

Can you eat eggs 2 months out of date?

The expiration date on your carton of jumbo eggs is just there to ensure quality. So if you crack 'em open after the date has passed, you may notice they don't taste as good, but you're not at risk of illness. In short, you can eat eggs two months out of date. It'll be fine.

But what is the ideal expiry date for eggs? “The shelf life of an unrefrigerated egg is 7 to 10 days and for refrigerated egg it's about 30 to 45 days,” notes Dr Batra. But that doesn't mean you can pop a 2-month old egg for a quick omelet. - Eggs can last for about 5-6 weeks if refrigerated properly.

If refrigerated, eggs typically stay safe well after their expiration date. Regardless of what that date actually is, the optimal storage time for raw eggs in their shells, according to the USDA, is three to five weeks.

A general rule, unwashed eggs will last around two weeks unrefrigerated and about three months or more in your refrigerator. If you're experiencing an egg boom, it's smart to refrigerate any unwashed fresh eggs you aren't planning to eat immediately. This will help them last longer.

Simply fill a bowl with cold tap water and place your eggs in it. If they sink to the bottom and lay flat on one side, they are fresh and good to eat. A bad egg will float because of the large air cell that forms at its base. Any floating eggs should be thrown out.

But if you store them properly, eggs can actually last far beyond their expiration date and still be safe to eat. So the short answer is yes, it can be safe to eat expired eggs.

The water test for egg freshness

First, fill a bowl or glass with about four inches of cold water and gently place your egg(s) inside. Very fresh eggs will sink to the bottom and lay on their sides. If an egg stays at the bottom but stands on its small end, it's still acceptable to eat; just not quite as fresh.

If you throw your eggs out once the date on the carton has passed, you may be wasting perfectly good eggs. With proper storage, eggs can last for at least 3–5 weeks in the fridge and about a year in the freezer. The longer an egg is stored, the more its quality declines, making it less springy and more runny.

As long are they are kept refrigerated at 45 °F or lower, fresh shell eggs are safe to be consumed four to five weeks beyond the carton's Julian date (the date eggs were packed).

What happens if eat expired eggs?

The main risk of eating raw or bad eggs is food poisoning, specifically salmonella. According to a 2009 research review, Salmonella bacteria can grow inside the yolk, egg white, and shell of an egg. Salmonella can cause unpleasant symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention like: fever.

"expiration" date thing. According to the USDA: A "best if used by/before" date lets you know how long the eggs will be at their best taste and highest quality. You can definitely still eat eggs once this date has passed (as long as they aren't spoiled).

"expiration" date thing. According to the USDA: A "best if used by/before" date lets you know how long the eggs will be at their best taste and highest quality. You can definitely still eat eggs once this date has passed (as long as they aren't spoiled).

Surprisingly, eggs can stay good for an exceedingly long time, multiple months in the refrigerator. Occasionally they'll rot, but it's much more common for them to dry out, very slowly, by losing water through their shell.

The main risk of eating bad eggs is Salmonella infection, which can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and fever. A person can reduce the risk of Salmonella by keeping eggs refrigerated, discarding any with cracked shells, and cooking them thoroughly before eating them.

Some egg cartons have sell-by dates on them, while others have expiration dates. Neither should be regarded as an indication of when the eggs are no longer safe to use. Both the Food and Drug Administration and Egg Safety Center agree that eggs are usually good for several weeks past the stamped date.