How to Tell if Your ‘Expired’ Eggs Are Still Good to Eat

Many people rely on the date printed on an egg carton to decide when to toss the dozen, but sell‑by and best‑by dates are quality guidelines — not safety deadlines. If you’ve been pitching eggs solely because of the date on the carton, you may be wasting perfectly good food. Eggs can stay tasty well past those printed dates. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), eggs kept refrigerated at 40°F (4°C) or below remain perfectly safe for at least three to five weeks after the pack date and often longer. Before you find out the hard way, here are a few reliable at‑home tests that let you gauge freshness (and, by extension, quality) with much more confidence. Your eyes and nose are the best tools for spotting spoilage in meats, produce, and herbs — it’s pretty obvious when something’s moldy or stinky. Eggs are trickier because you can’t see or smell the inside until you crack the shell. Fortunately, a few simple tests reveal whether an intact egg is still good. The…more