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How to Check Freshness of an Egg

Shared by Kitchen Crew @JustaPinch

Wonder if your eggs are fresh? Just A Pinch Test Kitchen has an easy way to check!



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19 Comments
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BuckRogers
Buck Rogers - over a year ago
When the commercials are longer than the educational video, its time to look elsewhere for tips. You need to decide if you're going to be a real service/tip site or just another media completely consumed with commercials. I will continue to view your site for tips etc, but please understand, should the commercials continue to outweigh the tips videos, I will move on, as you are not the only game in town.
Thank you
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RobertBobbye_Fowler
RobertBobbye Fowler - over a year ago
Your test shows a fresh egg (sinker) an older but still good egg (the one that starts to float [slightly] ) A BAD EGG WOULD TRULY FLOAT( part of the shell exposed to air) a rotten egg will float high. !!!!!
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Jeb70
Gary Carter - over a year ago
I was always taught that if the egg lays completely flat on the bottom of the water, it is fresh. If it stands on end with the end still touching the bottom of the water, it is an older egg but still perfectly usable. If the egg floats on top of the water it is bad and needs to be thrown away.
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Elizabeth2
Elizabeth Collins - over a year ago
I normally love your tips. But sitting through 3 ads then seeing almost no difference in the eggs? I'll never get that time back, nor will your other followers as I red their comments. I'm assuming one of the eggs should have risen up....the good one?

Why a disappointment. Your tip was shorter in time than the commercial, I hope that doesn't become a habit. If it does, I won't be visiting your website as often s I do. Writing these words is not my personality or who I am. It just seems that everything is becoming about $$$$. Many of us come to your site as a release of. Hard day and to look for those tips to make us smile and to share. Yes, we are even willing to look a one add....not 3 ads in order to get one tip.

I'm sorry....it how I feel.
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vamrse
Roxann Clark - over a year ago
don't get that video...what????
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Kitzer
Carol Harpel - over a year ago
Sorry for the repeat -- computer SNAFU
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Kitzer
Carol Harpel - over a year ago
Hilarious --- I had a sister who would break an egg into a small prep bowl, bring it up to right under her nose, inhale deeply, then use it.. She said, "I suppose you wonder why I'm doing this" - "I'm doing this to smell if they're ROTTEN"....
I replied - "D----, if they were rotten, you would NOT have to stick your nose in them to know that, you WOULD smell them". She was INSULTED!!!
Give a Thumbs Up 6
Kitzer
Carol Harpel - over a year ago
Hilarious --- I had a sister who would break an egg into a small prep bowl, bring it up to right under her nose, inhale deeply, then use it.. She said, "I suppose you wonder why I'm doing this" - "I'm doing this to smell if they're ROTTEN"....
I replied - "D----, if they were rotten, you would NOT have to stick your nose in them to know that, you WOULD smell them". She was INSULTED!!!
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Johnny_K
Johnny Kulamon - over a year ago
On the end of the carton there is a numerical code, the last three (3) numbers indicate the day of the year, Julian calendar, that the eggs we're packaged.
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customlady
Betty Levenson - over a year ago
My mom taught me this test years ago. If it floats, throw it out. If it's "iffy", it's old but okay. Use the older ones in pancake or cake batter. Use the newest and best for fried and scrambled.
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Greg_Wert
Greg Wert - over a year ago
I could probably enjoy some of your presentations, but not if I have to sit through 45 seconds or more of advertising before seeing what is often a 15-second presentation.
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peacenluv69
Lucile La Rue - over a year ago
This is great but dang when you get old eggs right out of store thinking they are good,Got a test before we buy,lol
Give a Thumbs Up 3
pinkelmo12
Ellen Frazier - over a year ago
I agree they looked the same. I have had egg's I know are older than 3 weeks and the water test says they are still good. Hell I've had cartons of egg's that were past the best by date (by a month or 2) more times than not they test to still be good. Now how is that possible? ?
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kristaplayswithfood
Krista Towns - over a year ago
Well, I have to put in my two cents- having owned chickens for the last 5 years I can tell you that a just laid fresh egg may float, and eggs that sink can be bad. Only sure way to be absolutely sure is to crack open and smell them. Egg color varies according to diet, and even the viscosity of the whites is not necessarily a sure test of freshness.
Rutgers backs this up, the air cell at the inside end of the egg may be larger in a bad egg-causing them to float, but may also just be large- cause it just is! I can tell you though that a fresh, free range egg is amazingly delicious!
(Mabel agrees! :) )
View photo
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Catriona
Catriona Ferguson-Woodruff - over a year ago
Fresh versus old eggs

The rule that I was given by the Michigan extension service home ec dept, is that when you place an egg in the bottom of the cup filled with water, it will do one of three things:

1. It will lay horizontally on the bottom of the cup. This means it is Fresh.
2. The egg you lay on its side, flat, horizontally, will turn heads up, but will remain sitting on the bottom of the cup, sitting vertically. This means it is a little older, but is still usable.
3. You lay the egg flat on the bottom of the cup, it will rise to the top and float. This indicates that there's a lot of air in the egg, so you know the egg is older. Eggs that rise to the top are not suitable to use or eat. Throw them out.

A 2 to 4 cup measuring cup is good for this test. You want to be able to have a couple of inches of water to cover over the top of the egg when you place it in the cup, You want to see clearly that it rose up to float on top of the water.

I hope this helps.
..
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