You’ve probably stood in front of your fridge at some point and asked yourself : “Now when did I buy those eggs? I wonder if they’re still good?” Perhaps you cracked them open and gave them a good sniff to check them, but there are other ways to test how fresh your eggs are, and here are a few of them:

1. The Water Test

Place your egg in a tall glass of cold water. If it stays at the bottom, then it’s fresh; if it lifts and bobs at a bit of an angle, it’ll be older but fine to use; if it floats to the surface, then it’s getting pretty old and is probably not safe to use, so get rid of it!

Egg rise to the surface in this way because, over time, the moisture from inside the egg evaporates through the shell and is replaced by air. The more air there inside the egg, the better it floats – and of course the older it is.

2. The ‘Crack’ Test

Crack open your egg and see what the yolk and the white do. If the egg yolk bulges and the white is viscous and gathered tightly round the yolk, then the egg is still fresh. However, if the yolk is flat and the egg white runny, then the egg is old. What happens is that the protein chains (various substances linked together) in the egg white break up over time so that, in an old egg, the yolk and white no longer cling tightly together and so run more.

3. The Sloshing Test

If you shake the egg and there’s no sloshing noise from inside, then it’s fresh and can be eaten. If, on the other hand, the egg makes a sloshing noise when you shake it, air has gotten into it and expanded the natural air bubble, so it’s best not eaten.

4. Pay attention to the ‘use by’ date

The packaging specifies a ‘use by’ date and the supplier guarantees that it will be usable at least until this date, provided that they are stored properly. Generally, eggs can still be safely eaten for some time past the ‘use by’ date, if they’re well cooked through, but best confirm this with one of the other freshness checks!

Hygiene also plays an important role when handling eggs and, with regard to Salmonella in particular, you need to pay attention to the following:

  • Buy the freshest eggs you can and use them in good time.
  • Store eggs in a refrigerator because Salmonella hardly multiplies at temperatures below 6°C, whereas at room temperature its growth is explosive. Retrospective cooling will not reverse any damage!
  • For recipes that require raw eggs, only use the very freshest eggs.
  • Simmer your breakfast eggs for at least 5 minutes in boiling water.
  • If an egg’s shell cracks it should be used immediately and only in well cooked dishes.

Where should I store eggs in my Liebherr refrigerator?

Eggs can be stored in the main refrigerator compartment for 15 days, or in a Liebherr BioFresh compartment for as long as 45 days.

So, all that remains to be said is… enjoy your eggs!

Which test do you tend to rely on to find out whether your eggs are fresh? Please write to us! Use the Comment function below this post or discuss it with us on Facebook.