eggs past expiration date

Thanks, Slow Cooked Pittsburgh, for the super informative response. I'm going to use up the eggs I have. I'ts just a cake, nothing finicky, and I ate one scrambled tonight. It was more than fine.

There is a huge difference between fresh and old eggs, but the difference isn't necessarily a good/bad kind of thing. As eggs age, because the shells are porous, the egg and it's components change. For example, if you are making deviled eggs, the best eggs to boil and peel are between 2-6 weeks old. If you want the most gorgeous thick whited poached egg, use a very fresh egg. Eggs last an incredibly long time and, as stated above, rotten is unmistakable!!! Just be aware that, depending on how finicky your recipe, the age of the egg could make a difference (and sometimes older is better!).

French pastry chefs use months' old eggs alot. me too.

Thanks!

You can also do the float test. Very fresh eggs sink in water. Moderately fresh eggs will sink, but stand up vertically at the bottom of the bowl. Old eggs will float to the top. Of course, Elaine Ruth is right--a bad egg has an unmistakable odor. Expiration dates will tell you what date a product is best used by, but after that it's not necessarily bad.

The dates on the carton indicate the ultimate freshness, but I find the eggs can be safely used for several weeks more. A bad egg is easy to detect. It smells bad. So always crack it open int.