Can you eat eggs 6 days out of date

The fear of bad eggs runs deep. As a kid you were prob told, “Don’t lick the spoon, you’ll getsick!” But can you eat an expired egg?

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How long do eggs last?
How long do eggs last?
Great. So how can I make eggs last as long as possible in the fridge?
Are eggs OK 5 days out of date?
How many days out of date can you eat eggs?

We’re here to unscramble the myth that you can’t eat expired eggs. Here are the deets, plus tips on safe storage, how to test for freshness, and ways to spot a bad egg.

Generally, you shouldn’t eat food that’s past its expiration date.

But eggs are one egg-ception. They can last for weeks past their sell-by date if you store them the right way.

How long do eggs last?

Store-bought refrigerated eggs can last several weeks if you transport and store them correctly. It’s important to keep them cold once you bring them home — below 40°F (4°C), to be eggs-act, according to the FDA.

You should also store them in the back of the fridge, where the temp is more consistent. A 2011 research review suggested that steady temperatures may help eggs’ natural defenses fight off Salmonella bacteria.

Pro tip: Keep your eggs in their original storage container. The carton can protect the eggs from absorbing nearby odors. (Because no one wants an omelette that tastes like an old tomato — trust us 🤮.)

Most nonrefrigerated eggs will start to drop in quality after a week. And eating expired eggs starts to get really risky after 21 days, according to a 2007 study.

If you’ve cooked your eggs, avoid leaving out cooked eggs for more than 2 hours.

A popular way to check if an eggo is good-o is the float test.

As an egg ages, moisture leaves through the shell. Air then steps in to fill the void. This makes the egg float (wheeeeeeee!!).

It isn’t always accurate. According to the USDA, an egg can still be unsafe to eat even if it sinks to the bottom of the bowl. But it’s definitely gone bad if it rises.

Here’s how you do it:

Fill a bowl with room-temp water.
Gently place the egg in the water.
If it sinks to the bottom, it’s safe to eat.
If it tilts upwards or floats, it’s time to toss it out.

Or you could just try meowing at it and see how far you get. This method is better, though.

First things first, always check the expiration date on the carton. Eggs are totes fine to eat before the time period after that expiration date. You can even eat them afterward if you’ve followed the steps for safe storage.

Here are some other ways to put your egg to the test:

Check to see if the shell is cracked.
Make sure the inside of the egg isn’t discolored.
Look for slimy or powdery patches on the shell.

You can also try the sniff test. An odorless egg is prime breakfast sammie material. But one that smells like low tide on a summer’s day is a no-go.

Next time your parents say your partner seems like a “bad egg,” check your boo’s jacket for slimy or powdery patches.

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
nausea
puking
cramps
diarrhea

Let’s avoid those shenanigans, shall we? Here’s a helpful table to make sure your eggs are safe to eat.

You can eat eggs past their expiration date. Just be sure to keep your eggs egg-cellent by storing them correctly.

If you don’t know if an egg is good or not, you can try the float test or give it a whiff. If it doesn’t pass the test, throw it away.

Keeping eggs at the back of the fridge is a great way to keep them fresh for a while. Check out our guide on how to hack your fridge and maintain peak freshness.

Filled with protein, fat, B vitamins, and vitamin D, eggs are a versatile staple food packed into a tiny, white shell. They're delicious any way you like them (scrambled, poached, sunny side up—or in a breakfast burrito, maybe?) and can be whipped up in a jiffy. Basically, as far as fridge favorites go, eggs are a must-have.

You already have plenty of egg knowledge, like how to check for cracked ones before you buy them. And, you might have heard something about a float test? But if you're a little shaky on exactly how long it's safe to keep eggs in your fridge, look no further.

First of all, that date stamped on many egg cartons is actually a “sell-by” date, which is technically different from an expiration date and isn't required to be on those cartons by federal law. (Don't worry, I'll explain!)

But, good news, that date isn't a hard and fast rule. “As long as the egg hasn’t gone bad, there is no reason you can’t still enjoy it,” says nutritionist Keri Gans, RD, author of The Small Change Diet. So cheers to less money spent on cartons that will ultimately end up in the trash because you didn't eat all of them before the printed date.

That doesn't mean eggs don't go bad, though. Just like most unprocessed foods, they totally do. So how are you supposed to know whether those old eggs are actually okay to use? Here's what food safety experts have to say.

How long do eggs last?

You should use all eggs within three weeks of purchasing them, according to the FDA. But what if you can't remember when exactly you bought that dozen?

Look no further than the carton, says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RDN, author of The Superfood Swap.Near the sell-by date, you should see a three-digit code. That's the date the eggs were packaged based on the Julian calendar, which assigns every day of the year a number from 1 (Jan. 1) to 365 (Dec. 31).

If you don't feel like counting, there are plenty of Julian calendar charts available online. Fresh eggs stored in the carton should last anywhere from four to five weeks after that Julian calendar date, per the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

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Now, let's clear up the whole "sell-by" vs. "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).
A "sell-by" date lets the grocery store know how long it's okay to still sell the eggs. You can still eat eggs after this date (again, as long as they aren't spoiled!).
An "expiration," or EXP, date is the same as a "sell-by" date.

Sell-by dates are “not related to the safety of the egg whatsoever,” says food safety specialist Benjamin Chapman, PhD, professor at North Carolina State University. Instead, it’s more about flavor. “Once the date has passed, the egg loses its peak quality based on shelf life studies and consumer test preferences,” he explains.

If a carton's sell-by date has passed, a store should theoretically pull them from shelves. Many stores use these dates as reminders that they need to rotate in new cartons, says nutritionist Alissa Rumsey, RD, owner of Alissa Rumsey Nutrition and Wellness.

The best way to tell if an egg is spoiled is by getting up close and personal with it, Blatner explains. "When a shell is broken, even a little hairline fracture, that's where you're likely to get your eggs spoiled a lot faster," she says. "A spoiled egg will tell you." Here's what to look for:

Inspect it: A spoiled egg might have sweating on the outside or look slimy, according to Chapman. A rotten egg will also usually have a pink or iridescent egg white, which indicates the presence of bacteria, Rumsey says. If you notice any changes in appearance, chuck it.
Smell it: If your egg smells bad after you crack it, almost like sulfur, then it's time to throw it out, Blatner says.
Float it: Try the float test, suggests Blatner. "As an egg ages, moisture leaves through the shell and air comes in," she says. To test how old your egg is, drop it (uncracked) into a bowl of water. If it floats, then it's old. It if sinks, it's fresh. But "old" doesn't mean "spoiled." According to the USDA, an egg that sinks may still be fine to use—as long as it doesn't smell after you crack it.

Want to turn your eggs into a super fancy meal? This maitake mushroom steak and eggs recipe is legit:

Not sure who needs to hear this, but no, “cooking a bad egg unfortunately will not reduce the smell and off-flavor,” says Chapman. Yes, that nasty bacteria will cook off, but your egg will still be gross enough to warrant tossing out.

You can rest easy about one thing, though: While eggs can rot in the fridge, you don't have to worry about them sprouting salmonella.

“The pathogen we really worry about with eggs is salmonella enteriditis and it doesn’t grow below 45 degrees,” Chapman says. “Also, that contamination happens inside the egg, so once it’s there, it’s there.” (Basically, how long you leave an egg in the fridge has zero impact on the salmonella situation.)

Great. So how can I make eggs last as long as possible in the fridge?

Luckily, there are a few easy ways to get the most out of that dozen. Add these to your grocery checklist next time you shop:

Check the date before you buy. Scope out the sell-by date before buying to make sure they're as fresh as possible when you take them home, Chapman says.
Store your eggs correctly at home. When you get home, pop those eggs in the refrigerator pronto, Gans says. The USDA recommends keeping your fridge temperature at 40 degrees or slightly below, BTW. “You should never leave eggs out of the fridge for longer than two hours in order to avoid bacterial growth,” Rumsey explains. Leave them in their carton—and don't stash them in the door, which is warmer than the shelves because of the air that rushes in when you open the fridge, Blatner adds.

Pass the toast, please!

The bottom line: Eggs typically last three to five weeks in the fridge (even if beyond their sell-by date). To confirm an egg is safe to eat, check it for any changes in appearance or smell.

Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.

Are eggs OK 5 days out of date?

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).

How many days out of date can you eat eggs?

Much, much longer than you think. Conservative guidelines say that eggs retain their peak quality three to five weeks beyond their sell-by date when kept raw, in their unwashed shells, and stored properly—meaning in a chilled location but not in your refrigerator door.