How to Tell If an Egg Has Gone Bad
By Alex Delany. Photos by: Ted Cavanaugh and Peden + Munk.
Six days. That's how long it takes for egg doubt to take hold. By egg doubt, we mean the burning and impossible-to-answer question: Are these eggs bad? Are these eggs good? Will I die if I eat them? It happens to all of us, whether we're staring at the last two eggs left in the dozen or rediscovering an entire carton that was hidden behind a not-so-careful placement of the milk.
But those questions are now answerable. We have a trustworthy (and pretty straightforward) way to judge if your eggs are still cool to use. All you need is a bucket, glass, pot, or swimming pool full of water.
Here's your gauge. Drop an egg into water. If it sinks to the bottom, it's fresh, perfect for poaching and soft-boiling and making souffles. If it stays submerged with its wide end up, it's older but still good for most uses, especially hard-boiling (where the egg is cooked all the way through). If it floats, toss it. That's a bad egg.
More: The 74 Best Egg Recipes Ever
This story originally appeared on Bon Appetit.
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