Recipes, guides and kitchen know-how. Mostly useful, occasionally silly.
How to Check If Eggs Are Fresh - The Float Test, the Sniff Test and a Lot of Egg Puns
Lower an egg into cold water: if it sinks flat it's fresh, if it stands up it's older but fine, if it floats it's old - so crack it and sniff it before you use it. Plus how long eggs last in the UK, the fridge question and how to freeze eggs.
To check if eggs are fresh, lower one into a bowl of cold water: if it sinks and lies flat it's fresh, if it stands on its end it's older but fine to cook, and if it floats it's old - so crack it onto a plate and sniff it before you use it. That's how to check if eggs are fresh in ten seconds, and it's the most useful thing you'll do with a bowl of water all week.
It matters more than it did last month. Egg prices are up as much as 19% in the shops since early October. Eggs are now so dear the box comes with a payment plan.
So nobody in this house is binning an egg without a fair trial. Aaron wants a jury. Eesha wants it over by lunch.
Here's the whole lot: the float test, the crack test, the sniff test, how long eggs last, whether they go in the fridge, how to freeze them, and what to do with the leftover bits. All eggs-plained. No yolk.
I've tried to keep the puns to a minimum. That was a lie. I've shell-ed out on every one I could find.
Why are eggs so expensive right now?
UK egg prices are rising because feed and production costs have gone up and supply took a hit from bird flu earlier in the year.
The Grocer reported on 5 November that egg lines across the supermarkets have gone up by as much as 19.2% since 5 October. That's not inflation. That's eggs-ploitation.
Government figures had a dozen eggs at an average of 154p in the first three months of 2026, Farmers Weekly reported. Bird flu cut supply early in the year, and the cost of hen feed has kept climbing. Even the hens are feeling the pinch. Mostly in the feathers.
We eat a lot of them. Britain got through about 14.5 billion eggs in 2025, roughly 209 each, says the British Egg Industry Council. Aaron is personally responsible for about 400 of those. He calls it protein. Eesha calls it a problem.
So: when a box costs this much, check before you chuck. Don't put all your eggs in the bin.
The egg float test
Fill a bowl or tall glass with cold water and gently lower the egg in with a spoon: it will sink flat, stand up, or float.
- Sinks and lies flat on its side: very fresh. A few days old. Eggs-cellent.
- Sinks but stands up on its pointy end: a couple of weeks old. Still good - perfect for boiling, as older eggs peel more easily
- Floats to the top: old. Don't bin it yet - crack it into a separate bowl and check it first (see below)
Why it works: an eggshell is full of tiny holes. As an egg ages, moisture slowly escapes and air gets in, so the air pocket at the wide end grows. Bigger air pocket, more buoyancy. The egg is basically wearing armbands.
Isaac worked this out on his own. Nobody taught him. He just eggs-amined it.
One proper warning. The float test tells you how old an egg is, not whether it's safe. The Food Standards Agency's fact checker is clear that it assesses age, not safety, and can't show you whether bacteria have been growing. It's a birth certificate, not a health check.
If eggs float, are they bad?
Not necessarily - a floating egg is old, but it can still be fine to eat; crack it open and smell it before you decide.
The US food safety service, USDA, says a floating egg is poorer quality but may be perfectly safe. Some cooks say bin every floater on sight. It's a hot topic. Well, a cold-water topic.
Our rule: a floater gets one chance. Crack it into a small bowl on its own, never straight into the mixing bowl with the others. If it smells or looks wrong, it goes. If it's fine and inside its date, cook it all the way through. Floaters are for scrambling, not for poaching. Unless you like living on the edge of the pan.
And if it's floating and past its date, don't fight it. Know when to eggs-it.
How to tell if eggs are bad after cracking
Crack it onto a plate: a fresh egg has a tall, domed yolk and a thick white that holds together; an older egg spreads out flat and watery; a bad egg smells rotten.
- The sniff test: the big one. A bad egg smells foul - sulphury, unmistakable, the smell they named a whole category of jokes after. You will not need to sniff twice. Nobody has ever needed to sniff twice.
- Yolk and white: a domed yolk and a firm white means fresh. A flat yolk and runny white means older - still fine, just better scrambled than fried
- Colour: a pink or rainbow sheen on the white means it's spoiled - bin it
- Cloudy white: that's a very fresh egg, not a bad one. Cloudy with a chance of breakfast.
- A blood spot: just a tiny burst blood vessel. USDA says it doesn't mean the egg is unsafe. Lift it out with a bit of shell if it bothers you
Always crack into a separate cup first if you're baking. One bad egg in a cake mix takes the other five down with it. One rotten egg, and the whole sponge is a crime scene.
Erin cracks every egg into her own bowl first. Then she inspects it. Then she issues a ruling. Breakfast takes forty minutes. The eggs have never been safer.
How long do eggs last?
UK eggs carry a best before date no more than 28 days after they were laid, and the FSA says they're safe for a couple of days after that if you cook them thoroughly.
By law, eggs in UK shops have to be sold within 21 days of laying, and the best before date can be no more than 28 days from laying. So the date on the box is the egg's official retirement age.
After the best before date? The FSA says eggs are safe to eat for a couple of days after it, as long as both the white and yolk are cooked thoroughly. A couple of days. Not a couple of weeks. Aaron.
| Eggs | How long they last |
|---|---|
| Raw eggs in the shell | Up to the best before date (max 28 days from laying). A couple of days after, if cooked thoroughly |
| Hard-boiled eggs, shell on or off | Up to 2 days in the fridge (Food Standards Scotland). The US says a week - we're going with the UK |
| Cooked egg dishes (quiche, frittata, egg fried rice) | Cool quickly, fridge, eat within 2 days |
| Raw whites or yolks in a covered tub | 2 to 4 days in the fridge (USDA - there's no UK figure). Or freeze them |
| Raw eggs out of the shell, frozen | Up to a year, best within 4 months (British Egg Information Service) |
So how long do eggs last in the fridge in the UK? Until the best before date, kept in the fridge, in their box. The box isn't packaging. It's a bodyguard.
Do eggs need to be refrigerated?
At home, yes - the FSA says eggs should ideally be kept in the fridge, even though UK shops sell them off an unchilled shelf.
That looks like a contradiction. It isn't. UK eggs aren't washed before they're sold, because washing can damage the shell's natural protective coating. And shops avoid chilling them because a cold egg that warms up again sweats. Condensation is the enemy. The egg is sweating like it's in a job interview.
Once they're home, the FSA says keep them in the fridge at a steady temperature, and avoid big swings - condensation on the shell makes it easier for bacteria like salmonella to get in.
American eggs are different. They're washed and sanitised before sale, which strips that coating, so in the US they have to be refrigerated all the way. Their eggs need a coat. Ours came with one.
- Keep them in the box. Shells are porous and pick up fridge smells. Nobody wants an egg that tastes faintly of last night's curry. Except possibly Dexter.
- Pointy end down. It keeps the yolk centred and the air pocket at the top, where it belongs
- Main shelf, not the door. The door gets warm every time someone stands there staring into the fridge. You know who you are.
- Don't wash them. You'll wash off the protective coating and push muck through the shell. Leave the egg's skincare routine alone.
- Baking? Take them out about 30 minutes before so they're at room temperature, the British Egg Information Service suggests
Can you freeze eggs?
Yes, you can freeze eggs - but never in the shell: crack them out, beat them or separate them, and freeze them in an ice cube tray.
An egg in its shell expands as it freezes and cracks. Frozen solid. Shell-shocked. So it comes out of the shell first. The British Egg Information Service's freezing guide keeps it simple:
- Whole eggs: beat the white and yolk together until just mixed. Don't whip in air. You're making an ice cube, not a soufflé.
- Whites: freeze them as they are. They freeze brilliantly and whip up fine afterwards. Egg whites are the unsung heroes of the freezer.
- Yolks: stir in a pinch of salt (for savoury) or a little sugar (for baking) first. Without it, yolks go thick and gummy and won't mix back in. Label which is which. Salted custard is a mistake you only make once.
- Pour into an ice cube tray, freeze, then pop the cubes into a labelled freezer bag.
Our large silicone ice cube trays are good for this - big square cubes, and they push out without a fight. Easier than most of my relationships with frozen food.
How much is in a cube? The University of Nebraska's freezing guide gives the maths: about 1 tablespoon of yolk mix is 1 yolk, and 2 tablespoons of white is 1 white. A large UK egg (63 to 73g) is roughly 42g of white and 17g of yolk. Ayden has written this on the tray in marker. Ayden has also written it on the table.
Frozen eggs keep up to a year, but use them within 4 months for the best results. Defrost them in the fridge overnight and cook them properly. Never cook straight from frozen, and don't refreeze them. Eggs don't do sequels.
Can you freeze boiled eggs? Not whole. USDA says don't freeze hard-boiled eggs. A boiled egg has done its time. It's not going back in.
What to do with leftover egg whites and yolks
Use leftover whites for meringues, pavlova or a fluffy omelette, and leftover yolks for mayonnaise, aioli, custard or carbonara - or freeze either for later.
- Whites into meringues: our crisp-outside, chewy-middle meringues use four whites. Slightly older whites whip up beautifully. Finally, an upside to getting older.
- Yolks into aioli: the posh garlic mayo needs yolks and nothing else from the egg. Eesha approves. Obviously. It's mostly garlic.
- Yolks into custard: the classic yolk rescue, and it goes on everything in November
- Yolks into carbonara: no cream, ever. The Italians are watching.
- Whole eggs on their last days: Yorkshire puddings or toad in the hole - cooked hot and hard, which is exactly what an older egg needs
Lara has now eaten all the meringues. Ayden would like it on record that he was robbed. The record has been noted. The meringues have not been returned.
Lion eggs and runny yolks
Eggs stamped with the British Lion mark come from hens vaccinated against salmonella, and the FSA says most people - including pregnant women, babies and older people - can eat them runny.
The Lion code started in 1998 and now covers nearly 90% of UK eggs. Each egg is stamped with a code so it can be traced back to the farm. Every egg has a passport. Mine is out of date.
The FSA's advice covers eggs marked British Lion or Laid in Britain, for most people, at home. It doesn't cover people who are severely immunocompromised - they should cook eggs until the white and yolk are solid.
Since August 2026, the FSA has also advised vulnerable people eating out to avoid runny eggs, after a salmonella outbreak linked to imported eggs. At home, with Lion eggs, the soldiers can still go in.
Is my egg fresh? The whole lot on one page
The float test, the sniff test, how long eggs last and where to keep them, all in one picture. Save it, pin it or print it. Aaron has printed it. Aaron has laminated it.
If it goes wrong
Found a cracked egg in the box? A crack lets bacteria straight in.
Fix: Don't use it. The British Egg Information Service says never use cracked or dirty eggs. Check the box before you leave the shop. It's not you, it's the egg. The egg is broken.
Grey-green ring round a boiled yolk? You've overcooked it. It's iron and sulphur meeting at the edge of the yolk.
Fix: It's safe, just not pretty. Next time boil for less and plunge into cold water straight away. A ring isn't a commitment. You can still walk away.
Dropped the whole box? It happens. Usually with a dog nearby.
Fix: Any that survived uncracked are fine. Any that cracked go. Wipe the floor with hot soapy water - raw egg is slippery and not something to leave for the dog. Tyson disagrees. Tyson's opinion was not sought.
Boiled eggs won't peel? Very fresh eggs cling to their shells.
Fix: Use eggs that stand up in the float test - a week or two old - and peel them under cold running water. Finally, a job where being older is the advantage.
Frozen yolks gone thick and gummy? They were frozen without salt or sugar.
Fix: Use them in something cooked and stirred, like scrambled egg or a bake, and add a pinch of salt or sugar before freezing next time. Yolks need a little seasoning before a cold winter. Same as the rest of us.
No idea when you bought them? The box went in the recycling and the date went with it.
Fix: Float test, then crack each into a cup and sniff. Cook them thoroughly. And keep them in the box next time. The box knows things. Respect the box.
A few egg puns for the road
Here are a dozen that didn't fit anywhere else - and if you want the full set, we wrote 100 egg puns and egg jokes. Use responsibly. Or don't. We clearly didn't.
- Eggs-actly. For when someone's right and you hate it.
- Eggs-tra, eggs-tra, read all about it. For any news about eggs. Like this post.
- You're eggs-ceptional. Birthday cards, sorted.
- Don't egg me on. Aaron says this before doing exactly what he was egged on to do.
- Shell we? The only acceptable way to start breakfast.
- Have an egg-cellent weekend. Also works on a Tuesday.
- Eggs-hausted. How you feel after reading this whole post.
- Whisk-y business. What happens when Ayden makes an omelette.
- Omelette you finish. Said by Erin. Never actually true.
- Sunny side up. Eesha's mood. Allegedly. Once. In 2019.
- Eggs-istential crisis. When the egg floats and you don't know what to believe any more.
- Walking on eggshells. Our kitchen floor, after Tyson.
Why did the egg hide? It was a little chicken. Isaac told that one. Quietly. It was the best joke at the table, and he knew it.
What do you call an egg that tells jokes? A practical yolker.
Why don't eggs tell each other secrets? They might crack up.
What did the egg say to the frying pan? You crack me up.
Why did the egg get thrown out of class? It kept telling yolks. Eesha gave it detention. Then she gave me detention for writing it.
Egg questions people actually ask
Do fresh eggs sink or float?
Fresh eggs sink and lie flat. The older the egg, the more it tilts up, until eventually it floats. It's the only time sinking is a good sign.
How long do boiled eggs last?
Up to 2 days in the fridge, shell on or off, says Food Standards Scotland. American sites say a week. In the UK, go with two. A boiled egg is not a long-term relationship.
Can you eat eggs after the best before date?
Yes, for a couple of days, the FSA says, if you cook both the white and yolk thoroughly. That's best before, not use by. It's a suggestion, not a deadline. But it's a firm suggestion.
How can you tell if an egg is bad without cracking it?
The float test gives you its age, and a floater is worth a closer look. But only cracking and smelling tells you if it's actually gone off.
Does an egg smell bad if it's off?
Yes, unmistakably, raw or cooked. If you're not sure whether it smells, it doesn't. A bad egg doesn't whisper.
Should you wash eggs?
No. UK eggs keep their natural protective coating, and washing them strips it off. If one is muddy, the British Egg Information Service says don't use it.
What do brown and white eggs have to do with freshness?
Nothing. Shell colour depends on the breed of hen. Judging an egg by its shell is just rude.
Why do eggs go in the fridge at home but not in the shop?
Shops keep them at a steady temperature so they don't sweat. At home, the fridge is the steadiest place you've got. See the fridge section above.
What sizes do UK eggs come in?
Small (under 53g), medium (53 to 63g), large (63 to 73g) and very large (73g and over). Check which size your recipe means. Aaron buys very large. He says it's for value. It's for ego.
That's the lot. Float it for age, crack and sniff it for safety, keep it in the box in the fridge, and freeze what you can't use. Aaron now does the float test every morning. On every egg. Including the ones in the cake.
Now go and cook something. Or, at the very least, crack on.
