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Eggs actually last a lot longer than most people think, and even longer when they are stored in the right way. But, what is the right way? How long do eggs last, and is there even a best way to store them? Where do you keep yours – in the fridge, or on the counter at room temperature?
Why don’t we take a little peek and learn more?
The Dates and Numbers
To start with, all eggs have a date. You will find this on the packaging or carton, and it will be an “expiration date” or “sell-by date”.
This is the date the producer or seller of the eggs recommends selling or eating them before, but eggs usually do last longer than that.
Image by Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay
To protect themselves and guarantee the safety of consumers, eggs and many other food products are given a sell-by or expiration date by producers or manufacturers.
This date will be considerably shorter than the length of time the food is expected to be safe to eat for, but businesses don’t want you to get sick, so they keep well within the safe limits.
The sell-by or expiration date can be a couple of weeks from the date they were packed, but experts believe that eggs can be eaten for around five weeks of being laid and packed.
There will be a three-digit number on the egg packaging which corresponds to the day of the year.
It is safe to eat the eggs, usually, for four to five weeks after the “pack date”.
Practical Tests
If you buy eggs and then put them in the fridge, or into another container, you may not know the sell-by or expiration date. As well as smelling the eggs to ensure they don’t smell “bad”, you can also pop them into a bowl of water. Floating eggs are not safe to eat, but eggs that sink to the bottom are.
Image by Wokandapix from Pixabay
You will also find other methods of finding out how safe eggs are to eat in this article: How Can You Tell When an Egg Has Gone Bad?
How Long Do Eggs Last?
Eggs last longer when they are stored in the fridge rather than at room temperature.
At room temperature, you can expect eggs to last up to two or three weeks.
In the fridge, however, they can last for up to five weeks and sometimes more.
You should also store them in the cartons or packaging they were sold in (if they were sold in packaging). The soft packaging not only helps to keep the eggs safe, but also prevents cross-contamination of things like odours.
As a final note, you can also freeze eggs to make them last longer.