That carton of eggs you purchased to make egg bites or an
omelet may be one of the items in your refrigerator that lasts the longest.
Experts say that the eggs are probably still safe to eat even after a few weeks
(or longer!) have passed. According to Elisa Maloberti, manager of special
projects and food safety at the American Egg Board, "One of the great
things about eggs is they'll keep for more than a month when properly stored.
What you need to know about eggs and expiration dates is outlined here.
How to
Date Eggs
To ensure that stores don't keep eggs on shelves after a
particular period, Maloberti said some egg cartons have expiration dates on
them. "However, eggs can be consumed without risk two to three weeks after
that time. The expiration date may be indicated as Sell By, Use By, Exp. By, or
Best By depending on where you live.
If you want to learn more, you should be aware that
Department of Agriculture-graded egg producers are required to put a Julian
date, or the day of the year the eggs were packed, on their cartons. If an
expiration date is printed on the egg cartons, it cannot be more than 30 days
after the pack date.
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Fresh eggs are acceptable to eat four to five weeks past the
carton's Julian date as long as they are kept adequately chilled at 40°F or lower,
according to Maloberti. Where can I discover that date? The number 001 stands
for January 1 and the number 365 for December 31. It is typically located on
the short side of the carton.
How to Make Eggs Last Longer in Freshness
All eggs must be kept in a refrigerator that is set to a
temperature of no higher than 40°F. According to Maloberti, it can also matter
where the eggs are kept in the refrigerator. The inside of the door is not the best
position for them; an interior shelf is, according to her. Temperature changes
are brought on by frequent opening and closing of the door, and eggshell
shattering might occur when it is slammed shut. She also advises just leaving
things in the container they arrived in for easy storage. As well as preventing
moisture loss, she claims that cartons will stop eggs from absorbing aromas and
odors from other foods.
Could
that be a bad egg?
How exactly do eggs lose their quality? An eggshell
possesses countless minute pores that let air travel through, according to Maloberti.
The egg will gradually lose its quality as it ages. The yolk membrane
deteriorates, the white gets thinner, and the white and yolk both get flatter.
Although these alterations may influence look, they don't signify spoiling and
don't significantly affect the egg's nutritional value or how well it works in
recipes.
Even though eggs seldom go bad, she points out
that if you leave them in the fridge for a long enough period, they're
more likely to just dry out from the natural exchange of gas and moisture via
the shell pores.
When you breach the shell, you'll eventually discover nothing but a yellow shine on the interior, she predicts—probably in a year or more.
Use only eggs with spotless, intact, and debris-free shells.
If you come upon a cracked and leaky egg, throw it away immediately away.
Additionally, it's a good idea, according to her, to "discard any eggs
with shells that don't look or feel clean and dry. In addition, powdery specks
that come off on your hand, regardless of color, may suggest mold if they have
a slimy feel.
ALSO READ: Is There Any Benefit to Eating Egg Yolks
Can I
Get Sick From Eating This Egg?
Maloberti asserts that, if salmonella bacteria are present
at all, they may be found in both the egg white and yolk: "If eggs are
kept at warm temperatures, it's conceivable for bacteria to reach the
nutrient-dense yolk, where it may proliferate over time. Internal
contamination, however, happens very infrequently in a clean, uncracked egg
that has been kept refrigerated and in which cross-contamination has been avoided.
Why
It's Easy to Peel Older Eggs
It can be difficult to peel a hard-boiled egg, particularly
if parts of the shell continue to adhere to the egg white, resulting in a completed
product with pockmarks. Buying them a week in advance of boiling is the key, claims
Maloberti, for an easier peel. Very fresh eggs can be challenging to peel, she
warns. Buy eggs and store them in the fridge for 7 to 10 days before boiling for
the simplest peeling. The eggs have just a moment to "breathe," which
helps the membranes split from the shell by giving them time to breathe in air.
Hard-boiled eggs, whether peeled or not, should be stored for up to a week in
the refrigerator, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
ALSO READ: How to Cook Eggs For Diabetics Patients
Final
Conclusion
An excellent and healthy source of protein is eggs. There
is an expiration date on each carton of eggs, but if they are properly stored
at 40°F or lower, they should remain safe to eat for longer—typically two to
three weeks. Use one of these delectable egg dishes to use up the eggs you have
in your refrigerator.
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