How to Tell If An Egg Has Gone Bad

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3️⃣ Watch What Happens

✅

Lies flat on the bottom

Fresh!

Less than a week old — perfect for poaching or soufflés

✅

Stands upright on the bottom

Still good

, but older (1–3 weeks). Great for scrambled eggs, baking, or hard-boiling

❌

Floats to the top

Toss it.

Too much air has built up — it’s past its prime and could be spoiled

🔬 Why the Float Test Works (The Science Bit)

Inside every egg is a small air pocket between the two membranes at the blunt end.

As an egg ages:

Moisture evaporates through tiny pores in the shell

The air pocket gets bigger

This makes the egg more buoyant

So when it floats?

That air cell has grown so large, it lifts the whole egg — like a tiny life raft made of bad decisions.

🪦 Floating doesn’t always mean it’s rotten…

But it means it’s old, dried out, and best avoided.

🧴 Other Ways to Check Egg Freshness

If you’re already cooking, here are two more methods:

👀 Crack It Open