Are you concerned your eggs are expired and wondering what to do with them? In this article you will learn what you can do with expired eggs.
We will also cover how to tell if your expired eggs have gone bad.
How To Check If Your Eggs Have Gone Bad
So let’s get something straight first. Store bought eggs come with an expiration date, but being past that date does not mean your eggs have gone bad.
They may still be perfectly safe to eat, so first let’s go over how to tell if your eggs have actually gone bad or not.
Perform the Float Test
The most reliable way to check if your eggs have gone bad is to use the float test.
Fill a large container with water. Make sure it’s large enough to fully submerge each egg you are testing.
Using large spoon, place each egg in the water being careful not to crack them. It’s best to test only one or two eggs at a time.
If the egg stays at the bottom, on it’s side, it is good and safe to eat.
If your egg sinks to the bottom but stands up on one end, it is safe to hard boil.
If it floats then your egg has gone bad and you should read on for what to do with your expired eggs.
Why Do Expired Eggs Float?
The inside of eggs are porous and as time goes on, these areas fill with air. Eggs also contain sulfur and over time that sulfur turns into hydrogen sulfide.
This gas, along with the air, allow your eggs to float in water.
How To Use Expired and Spoiled Eggs
So now you know for sure that your eggs have gone rotten. But what do you do with them?
You do not have to throw spoiled eggs away. They can still serve a valuable purpose if you use them to make fertilizer and to feed chickens.
You read that right. You can feed your expired eggs to your chickens.
First thing to do is to cook them. So either hard boil them or crack them and scramble them up.
Once they have been cooked and cooled, you can feed them to your chickens. They are not only safe to feed to your chickens but they are quite nutritious as well.
And don’t throw away the shells!
Egg shells can be added to your compost heap or added directly to the soil of your garden.
Egg shells contain a number of nutrients that are great for vegetable gardens. In fact, famers have been adding egg shells to their fertilizer for years with great results.
I don’t recommend adding whole eggs to your garden for two reasons. They stink. and if your garden is near your home you will smell rotten eggs.
Second, whole eggs will attract possum, raccoon, and other nuisance animals to your garden. And those animals will dig up your garden to get to the eggs and wreak havoc on your vegetables.
How To Keep Your Eggs From Going Bad
So how do you keep your eggs from going bad next time?
I hate throwing out food so I have spent a good deal of time learning how to preserve food to reduce waste.
Most people will store their eggs at room temperature or in the refrigerator. At room temp they will last about two weeks. In the fridge they will last about four weeks.
But if you will not eat all your eggs in that time you will need another storage option.
Freeze Your Eggs
That’s right. You can freeze your eggs and it’s a great way to keep your eggs from going bad if you won’t be eating them in time for fridge storage.
First you will need to cook your eggs. I’ve found scrambled works best for freezing.
Once your eggs are scrambled, put them in freezer safe bags and seal them. Label them with today’s date and pop them in the freezer.
Your eggs will stay good for up to three months.
Bottom Line
When it comes to using expired eggs you don’t have a lot of options. But they make great chicken food and compost. Just follow the float test found above first though.