Here’s a concise guide to tell if an egg is bad, with practical checks you can perform at home. Direct answer
- Do a sniff test: if the egg has a noticeable sour, sulfurous, or rotten odor, discard it. A good egg should have little to no smell when cracked into a clean plate. If in doubt, throw it out.
- Inspect the shell: look for cracks, sliminess, or powdery/decolorated spots. Cracked or slimy shells can harbor bacteria, so discard those eggs.
- Perform the float test (in water): place the egg in a bowl of cold water.
- Sinks and lies flat on the bottom: very fresh or still good.
- Stands on end or sinks but adheres to the bottom: still safe but not very fresh; use soon.
- Floats: likely bad and should be discarded.
- Check the contents after cracking: once cracked, if the white is unusually runny, the yolk is discolored, or there’s an off odor, discard. Fresh eggs have a thick white and a rounded, centered yolk.
- Hard-boiled eggs have a shorter safe window: store in the fridge and consume within about one week; if they develop an off odor, sliminess, or a gray-green yolk, discard.
Quick tips
- Keep eggs refrigerated to maximize freshness and reduce bacterial growth.
- Wash hands, utensils, and surfaces after handling eggs to prevent cross-contamination.
- When in doubt, err on the side of safety and discard.
If you’d like, I can tailor these checks to how you store eggs (fridge temp, whether they’re shell eggs or pasteurized, etc.) or explain any of the tests in more detail.
