Eggs that float

[Dollie 1]

Can anyone tell me if there is anything wrong with eggs that float to the top of the water,they haven't been boiled yet.

 

[Jetblack2004]

I normally go with the following:
If they sink, they're fine
If they float, they're not

If your eggs float to the top, I'd toss them.

-Jet

 

[Ridgerunner]

The older the egg the more moisture it loses. If it loses enough moisture it will float. Whether it floats or not, or stands upright on the bottom with the air cell on top, is a test of age, not whether it is good or not. There is one exception to this. There are always exceptions.

The older the egg the easier it usually is to peel when you boil it. Fresh eggs can be hard to peel.

The way an egg goes bad is that bacteria gets inside the egg and multiplies. If bacteria does not get inside the egg does not go bad. A hen can lay eggs in a hidden nest to get enough to hatch, the older eggs may be two weeks or more older. Then she sits on them for three more weeks to hatch them. Ducks and turkeys go longer. If bacteria gets inside at any time during this process the egg goes bad. Incubation temperature is really a great temperature for bacteria growth. Just because it is old does not mean the egg is bad.

The exception is that if bacteria gets inside and multiplies, it will produce a gas. That can cause the egg to float even of it is not that old. Usually if this happens you can small the rotten egg smell through the porous shell. Usually a foul liquid is seeping out of the egg, pushed out by that gas.

So treat any egg that floats with some suspicion. If it passes the smell test I would not worry too much but some of that depends on how old it is and how it has been stored. A refrigerated egg is usually too cold for that bacteria to multiply but one stored at room temperature could be at more risk.

 

[Dollie 1]

Thank you for the advice