I just went thru this "how old is the egg?" on another topic. Don't have hens yet and have to buy them from other chicken people, and yesterday bought 2 dozen from a lady who had them on the countertop and not refrigerated. She assured me these were laid this week, but i was sceptical and consulted the experts on this site. They taught me how to do the float test and I'm glad they did because one was definitely bad and half the others weren't as fresh as she told me but they still sunk. Then I just read about how all those eggs I just dipped in cold salt water probably had the 'bloom' washed off, but after reading all afternoon, I understand that once they are washed or dipped in water (as the manufacterers do), that you just need to refrigerate them. Hope this helps.