Myth: Bad eggs will float / good eggs will sink

[HugHess]

hi.

i was searching about this on google and found this. i took the time to create an account just to share my thoughts. i must say that there's no such thing as "air cells" air is a combination of different gases, a cell is a completely different thing.

that is just plain stup1d.

have a nice day.

cell - definition of cell by The Free Dictionary
www.thefreedictionary.com/cell
A narrow confining room, as in a prison or convent. 2. A small enclosed cavity or space, such as a compartment in a honeycomb or within a plant ovary or an ...

'Stupid' is one with a narrow judgmental mind...

 

[Outpost JWB]

I found a hidden nest in my yard with 9 eggs! I floated them and they all laid flat on the bottom. Went to use them, 8 were fine but one was blue/green and so funky I had to air out the house.


THAT ROTTEN @$$ EGG DID NOT FLOAT AT ALL

Thanks for this post. My daughter just found a nest in the back of our property. I did the float test and they all sank and stayed at the bottom. I will make sure to do the sniff test 1st too

. Maybe crack them open outside!

 

[Pam Dahle]

We have always had chickens. I am retired and grew up having chickens as well. I do think when an egg floats that it is not necessarily bad or rotten just older. In the Asian culture there is a tradition of eating 100 year old eggs. I have eaten eggs that float many times and can not tell any difference in the flavor and it has never made me sick but I can tell in how the yolk lies flat rather than rounded.

 

[Pam Dahle]

I usually always crack my eggs open into a bowl before cooking them. But of course this will not work for wanting boiled eggs! Since we have chickens I am able to have control over the eggs being fresh or not so I don't worry about this too much unless we have kept to many eggs in the outdoor frig and forgetting to date them on the cartons.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Yes, it is a myth that Bad eggs will float and good eggs will sink.
The adage should be: OLD eggs will float and FRESH eggs will sink. BUT, it is probably statistically more likely for an old egg to be bad than a fresh egg, so it may be true STATISTICALLY; but I hate statistics.

Would an Ovascope (for candling eggs) help to check if an egg has gone to the dark side?

I will probably need to buy one to check eggs for DH - he refuses to eat an egg with a meat-spot. The neighbor gave us some fresh eggs, and DH fed a couple to the dog because they had a small meat spot near the yolk. I almost strangled him! I guess his yuck level is set much lower than mine...

 

[DrTacosMD]

It has to do with age in a more arid environment. Low humidity = more evaporation of water out of egg = bigger air cell = more buoyant.

I heard the opposite is true for more humid environments.

But regardless, this only tells you age or freshness. The egg may not have actually gone bad.

 

[Raggedyroad]

I want to boil my 3 - 4 week old eggs so I can't crack them 1st to make sure they are safe. Suggestions?

 

[Sutremaine]

Boil then crack? If you're concerned about one breaking open in the water and tainting the others, you could put some water inside a small bag, add the egg and seal it up, then boil all the bags.

 

[marymac]

I just got done washing my batch of fresh eggs eggs from a few days ago and fresh eggs from today I can testify to the fact that fresh eggs will float I don't know why I had seven floaters that came from the fresh eggs and they are always the same type of egg slightly distorted feel like they are light in weight and when I crack them open the shell is real thin and sometimes the yoke breaks on impact The white is thick and clear and no smell other than the fact that it floated in the sink The white is thick and clear and no smell other than the fact that it floated in the sink So I'm convinced there are other reasons and egg may float especially if it is a fresh egg

 

[Toddrick]

I want to boil my 3 - 4 week old eggs so I can't crack them 1st to make sure they are safe.  Suggestions?

A lot of the confusion over bad eggs that do not float seems to be caused by eggs left outdoors in an uncontrolled environment. I believe that the float test is highly reliable if all your eggs have been stored in doors, and especially so if refrigerated. While fresh eggs can be left on the countertop for over a month and still be edible, I believe they can be good for three times as long refrigerated.