Are You Still Inspecting Eggs In The Carton At The Store?

[xyz48B]

Is the concern about touching the eggs right now because of COVID? I thought the CDC and WHO have said surface transmission is unlikely. They are going the airborne and aerosol transmission route now. Hence the fuss about masks.

[+ Gar1eth]

Eggs are usually good for a couple of weeks past the date on the carton.

 

I'd say they are good for a long time. There's a trick to check for freshness. Obviously if they smell bad, they are bad. But if they don't smell bad, and you need to check-get a bottle big enough that you could float an egg in-I used to use, if I'm remembering correctly, a large plastic apple juice bottle or V-8 that I had cut off the top 3rd. You fill it with water and drop the egg in it.

 

The test is from this article

 

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/tell-if-eggs-are-bad

 

 

Instructions:

 

"To perform the float test, gently set your egg into a bowl or bucket of water. If the egg sinks, it is fresh. If it tilts upwards or even floats, it is old. This is because as an egg ages, the small air pocket inside it grows larger as water is released and replaced by air."

 

Gman

[+ Gar1eth]

Is the concern about touching the eggs right now because of COVID? I thought the CDC and WHO have said surface transmission is unlikely. They are going the airborne and aerosol transmission route now. Hence the fuss about masks.

 

Unlikely isn't impossible. That's why they tell you to put take-out food into your own dishes and wash your hands thoroughly before eating.

 

Gman

[+ Archer]

I've always been a little bit OCD about cleaning raw foods. Washing eggs and fresh produce after bringing them home from the grocery store or farmer's market is standard procedure. Then everything goes in separate, washable containers in the refrigerator. The original packages get recycled or thrown out.

[craigville beach]

Aren't the dates in Julian format?

 

Gman

 

yes, and the use by date is usually 45 days AFTER they are packaged up. the eggs could have been awaiting packaging for several days (or weeks) prior

[+ Charlie]

I always open the carton and check for cracked eggs, but if I find one, I return the carton to the shelf and try another one. I also pick up and inspect pieces of fruit, check each banana in the clump and pull off the bad ones, test tomatoes to see how soft they are, etc. Why should I pay for something that I will have to throw away when I get home? CoVid isn't going to deprive me of my right to inspect the apples for wormholes!