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I regularly keep raw eggs in my fridge for weeks and sometimes longer than I should. I’m constantly thinking about whether or not those eggs are still edible, so I worry I could mistakenly give myself food poisoning from an egg breakfast.
I learned about the water test a long time ago, probably from my aunt, but it’s been so long I’m not sure where. But this image does it perfectly well.
Screenshots attributed to Curejoy recipes on Facebook
You simply fill a glass with cold water and then drop the egg into it. If it sinks and stays flat on the bottom, it’s a fresh egg, if the egg stands up on one end, then it’s at the point that you need to use it soon or toss it. If the egg is floating, throw it out.
The test works because as the egg ages, the air in the egg shell gets bigger and bigger, so that means it will weigh less and therefore be more likely to float.
The weird thing is that even after passing the water test, I still have a hard time using the egg. It may sink to the bottom, but my mind always second guesses me. Some questions I'll ask even with this test is did I use really cold water? Did I use an adequate amount of cold water? Do I really want to risk getting sick? It’s hard to believe how easy it would be to make myself sick if I were to crack open and use a rotten egg without even knowing it.
Most times I use the eggs because they’ve passed the water test. Each and every time that I am able to use an egg from my fridge, I doubt if the egg has really passed the test even though it has, you can never be too careful but don't also be too paranoid. I still save eggs though so with time I've gotten used to the paranoia.
