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How long do eggs stay fresh?

How Long Do Eggs Stay Fresh?

According to the American Egg Board (www.AEB.org) here's your answer. This is assuming you need to know about raw eggs in their shells and not hard-boiled.

"The oil coating which seals the shell's pores helps to prevent bacteria from entering the egg and reduces moisture loss from the egg. RAW SHELL EGGS REFRIGERATED IN THEIR CARTONS WILL KEEP FOR ABOUT 4 TO 5 WEEKS BEYOND THE PACK DATE WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT QUALITY LOSS. (The pack date is usually a number from 1 to 365 representing the day of the year starting with January 1 as 1 and ending with December 31 as 365.)"

"Properly handled and stored, eggs rarely "spoil". If you keep them long enough, they are more likely to simply dry up! But, don't leave eggs out at room temperature. They'll age more in 1 day at room temperature than they will in 1 week in the refrigerator. Room temperature is also an ideal temperature for bacterial growth."

Comments

7/25/2006 5:27:50 PM
donna said:

thank you....

9/30/2006 8:55:51 AM
Connie said:

thank you this tip was very helpful and saved me from throwing out good eggs.

10/7/2006 3:41:39 PM
patti said:

it answered my question perfectly

10/10/2006 7:33:31 PM
mary said:

Thanks! My mom always said that but I wasn't sure if she was being cheap. She always uses food that has an expired shelf life and is fine.

10/25/2006 8:09:04 AM
gagliardi.john@gmail.com said:

yay for eggs!

1/7/2007 4:57:04 PM
the chicken whisperer said:

thanks for a helpful fact for a novice at poultry
rearing.

4/12/2007 6:03:48 PM
kate said:

thanks before reading this i thought for sure eggs spoiled at the experation date or befor it.

5/3/2007 8:35:45 AM
ANDREA said:

EGGS ARE MY ONE OF MY FAVORITE FOODS! THEY GOOD GOOD WITH JUST ABOUT ANYTHING, OR EVEN BY THEMSELVES. I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION IF ANYONE CAN HELP? HOW LONG DO BOILED EGGS KEEP?

8/3/2007 12:37:18 PM
Fran said:

Thanks.

8/4/2007 4:16:50 AM
Jane said:

Great news - I was running out of recipes!!

8/7/2007 11:07:05 AM
Sandra said:

Just what I needed to know......have 2 dozen....hated to throw out....now I can keep.Thanks

10/12/2007 6:42:55 PM
Partie said:

Yeah but my egg has been known to "Please doctor, why am i wearing funny pants?"

12/1/2007 1:14:42 PM
Mary said:

Thanks - great info.

12/8/2007 5:09:24 AM
Robyn said:

thanks! im doing a food project on eggs for home ec. and that was really useful!

12/22/2007 8:30:19 PM
Nicole said:

Mom always said..."when in doubt, throw it out". Now I'm no longer in doubt.

1/3/2008 5:15:09 PM
John said:

Thanks for the great info. I don't have to throw away my eggs now!

1/22/2008 4:43:07 AM
Dyan said:

Thanks for the info. Now I know how long my home produced eggs will keep fresh for.

1/26/2008 10:33:44 PM
Brian said:

READ CAREFULLY! The AEB is referring to the PACK date, NOT the expiration date (which can vary by retailer). In other words, look only for the three-digit number on the end of the box that tells you what # day of the year the eggs were packaged (001 for Jan. 1, 365 for Dec. 31). Then count 4-5 weeks for the "safe zone." It is NOT 4-5 weeks past the printed expiration date!

11/22/2008 7:56:31 AM
Mike said:

This is a realistic answer. The FDA and USDA are not the final authority in my life over what I eat.

11/26/2008 3:14:37 PM
umm said:

But how long can an egg stay out at room temp. with out rotting??

11/27/2008 6:10:03 PM
Ryan said:

Thats great info for a college guy!!

11/27/2008 6:10:24 PM
Ryan said:

Thats great info for a college guy!!

11/30/2008 2:15:02 AM
Emily said:

Thanks! That was hard-boiled helpful!

12/21/2008 6:40:57 AM
Diane said:

Thank you, didn't want to make anyone sick

1/9/2009 10:05:12 AM
janet said:

I have chickens of my own. It helped me out to know how long my eggs will keep.

1/18/2009 8:41:31 AM
hungry dad & son said:

thanks . . . Big breakfast for the boys at home.

4/21/2009 10:34:07 PM
kim said:

this was so super helpful! i love this website!

4/27/2009 4:16:59 PM
Joan said:

What is the relationship between the "pack date" and the sell-by date? Is the pack date on my package of eggs? The sell-by date is there.

5/13/2009 9:31:33 PM
pilar said:

so the date you talk about is best by or sell by

8/6/2009 3:36:49 PM
jan said:

Not sure if that answered my question or not. I left a fresh carton of eggs gotten at farmers market, not the store out at room temperature overnight. are they ok? I refrigerated them first thing in morning

8/14/2009 9:15:41 AM
sue sue said:

Very informtive.
Is the oil coating also called the "bloom"?
Why isn't the oil coating removed by the washing the farmer performs before transport?

8/28/2009 2:31:26 AM
jane said:

thankyou this was helpful

9/23/2009 10:45:46 PM
Andrew said:

Thanks, saves me throwing out perfectly good eggs.

10/9/2009 1:13:42 PM
April said:

Egg-xactly what I wanted to know- thanks! :-)

7/25/2011 6:30:46 AM
irene said:

I keep hens and people are always asking this question.Thanks.

9/25/2011 8:02:31 PM
Louise said:

There are two ways to test an egg. Place it in a container of water. If it floats a little bit it's OK but if it floats to the top of the bowl it is rotten. The other way is to break the egg into a dish and smell it. If it looks all right and smells all right it's fine.

9/26/2011 11:14:59 PM
ilsher said:

really helpful

12/6/2011 7:27:39 AM
ronald said:

thank you, now i can eat my eggs!

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