Helpful Sundays - Eggs

I always have several dozen in my fridge at any given time (I have been known to actually use two dozen in a few days). I am lucky that I get a good portion of my eggs from my in-laws who have a farm in North Georgia (at least when the darling hens actually lay them). This means I get eggs in various sizes and colors (green eggs anyone?) but it also means that I don't have an expiration date on a carton so I can determine if the eggs are good. There is a easy test that you can do to determine if an egg is good instead of just going by the date printed on the carton.

Fill a glass or bowl with water and carefully drop the egg into the water. If the egg floats, then it isn't good to eat. If the egg stays on the bottom then go ahead and crack that sucker.

I should mention that the FDA has guidelines for eggs and the website states that even if the egg floats you can crack it open and smell it. If it smells okay, then its okay to eat. I don't know about you but the smell of a rotten egg is horrible so I just go by what my lovely mother-in-law told me about floating eggs being bad.

It's possible I am the last person to know about this lovely test and I am just sharing something that is old news to everyone but hopefully that isn't the case. I consider this a great money saver since I always have so many eggs on hand. With a little but of internet searching there are several products that are still good after the expiration date (as long as they are stored correctly).

Other important things regarding eggs:

Blood spots are common and are totally safe. However, it is always good to crack eggs into a separate bowl.

3 small eggs equals 2 large eggs

A half an egg equals 2 Tablespoons of a beaten egg

Egg substitutes can be used in recipes that don't require cooking of an egg if you are worried about salmonella or you can heat the eggs in a liquid from the recipe, stirring until the mixture reaches 160 degrees.

I hope you learned something and find the egg test as useful as I have over the last couple of years. Now back to baking. Don't be afraid of cracking some eggs.