Rotten Eggs?

I would have thrown them away, almost 3 mths old is too long

Lisa, to my limited knowledge eggs are only good up to approximately 2 weeks past the sell by date. The sell by date only tells the store when to get rid of the product but it may have been on the shelf for two weeks before you bought it. Most eggs are only good for 30-45 days total.

Lisa,
The sell-by date is just that -- the store should not be selling anything after that date. But, although I don't have exact numbers, most dairy products should be perfectly fine for another couple of weeks at least, and eggs for another month, provided they're kept properly refrigerated. But three months is longer than I'd risk.

Run a google search on "sell by date" and let us know what you find.

I forgot to add that applies if they are kept in the original container, otherwise the shelf life is shorter.

I am told that you can tell if an egg is rotten by whether or not it floats in water. Not sure if this is true or not, but I have never had a problem with my eggs going bad and I am sure I have had them in the fridge for at least a month on a regular basis. Probably not as old as you stated though. Not sure if I would eat them when they are that old though. Unsure.

Skirnir

the egg is rotten if it floats in water while it is still in the intact schell. it is gross to see this because eggs normally stay on the bottom of the pan that is full of water.

I think 3 months is way too long...but as long as you are feeling well right now that's the important thing..

Back in April and May 2003, I wrote two articles about eggs and did quite a bit of research. I found the following info by calling the American Egg Board and they sent me a copy of the Eggcyclopedia

Egg carton dating:
Cartons with the USDA grademark must display a Julian date - the date the eggs were packed.

Although not required, they may also carry an expiration date beyond which the eggs should not be sold.

On cartons with the USDA grademark, this date cannot exceed 30 days after the pack date. Some supermarkets and/or packers use a date less than 30 days after packing for their expiration date.

To find out what the Julian (packing) date is on your egg carton look on the short side of the carton - in the Julian calendar the consecutive days of the year starts with 001 for January 1 and end in 365 for December 31.

So if the short end of the carton says 243 it means the eggs were packed on the two hundredth and 43th day of the year....or August 31. Add the USDA regulation of sell by date of no more than 30 days. Eggs marked with the Julian date of 243 can be sold legally by the stores until September 30th.

Eggs can be safely used for a couple of 2-3 weeks or so after the sell by or expiration date.

Source: the Eggcyclopedia - published by the American Egg Board - www.aeb.org in 1999

I've used eggs at least that old and they are fine. I think the less than stellar taste can be laid 100% on the use of soy milk. Even the raw sugar wasn't so bad, nor the eggs, but soy milk is downright nasty in recipes calling for genuine cow juice. Mind you, I have enjoyed drinking soy milk for what it is, but would never put it on cereal or in coffee or otherwise try to pretend it is genuine cow juice.

If you have any more of those older eggs, freely use them in baking as long as they don't smell rotten--and the rotten smell is unmistakable!

I know eggs can be used up to a month after the expiration date and still be good. I am not sure about any date after that. I would probably throw them out.

I would have thrown them out as well.

Those should have been thrown away!

Thanks for the comments. Luckily there were only three of the "bad" eggs left, so they're all gone. So far we're still feeling OK but if I'm around the kitchen in the future we won't chance it. I need to get better about cleaning out the fridge (when the boy's not around!)

...I don't take chances on "expiration dates"...I had a friend experience a bad case of food poisoning and after seeing her, I certainly don't to have that to happen to my family....it isn't worth it!

"Sell by" does not mean "consume by" however, my sentiments are with the grandmother on this one. I was sent on travel duty for several months, the hurricane hit, power went out but the half and half was still good.
Another trick: test it on the dog. Their sense of smell is better than ours.

I have very little sense of smell, and have to rely on sell-by dates and visual cues to evaluate food freshness.

I always crack eggs into a seperate bowl or cup before I put them in a recipe or mix. A egg that has 'gone off' will look bad. An egg that is not fresh but still usable will be more runny pr watery than a fresh egg.

Thanks for the floating tip!

The floating egg test is the best. I keep eggs until they float - and I even test new cartons because I've had a bad egg (the yolk was neon green) in a brand new batch before.

My sister was in the Peace Corps in Africa and she did as the locals - kept eggs at room temperature (ie hot) for months at a time and if they didn't float, she used them! Still alive to tell the tale too, so I'm not as concerned about it as I might otherwise be.