You can keep eggs fresh in your fridge for several months.
However, if your eggs do go bad, you need to throw them out.
Eating them could make you very sick.
There are several ways to dispose of rotten, expired eggs properly. You should use the method that makes the most sense with what you have at home.
What Do I Do With Old Eggs?
When you crack an egg and experience a rotten smell- don’t cook with it!
You’ll instead need to dispose of it. Many people even save the shells for composting, as they contain a lot of nutrients.
You should only toss rotten eggs; don’t feed them to your pets. Animals can also get very sick from them.
How to Tell if an Egg is Bad
There’s an easy method to tell if your eggs went bad.
Fill a large pot with cold water, then gently set your eggs inside.
If they’re still good, the eggs will sink. However, rotten eggs will rise to the top of your pot.
The bad eggs rise because they have a large gap of air inside.
The egg membrane separates from the inner shell over time, creating an empty pocket.
When the gap gets too large, it causes the eggs to float in the water.
This method is quick and gives you accurate results every time.
You can also look for unusual colors in the egg after cracking it open.
If you notice any green or pink spots, the egg contains many bacteria, and you shouldn’t eat it. You might also smell something foul when you open a rotten egg.
Many people describe the smell as being similar to sulfur.
Ways to Dispose of Expired Eggs
There are plenty of ways to get rid of your old eggs.
You should always ensure that you get rid of them as soon as you find out that they’re rotten.
If you leave the eggs for too long, they’ll start to smell awful! Eggs stink even when left in the fridge.
Here are three ways to dispose of your old eggs:
1. Throw Them in the Trash
This method is the one that people use the most often. If you have many eggs to dispose of, simply throw them in your trash bin.
You’ll want to take the garbage out soon so they don’t start to stink.
2. Use Your Garbage Disposal
If you use garbage disposal at home, you can always use that to get rid of your raw eggs.
Simply crack the eggs open and pour them down the drain.
You should never put eggshells into the sink, as they can clog it and harm your disposal system. Throw the shells in the garbage or compost them.
This method works great for getting rid of a few eggs at a time.
You’ll need to take care not to overload your garbage disposal. If you don’t have one of these systems on your sink, you’ll need to dispose of them differently.
3. Compost the Eggs
You can also compost old eggs. Dig a two to a three-inch deep hole in the dirt, then bury the old eggs. You’ll also want to cover them well since animals can smell them.
Composting eggs is always a great idea.
The egg deposits a ton of nutrients into the ground and keeps the waste clean.
If you’re composting other food items, adding old eggs to the mix helps prevent bacteria from growing in the dirt.
How Long Do Eggs Last?
When stored in your fridge, eggs last well past the expiration date on their cartons.
The USDA says that they’re the freshest between three and five weeks after that date.
However, you can still eat eggs well after the sell-by date.
As long as the eggs aren’t rotten, you can eat them about a month past the sell-by date.
Two months is still sometimes fine, although you’ll need to perform tests to ensure the food isn’t bad. Overall, eggs last a lot longer than we think!
What Happens If You Eat an Old Egg?
You should never eat an old egg. Spoiled eggs can cause salmonella infections in people, which lead to serious illness.
You’d experience vomiting, fever, and diarrhea, leading to a trip to the hospital!
You may not experience these symptoms right away.
Salmonella takes between six hours and six days for symptoms to arise.
If you suspect you have food poisoning, the best course of action is to contact your doctor right away.
Depending on how rotten the egg was, your symptoms could be very severe.
Overall, you shouldn’t risk your health on eggs. It’s best to check their expiration date or perform a test on them.
If the eggs aren’t fresh, you should throw them out.
What Happens If You Eat Rotten Cooked Eggs?
You can still get a salmonella infection from eating rotten eggs that you cook.
Lightly cooked or raw eggs pose the highest risk.
However, thoroughly cooked eggs are less risky since salmonella doesn’t last in the heat.
That said, it’s best not to take risks with your health. If you suspect an egg is rotten, pitch it instead of cooking it!
Final Thoughts
There are plenty of ways to dispose of your old eggs.
You can throw them in the trash, pour them down the garbage disposal, or compost them.
No matter what you do, you should never eat spoiled food.
