Ever wonder how you can tell if an egg is bad? You may have heard the egg floating test which claims that if an egg sinks in water, it's good to eat, but if it floats in water, you should throw it away.
How to Tell if an Egg is Bad
Is this a valid test? Unfortunately it is not so simple. As an egg ages, gasses are released and the overall density of the egg decreases. Thus it is true that an older egg is more likely to float, but this does not necessarily mean the egg is bad. According to the Government of South Australia Health Department:
"Fact: There is no way of knowing whether there are bacteria in or on an egg, and Salmonella can be present whether it sinks or floats."
Thus the floating egg test doesn't mean an egg is bad. It could be, but so could a sinking egg. The only way to tell is to open it up. If it looks odd or smells bad, you have a bad egg. If not, then the egg is probably still good.
This summer my daughters and I are going to test this by seeing how long it takes a fresh egg to sink/float, but refrigerated and not. Results will be posted here.
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