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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I inadevvertently ate an egg that was 2 months out of date.

38 replies

SolidGoldBrass · 08/01/2015 00:33

It didn't ming when I cracked it and it didn't taste funny, but according to the box it should have been eaten before Halloween. AIBU to be slightly concerned (not that I am going to shortly puke my ring up, because I ate it for lunch on Tuesday and only realised about an hour ago) that it must have been irradiated or genetically modified or something not to have been rotten by now...

OP posts:
damnandblast · 08/01/2015 00:35

I fed DP an out of date egg the other day (though only by a month!) And he was fine too. Seems eggs are more hardy than we realise.

BouleSheet · 08/01/2015 00:37

Hmmm, I never trust veg that doesn't go off within a few days. My mother always says that best before dates are a new fangled idea but I'm not sure even she (who has tins of things 7 years plus ood in her cupboards) would be so blase about an egg! Still, you've lived to tell the tale and maybe you too will have eternal youth or live well beyond your bbd.

Teeb · 08/01/2015 00:38

Hmm. Could the egg have been placed in an old box? I've done that sometimes.

Thumbwitch · 08/01/2015 00:39

Eggs are a LOT more hardy than you give them credit for in general. They don't go off for ages in most cases. The use by date has to accommodate the ones that might go off (and even then they can be rotten and still "in date", or have listeria infection (green tinge to the albumen).

I always go by sight, smell and how shrivelled the yolk is with eggs. I don't even look at the use by date.

AGnu · 08/01/2015 00:41

Was the egg kept in the fridge? They really can keep for a surprising length of time if stored appropriately!

Original poster
SolidGoldBrass · 08/01/2015 00:45

Yes it was in the fridge. Definitely wasn't in an old box because that isn't something I do (there's only me and DS living in the house and DS wouldn't touch an eggbox) Thanks for various reassurances. It can't have actually been 'off' or it would have stunk - I fried it.

OP posts:
LongDistanceLove · 08/01/2015 00:45

I'd think you'd know if it was off, I cracked an egg that looked a little iffy but was ok, the next egg was rotten I mean black and rancid. If it smells ok, looks ok then it probably is.

NeedABumChange · 08/01/2015 00:46

Eggs last yonks after the date. Ignore the dates on egg boxes. Eggs with the same dates can be weeks different in age. If it smells okay when cracked then it's fine.

DodgedAnAsbo · 08/01/2015 00:47

If there is no beak, you're ok

CLJ52 · 08/01/2015 00:50

My sister is a chef (quite well known) and says eggs keep for weeks. She would say if it looks fine, smells fine then it is fine.

SabrinaMulhollandJjones · 08/01/2015 00:53

I'm always surprised by how 'soon' the sell by date for eggs is. IME eggs last for ages - I wonder if it's from the salmonella in eggs scare?

I only once came across a bad egg, and the yolk was completely black.

Thumbwitch · 08/01/2015 00:56

Yes Sabrina, it is primarily from the salmonella situation.

I cracked open an egg a few weeks ago that was within date but still had listeria infection - I know what it looks like, slightly fluorescent green albumen as opposed to the usual clear/slightly yellow tinge - obviously didn't use it. I've been caught out with one before, and also a fertilised egg (blood in the egg) - so now I always crack eggs into a separate glass before adding them to whatever they need to be added to.

bluesbaby · 08/01/2015 01:15

I always do the water test, regardless, as well as sight/smell test.

Deep bowl or cup of water, if the egg floats the shell is too pourous and it'll be off. If it sits up and doesn't completely sink you should use it very soon. Quick sinker - should be totally fine, the shell is still intact.

TallulahTwinkletoes · 08/01/2015 01:18

DP used to eat eggs months and months out of date. You'll be fine.

The only reason he stopped is because he gets through them so quickly nowadays, they don't have time to go out of date. Grin

JeanneDeMontbaston · 08/01/2015 01:21

You'll be fine!

Many of the eggs we eat are months old.

ShebaRabbit · 08/01/2015 01:28

Blood in an egg is perfectly normal and doesn't mean its been fertilised.
Older eggs are better for making meringues.

Topseyt · 08/01/2015 01:34

No problem. If it didn't smell or look off when cracked open then it should be fine.

Personally I think best before dates can often be pretty arbitrary. I am known to adopt the check, sniff and feel it technique myself. It hasn't let me down yet.

Naoko · 08/01/2015 02:23

Totally fine. I made egg fried rice with eggs dated Oct 23rd yesterday. That's a bit much even for me but they didn't float and they didn't smell when I cracked them so they were fine. I was surprised that they were ok when I tested them, I will admit. Use by dates on eggs are a complete fiction.

differentnameforthis · 08/01/2015 02:48

When you consider that eggs can be months old before they even reach your shopping basket, a few more won't make any difference.

Darkandstormynight · 08/01/2015 02:51

Only two months? I've eaten them 4 months and they were fine.

Fourarmsv2 · 08/01/2015 07:34

DH are greens eggs after months under water (submariner). Still here :)

Fourarmsv2 · 08/01/2015 07:34

*green

natwebb79 · 08/01/2015 07:56

I want to know who CLJ52's sister is now. ..

Branleuse · 08/01/2015 08:05

youd know if it was bad. Youll be fine. If theyee stored properly they last ages

LizzieMint · 08/01/2015 08:19

There's a blogger who did a test on the different methods of storing and preserving eggs to see which worked best and lasted longest, and storing them in the fridge came out on top, iirc it was 9 months before they started to go bad. Egg best before dates are bonkers