How bad is it to use eggs 3 weeks out of date in a cake

[yellowflowers]

Have a load of bananas to use up so going to make banana loaf - have eggs three weeks out of date in fridge. IS it bad to use them? I am pregnant but they will be well cooked. What if I was not pregnant - could I use them then?

they;ll be fine! crack them into a little dish first. as long as they don't smell bad use them

FGS don't be so tight.

Throw the eggs away and buy some new ones.

at the poles apart answers

If they don't smell, they're fine.

I suspect the date is a "Best Before" - not a "Usy By" date.

Not if they're off! Yuck! Put them in a bowl of water and if they float, then definitely do not use them! If they stay at the bottom, then they'll be fine. But I seriously doubt they will be fine - eggs last about 28 days from being laid.

I used to use eggs that were months old

thanks all. I much prefer thisisyesterday's answer!!! Will try the floaty thing though and then smell them. Pre pregnancy I would never have worried...

what NAB said.

Before the days of 'use by dates' people relied on their noses, the flotation test and common sense.

I think the dates on eggs are very short because they don't have to be refrigerated - if they have been then they keep way longer.

If your eggs don't pass the tests and you can't use the bananas immediately, you can slice them up and freeze to cook with later.

If you crack them onto a saucer the yolk should be firm and smooth. If it is splodgy, wrinkly and smelly, best not to use it.

You know if an egg is properly off, as opposed to a bit stale. They stink.

I use eggs that are waaaay past their date. Like TIY says, crack them into a cup first t check them over and give them a sniff.

I wouldn't risk it when you're pregnant, way too risky.

We keep chickens so our eggs don't have a use by stamp on them.

As everyone says, if they smell, def don't use.

What QoFE said - if the egg is off you will know it!

I used them - they didn't float and smelled and looked fine. Thanks all

THREE weeks out???

Good! Far too much food wastage over random Best Before dates these days.
You'll be fine!

As an aside, it is always a good idea to crack eggs individually into a glass before adding to the mix - I have had an egg with blood in it before (fertilised, apparently) and a listeric egg (luminous green albumen) - neither of which were outside their Best Before date and neither of which smelt particularly bad - but you wouldn't have wanted either of them in your cake!

My sister views Best By dates as a challenge. She hasn't killed anyone yet...

My bro's ex was absolutely paranoid about them. She was caught throwing away food from the freezer in my parents' house, because they had been frozen from fresh and they were past the fresh Best Before date. Duh.

Had slice of banana bread three hours ago. Was yummy and no ill effects yet.

But I am lax about these things except with meat. The three second rule for food on the floor is about a ten minute rule in my house.

What do people imagine the eggs will do to them? People used to keep unrefrigerated eggs for months, and its very easy to tell if they are off.