How to Tell If an Egg Is Fresh (The Float Test & 4 Others)
The fastest way to tell if an egg is fresh is the float test: drop it in a bowl of cold water. A fresh egg sinks and lies flat on its side. An older egg stands up or floats, because the air cell inside grows as the egg ages. Punto Pío eggs reach your door in the San Juan metro 3 to 5 days from lay, so they sink flat every time.
The float test is the quickest check, but it is not the only one. Below are five ways to judge freshness at home, what each one actually tells you, and when an egg is past the point of using.
How does the float test work?
An eggshell is porous. Over days and weeks, moisture and carbon dioxide leave the egg through those pores and air moves in, expanding the air cell at the wide end. More air means more buoyancy.
- Sinks and lies flat: very fresh, a few days to about a week old.
- Sinks but tilts up: still good, usually one to two weeks old. Fine for scrambling, baking, or frying.
- Balances on end, just off the bottom: older but typically still safe. Cook it thoroughly and use it soon.
- Floats to the top: discard it. The air cell is large enough that you should not risk it.
The float test measures age, not spoilage directly. A floating egg is not automatically rotten, but it is old enough that it is not worth the gamble.
The 4 other freshness checks
1. The sniff test
Crack the egg into a clean bowl and smell it. A fresh egg smells like almost nothing. A spoiled egg gives off a sharp sulfur odor right away, and no amount of cooking fixes that. This is the most reliable single check for whether an egg has actually gone bad.
2. The plate test
Crack the egg onto a flat plate. In a fresh egg the yolk sits high and round and the white holds in two distinct layers, a thick one hugging the yolk and a thinner one around it. As an egg ages the white spreads out and thins, and the yolk flattens. A flat, watery egg is old but still usable for baking.
3. The shake test
Hold the egg to your ear and shake it gently. A very fresh egg makes no sound because the contents fill the shell. A sloshing sound means the air cell has grown and the contents have shrunk, so the egg is older.
4. The date and your senses
If you know the lay date or purchase date, use it as a guide rather than a hard rule. Refrigerated eggs stay good well beyond a month. When a date has passed, fall back on the float, sniff, and plate tests before deciding.
How long do fresh eggs actually last?
Kept in the coldest part of the refrigerator, not the door, fresh eggs stay good for several weeks past the point most people expect. The colder and steadier the temperature, the longer they hold. In Puerto Rico's heat, the refrigerator is the only sensible place to store them. We cover storage in detail in our guide to how long farm fresh eggs stay fresh.
Because our eggs arrive so soon after lay, you are starting that clock much earlier than you would with imported supermarket cartons that have already spent weeks in transit and storage.
Get eggs fresh enough to skip the test
When your eggs are 3 to 5 days from lay, freshness stops being a question. Order a tray of 30 pasture-raised eggs for delivery in the San Juan metro, step up to 60 or 120 for a bigger household, or set up a standing egg subscription so a fresh supply arrives on a schedule. Delivery covers Condado, Miramar, Santurce, Río Piedras, Guaynabo, Dorado, and Bayamón. Questions go to hola@puntopio.com or +1-939-245-4867.
Frequently asked questions
Does a floating egg mean it is rotten?
Not necessarily. Floating means the air cell has grown large, so the egg is old. Confirm with the sniff test after cracking. A bad smell means discard it; no smell and a normal appearance usually means it is still fine cooked thoroughly.
Can a fresh egg ever float?
A genuinely fresh egg should not float. If a recently delivered egg floats, check that the water is cold and the bowl is deep enough, then use the sniff and plate tests. If it still seems off, contact us.
Should I wash eggs before storing them?
Wash them only right before you cook them. A natural coating on the shell slows moisture loss and keeps bacteria out, and washing removes it. Keep the eggs refrigerated either way.
Where should eggs go in the fridge?
On a middle or lower shelf toward the back, where the temperature is coldest and most stable. The door is the warmest spot and the worst place for eggs.
How fresh are Punto Pío eggs when they arrive?
Three to five days from lay for deliveries in the San Juan metro area. That is a head start of several weeks over cartons shipped in from off island.