PIP'S TIPS - How Old Are My Eggs?

The glass of water trick

How to check if your eggs are still good....honestly, this is one of my favourite Pip's Tips because it takes ten seconds and you probably already have everything you need in the kitchen right now! Fill a glass or bowl with water (deep enough to fully cover an egg) and gently pop your egg in.

What the result actually means

Here's why it works....every egg has a small air cell inside it, right at the wider end under the shell. As an egg ages, moisture and gas slowly pass out through the shell's pores (yep, those same pores we talked about with the bloom - more on that here: PIP'S TIPS - Do we or should we wash our eggs?) and that air cell gets bigger. A bigger air cell means more buoyancy, which is exactly what makes an older egg float!

• Sinks and lies flat on its side: Super fresh, get stuck in!
• Sinks but stands up on one end: Still perfectly good, just a bit older - great for boiling, actually, since these peel much easier.
• Floats: Time to say goodbye....give it a sniff to double check, but a floater has usually got too much air inside to be worth the risk.

Fresh isn't always what you want

Here's a fun twist....dead-fresh eggs are actually harder to peel once boiled, because that tiny air cell hasn't grown enough to help the shell separate from the egg white. So if you're planning a big batch of boiled eggs, eggs that are a week or two old (and still pass the sink test) will peel far more easily than the ones collected yesterday!

Want to know exactly how long you've actually got before an egg's Best Before date is up? I've cracked that one open here: PIP'S TIPS - What's up with those Best Before Dates?

And if you're wondering whether the fridge or the bench keeps your eggs fresher for longer, that's covered here too: PIP'S TIPS - Should I Keep My Eggs in the Fridge?