Is it ok to dye expired eggs?

[kejoda]

I have almost 2 dozen eggs that expired on Mar 30th. Is it ok to dye them? We won't be eating them but I just don't want them to stink up the house if they break.

So would you use them or toss them?

 

[CathrynRose]

March 30th? Theyre fine! I'd eat 'em too...

March 30th for eggs, really isnt "expired".

 

[tarmand]

Does anyone else remember when eggs didn't have an expiration date?

 

[gris gris]

So when are they expired? I won't use anything after the expiration date. I'm not really sure why, but I just don't. But if you can convince me that it's okay, maybe I'll hang on to eggs, salad dressing & pillsbury rolls

 

[beckmrk04]

Eggs stay good long after the expiration date. It's really just a recommended sell by date, so stores don't have months old eggs laying on the shelves.

Anything with dairy, I'll go up to a week or so past the expiration- that's my limit.

Pillsbury rolls- are fine for while past the date (say 2-3 weeks, maybe a month)- but after that, they are weird when you open them. Not stinky or anything, just not right.

 

[Hannathy]

I don't know the exact days but eggs are safe to eat for AT LEAST a week after expiration date and I think it is 2 weeks. I would eat those eggs! They certainly aren't old enough to stink.

Yes I do remember when eggs didn't have exp. dates so who knows how old those eggs were after the cartons got shifted and the oldest would always end up on the bottom for weeks.

 

[LadyyRedd]

The date on an egg carton only reflects a "may not be sold after" date. USDA law requires that it be no more than 30 days after eggs are packed in the carton, so it's even possible for the fresher eggs to be the ones with the sooner "exp date". Eggs will generally last at least a few months.

Kimya

 

[ChristmasElf]

When we were kids, my Mother wanted to color the eggs but still be able to use them. So she would take a skewer that you would use for kabobs and poke a tiny hole at one end of the raw egg and another at the other end of the egg and we would be able to get the egg out that way. Then we would rinse them out and then dye them.
She would use the eggs for recipes or scrambled eggs.

Took a little extra time, but no egg waste!

 

[Cindyluwho]

Does anyone else remember when eggs didn't have an expiration date?

They didn't used to wash the eggs, as they do now. If you travel overseas you'll see that they don't refrigerate eggs in most other countries. That's because they still have their protective "cloaking" on them from being laid. Here in the US people like their eggs clean, with no trace of ahem poo, etc. Cleaning the eggs takes away their natural protection so they need to be refrigerated and they will expire. You'd be really scared if you knew just how old those grocery store eggs really are.... But with an expiration date of March 30th there would be absolutely no problem of rotten eggs. OK, was that wayyyy too much information

 

[MzDiz]

I used to have chickens and we'd leave eggs on the counter in the summer for what seemed like forever. They weren't laid with dates on them, so we'd see if they sank in a glass of water. If they lay on the bottom, they're fine. If they stand up, they're iffy. If they float - get a biohazard containment unit!

 

[CathrynRose]

**** I forgot to add****

The easiest hard boiled eggs to peel are "old" eggs....

The fresher, the more the shell -sticks- ruining a perfectly good hard boiled egg.

And, am I the only one who leave the eggs out after coloring them - for a few days - and still eats them? (like 3 days, tops...but yes, right on the counter)

 

[SplshMtn99]

When we were kids, my Mother wanted to color the eggs but still be able to use them. So she would take a skewer that you would use for kabobs and poke a tiny hole at one end of the raw egg and another at the other end of the egg and we would be able to get the egg out that way. Then we would rinse them out and then dye them.
She would use the eggs for recipes or scrambled eggs.

Took a little extra time, but no egg waste!

We did that too. But we filled the egg with something to prevent it from breaking. For the life of me I can't remember what we filled it with. Two things come to mind, but no clear memory. Wax or salt? Did we fill with salt & plugs the pins holes with wax?

Anyone remember something like this? Can you tell I haven't dyed an egg in over 30 yrs?

 

[wnissen]

It couldn't hurt to use the float test described by MzDiz before you color them; wouldn't want to have a rotten egg accidentally break in the excitement of the hunt. But they're fine, eggs can last quite a long time.

The idea that there is a protective coating on the outside of the egg is an urban (rural?) legend. Eggs are washed because the shell can carry salmonella, which you definitely want cleaned off before use. I assure you that the reason eggs are sold unrefrigerated in France and the U.S. is simply that refrigeration doesn't matter for periods of a few days. I buy my eggs at the farmer's market unrefrigerated.

Walt

 

[ZachnElli]

I'd say they are perfect for dyeing! Like CathrynRose said, they are easier to peel when they are older. I always buy my dyeing eggs a few weeks to a month in advance so that they are older when I go to hard boil them.

 

[MBeds]

I won't use anything after the expiration date.

I'm with you...

 

[Cindyluwho]

The idea that there is a protective coating on the outside of the egg is an urban (rural?) legend. Eggs are washed because the shell can carry salmonella, which you definitely want cleaned off before use. I assure you that the reason eggs are sold unrefrigerated in France and the U.S. is simply that refrigeration doesn't matter for periods of a few days. I buy my eggs at the farmer's market unrefrigerated.
Walt

Walt, this simply is NOT true. Any good poultry science major will tell you that the protective coating on the egg is very real, it is called the "bloom". In fact, if you pick up the egg immediately after it is laid the coating will feel sticky because it hasn't dried yet. It keeps the germs out. If you incubate eggs that have the coating washed off you will have a very poor hatch rate because bacteria can enter the egg through the washed shell.
Don't want to be argumentative, but I've studied poultry for too many years to call the bloom a myth.

To lay some other myths to rest:
You don't need a rooster for hen's to lay eggs.
You do need a rooster for those eggs to be fertile and have chicks.
Grocery store eggs are NOT fertile and will not hatch a chick.
The eggs are fertilized while forming inside the hen, not after the hen lays them. Yes, birds "do it".
Male and female chickens each have a vent, nothing more, nothing less. ahem....

 

[beckmrk04]

Walt, this simply is NOT true. Any good poultry science major will tell you that the protective coating on the egg is very real, it is called the "bloom". In fact, if you pick up the egg immediately after it is laid the coating will feel sticky because it hasn't dried yet. It keeps the germs out. If you incubate eggs that have the coating washed off you will have a very poor hatch rate because bacteria can enter the egg through the washed shell.
Don't want to be argumentative, but I've studied poultry for too many years to call the bloom a myth.

To lay some other myths to rest:
You don't need a rooster for hen's to lay eggs.
You do need a rooster for those eggs to be fertile and have chicks.
Grocery store eggs are NOT fertile and will not hatch a chick.
The eggs are fertilized while forming inside the hen, not after the hen lays them. Yes, birds "do it".
Male and female chickens each have a vent, nothing more, nothing less. ahem....

I learn something EVERY day on the DIS!

 

[Chicago526]

OP, March 30th eggs should be just fine. I've used eggs six weeks after "expiration" with no ill effects. But if it makes you feel better, eggs are cheap and if it will give you peace of mind, pitch them and pick up another carton.