Clever hack helps you determine if it has gone off without cracking it open

A graphic reveals how an egg will float in water depending on how fresh it is. The freshest eggs will lie on their side at the bottom of the water, but rotten ones will float differently.


If food has gone off, you can usually tell by any bad smells emanating or furry mould starting to grow.
But with eggs, it's much harder to tell if one is rotten because the shell stops any bad odours escaping.

There is a very handy trick, however, that can show you if one has gone off without the need for cracking it open first.

All you need for the very easy - and cost-free - hack is a bowl of cold water.
Simply pop any eggs that you suspect may be rotten in the bowl and watch them closely.



There are four different ways an egg will settle in the bowl, depending on how fresh it is.
The freshest eggs will lie at the bottom of the bowl, resting on its side.


On the left is a fresh egg as it is lying at the bottom on its side; on the right is an egg that's probably about two weeks old as it is floating upright with the pointed end at the bottom

Those that are a week old will tilt at an angle, pointed end downwards, as if the bottom of the egg is trying to float away.
Two-week-old eggs will float with the pointed end at the bottom, but this time the egg will have settled in an upright position.
Finally, rotten eggs will simply float to the top - and then you know not to use them in your cake or breakfast.
Eggs are a quick and versatile ingredient, and often people crack them into a dish without a moment's hesitation.
But by using this trick, it could save home cooks from kitchen catastrophes as a rotten egg cracked into a dish could ruin a meal.