You can sometimes eat eggs that float as eggs float because the air cell inside the egg expands as the egg gets older and moisture evaporates through the eggs porous shell.
The floating of the egg, means the egg is old and can be spoiled, but sometimes the egg may float and be safe to eat.
A very fresh egg will lay flat at the bottom after it sinks in the water, which are great for poaching or frying.
An egg that stands upright at the bottom, is safe to eat, although it's getting older and they are best used for hard boiling or baking.
If the egg completely floats to the top, it means that it's likely spoiled, but it must be cracked open and inspected before cooking it.
If the egg is floating, you can crack the egg into a small, clear bowl and look for any signs of actual spoilage, like the yolk being flat or runny, or the whites are discolored, which means the egg is bad and should be thrown out.
Also if the egg has a distinct sulfur smell or rotten smell, the egg is spoiled and should be thrown out as a fresh egg should have a neutral smell.
If your eggs are bad you can tell when the eggs are bad by cracking them open and if you smell a foul odor or sour or sulfuric odor then the eggs are bad.
If you want to check or tell if the eggs are bad without cracking them open, you can drop the eggs in a bowl of cold water.
When eggs are fresh and good, the eggs will sink to the bottom of the bowl of water.
And when the eggs are bad, the eggs will float to the top of the water.
Eggshells are porous, and so air slowly builds up inside of the eggs over time.
And the more air that is inside the egg, the more the egg will float.
When the egg sinks to the bottom and lays flat, the egg is perfectly flat.
When the egg stands upright at the bottom, the egg is older, but safe to eat and is great for hard boiling.
When the egg floats entirely at the surface, the egg is spoiled and should be thrown out and not cooked or eaten.
Fresh eggs that are cracked open, should also smell mild or even completely odorless.
Bad or spoiled eggs, when cracked open will emit a distinct, pungent sulfur or rotten smell, even after cooking.
If the egg smells bad, throw the egg away.
If it's not smelling bad, you can also tell if the egg is still bad by cracking the egg, and looking closely at the egg to ensure that the egg is healthy and free of bacteria.
When the egg is fresh and safe to eat, the egg yolk, should be round and plump and the white should be thick and stay contained.
When the egg is bad, the egg yolk, will be very flat or break easily and the egg white will be runny and watery.
You should always throw out any eggs that have pink, green, black or iridescent whites.
Also if the egg has slimy or powdery shells they should be thrown out.
You can also use the shake test to check if an egg is bad.
Hold the egg near your ear and then give the egg a gentle shake.
If the egg is fresh and dense, the egg should remain silent.
If the egg has any sloshing or slapping around sound, when you shake the egg, the egg is older and has taken on more air and is likely spoiled and should be thrown out.