How to Store Eggs So They Last Longer (and Waste Fewer)

Eggs are one of the most versatile, affordable ingredients in any kitchen — and one of the most commonly thrown away for no good reason. A carton pushed to the back of the fridge, a “best before” date that just passed, a single cracked shell: any of these can send a dozen perfectly good eggs into the bin.

The good news is that eggs are remarkably resilient when you store them well. With a few simple habits you can keep them fresh for weeks, know exactly when they're still safe to eat, and stop guessing. Here's everything you need.

Keep Them in the Coldest Part of the Fridge

The single biggest mistake people make is storing eggs in the fridge door. It feels convenient — most fridges even have a molded egg tray there — but the door is the warmest, most temperature-unstable spot in the whole appliance. Every time you open the fridge, the door swings through warm kitchen air, and those temperature swings shorten an egg's life.

Instead, keep eggs on a middle or lower shelf toward the back, where the temperature stays a steady, cold 4°C (40°F) or below. This alone can add days or even weeks to their freshness.

Leave Them in the Carton

That cardboard or foam carton isn't just packaging — it's doing real work:

• It shields the eggs from absorbing strong odours (eggshells are porous, and nobody wants garlic-scented scrambled eggs).
• It slows moisture loss through the shell, which is what makes eggs go stale.
• It keeps the printed “best before” date handy so you're not relying on memory.

Store the carton with the pointed end of the eggs facing down. This keeps the yolk centered and the air pocket at the top, which helps the egg stay fresher for longer.

Understand the Date on the Carton

Egg dates cause a huge amount of unnecessary waste. In most cases the printed date is a “best before” indicator of quality, not a hard safety cutoff. Eggs stored properly are very often perfectly good to eat for two to three weeks beyond that date — you just need a quick way to check. If date labels confuse you in general, our guide to understanding food date labels clears up the difference between “use by” and “best before” once and for all.

The Float Test: Your 10-Second Freshness Check

When you're unsure, don't throw the egg out — test it. Fill a bowl or glass with cold water and gently lower the egg in:

• Sinks and lies flat on its side: very fresh, use for anything.
• Sinks but stands upright on one end: older but still good — great for hard-boiling or baking.
• Floats to the surface: the air pocket has grown too large. This one has gone off — discard it.

The science is simple: as an egg ages, moisture and carbon dioxide escape through the shell and the internal air cell grows, making it more buoyant. If you're ever unsure after the float test, crack the egg into a separate bowl first and give it a sniff — a spoiled egg has an unmistakable sulphur smell.

Can You Freeze Eggs? Yes — Here's How

If you've got more eggs than you can use, freeze them rather than let them spoil. You can't freeze eggs in the shell (they expand and crack), but you can freeze the contents:

• Whole eggs: beat gently to combine yolk and white, then pour into an airtight container or ice-cube tray. A pinch of salt or sugar helps preserve texture (label which one you used).
• Whites only: freeze as-is — they whip up beautifully after thawing.
• Yolks: beat with a pinch of salt or sugar to stop them turning gluey.

Frozen eggs keep for up to a year. Thaw them overnight in the fridge and use them in cooking or baking. For more on this, see our full guide to freezing food to reduce waste.

Put Older Eggs to Work

Have a few eggs approaching the end of their life? Use them, don't lose them. Older eggs are actually easier to peel when hard-boiled, so they're perfect for egg salad or a grab-and-go snack. A frittata, shakshuka, or a batch of custard will happily soak up several eggs at once. Stuck for inspiration? Our tool for figuring out what to cook with what you have can turn a few tired eggs and some odds and ends into dinner.

Keep Track So Nothing Slips Away

Most food waste happens simply because we forget what we have. Storing eggs well is half the battle; the other half is remembering to use them before they turn. Food Waste Manager lets you log what's in your fridge and reminds you when items are getting close to their date, so a carton of eggs never disappears into the back of the shelf again. Store them cold, keep them in the carton, trust the float test over the printed date — and you'll waste far fewer eggs, and far less money.