It would be handy if eggs could let us know when they’ve gone bad – maybe by flashing red or whistling the national anthem. Unfortunately GM doesn’t seem to have got to that stage yet.

The good news is there’s another, very simple way to separate the good from the bad. All you have to do is submerge them in water (in a pan for example).

Here’s what to look for:

– A really fresh egg will sink to the bottom and lie still.
– A 1 week old egg will sink to the bottom but bob slightly.
– A 3 week old egg will sink but balance on its small end and barely touch the bottom.
– A bad egg will float!

What’s with the egg gymnastics?

A fresh egg has a small air pocket with lots of moisture and carbon dioxide. That’s why it sinks to the bottom and stays there. Lose the moisture and carbon dioxide and the air pocket increases and the egg spoils.

In other words, if it floats ditch it!

If only there was an egg dunking technique for sussing out dud biz opps.