If you’re like most shoppers, it’s likely you have forgotten to open the egg carton to check for cracked shells as you’re cruising down the dairy aisle. That may lead you to wonder if you really need to throw away eggs that are already cracked before you bring them home. How about eggs that accidentally break on the way home? Obviously, you hate to throw eggs out, especially since they’re so expensive these days, but you also don’t want to make your family sick. Is it safe to eat a cracked egg? No, it’s not. The shell is the protective package, so any crack that has occurred opens the opportunity for pathogens or spoilage bacteria to enter. In other words, the shell is keeping the bad guys out. The second it opens, they can start getting in. What about a hairline crack? Nope! Any crack or break — no matter how big or small — creates an opening for bacteria. That being said, there is some flexibility when it comes to the timing of the crack. Let’s say you check the carton in the store and the eggs are crack-free. Then the milk falls on top of them in the car on the way home and one suffers a crack. You can transfer the egg immediately to a container with a seal. The key is limiting the amount of time the egg spends in the cracked shell. If you cook and egg or transfer it to an airtight container within a few hours of the shell cracking, it should be safe to eat or use at a later date. Just keep in mind that you’re on the clock. You need to use that cracked egg within two days before it’s no longer advisable.
