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1. I would say more. I try to poach some right away, but if I've let them sit around for a bit, I end up hard boiling eggs. This test works pretty well - put the eggs in a bowl/pot of water. The ones that float up to the top are too old and should be thrown out, the ones that sink to the bottom are the heaviest, and freshest. If the egg stays submerged, but is vertical rather than horizontal, it's a "boiler" in my book.

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   MMRuth Jul 04, 2008 09:28AM

2. I assume you refrigerate them. In that case, more. I use eggs rarely, so I often have them around for a month or more. In my entire life, I have had exactly (egg-sactly?) ONE egg be bad.

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   nofunlatte Jul 04, 2008 09:35AM

3. To me, it's not so much how long they'll keep, but how long they're good for particular uses where the freshness shines. I've never had an egg go "bad," but we do like our eggs in this household, so they get eaten sooner rather than later. When they're a couple or more weeks old, they're better hard boiled, deviled, in egg salad, etc. than say, poached or soft boiled.

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   amyzan Jul 04, 2008 09:43AM

   1. re: amyzan

      That's a good point. I only occasionally eat eggs for a meal, usually using them in baked goods or other recipes, like ice cream. In that case, the reduced "freshness" probably doesn't matter as much. But if you eat them as a meal, it might matter more.

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      nofunlatte Jul 04, 2008 10:12AM

4. Six months refrigerated. One month on the counter.

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   rworange Jul 04, 2008 11:29AM

5. As ipse posted, they will keep for a long time, especially if refrigerated. I just had ate some eggs that were almost a month past their "sell by" date, and they were fine.

   That being said, the beauty of farm fresh eggs is that they are FRESH, so I'd try to use them as quickly as possible just so you can enjoy them at their peak.

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   DanaB Jul 04, 2008 12:04PM

6. Months. Usually eggs from the grocery store are at least a month old already.

   Very fresh eggs tend not to be as good for hard boiling--they taste good, but they don't peel neatly. Eggs that have aged longer have more air in them.

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   David A. Goldfarb Jul 04, 2008 02:41PM

7. Eggs vary individually on how long they're good. That makes the quick smart*ss answer, "Until they go bad." But... If you want to maximize their shelf life, wash them well, dry them well, then coat the shell with a tasteless oil or rub them with a bit of butter. Egg shells are very porous (how do you think the baby chick breathes before it hatches?) and keeping the air out greatly extends their shelf life. Oh, and refrigerate of course!

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   Caroline1 Jul 04, 2008 06:21PM

8. Eggs are only as fresh as their storage. I have a friend who sells her farm eggs and I see them sit in a bucket for a week before she candles them. Them are not fresh eggs! So you gotta know your source. If they are truly fresh, they will keep for at least 2 weeks if properly stored (unwashed, in the container, refrigerated).

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   sarah galvin Jul 04, 2008 10:15PM