Is a cracked egg ever safe to eat? What to know before you toss them

With the high price of eggs right now, it can be disheartening to open the carton at home and see that one or two of the eggs have cracked – either in transit on the way back from the grocery store or from some unknown cause in the fridge. Egg production in the U.S.dropped 4% in November as the price of eggs and cases of bird flu continue to rise across the country, according to a report from the U.S.

Department of Agriculture (USDA), as FOX Business reported this week.But what can be done with cracked eggs? Is all hope lost? An egg expert shared some “eggspertise” on the subject.“Basically, it comes down to when the egg cracked,” Lisa Steele, the author of “Fresh Eggs Daily” and a Maine-based backyard chickens expert, told Fox News Digital. Steele said she “wouldn’t use an egg that I found cracked in a carton I had bought in the store,” as a consumer has no idea how long it has been sitting there broken. It is also important to check eggs for any cracks before purchasing. The shell of an egg, along with the egg’s membrane, protects the egg from harmful bacteria, such as salmonella. “But if you know that you just cracked the egg by accident, then I would cook that one up and call it good,” she said. During wintertime, eggs from backyard chicken coops are more susceptible to cracking due to the cold temperatures, Steele told Fox News Digital. For Steele personally, she said she would use an egg that she recently accidentally cracked — but only if it still had an intact membrane. “That membrane protects [the egg] from bacteria,” she said. “You can just crack the egg into a small bowl, cover it with plastic wrap or a lid, and use it within two days – making sure you cook it fully to at least 160 degrees.”  Morning Report and Evening Update: Your source for today's top stories Please provide a valid email address.By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use ...