2. Take the “sell-by” date with a grain of salt.

In short, a carton may be up to two months old by the end of the sell-by date. Even so, according to the USDA, eggs are still fit for consumption for an additional three to five weeks past the sell-by date. We tasted two- and three-month-old eggs and found them perfectly palatable. At four months, the white was very loose and the yolk “tasted faintly of the refrigerator,” though it was still edible.

Our advice is to use your discretion. If the eggs smell odd or display discoloration, pitch them. Older eggs also lack the structure-lending properties of fresh eggs, so beware when baking.

5. Farm-fresh eggs are well worth the splurge.

In our taste tests, farm-fresh eggs were standouts. The large yolks were shockingly orange and their flavor was exceptionally rich and complex. The organic eggs followed in second place, with eggs from hens raised on a vegetarian diet in third, and the standard supermarket eggs last.

Our conclusion? If you have access to eggs fresh from the farm, do buy them — they are a special treat that would be best used in an egg-based dish like an omelet or frittata rather than baked into cakes or cookies. Otherwise, organic eggs are worth the premium — about a dollar more than standard supermarket eggs. For general use, though, there’s nothing wrong with supermarket eggs.

5 Things You Didnt Know About Buying Eggs | In Your Pantry – Yahoo! Shine.