Eggs are a staple food for many households up and down the country, and can be used in plenty of dishes suitable for either breakfast, lunch, or dinner. However, after being purchased from the shop, the 'best before' date may come before you've had a chance to use up the entire carton of eggs.

Hoping to help reduce food waste, supermarket giant Asda has shared some tips on lengthening the life of your eggs, and has even weighed in on the debate as to whether eggs should be stored inside or outside the fridge. The experts argue that while eggs aren't refrigerated in stores, they should be placed in the fridge once you have taken them home. This is because supermarkets will have a constant temperature inside, while the temperature in your home will vary.

Asdas's experts wrote: "Eggs aren’t refrigerated in store because the temperature is constant there, but you can’t guarantee such things at home. Instead, it’s best to keep eggs in the fridge, away from other foods."

They've also shared a method to check if your eggs are still okay to eat or if they've gone off. For this you simply just place the egg in a bowl of cold water.

"If they touch the bottom, they're safe to eat," says the Asda website, "but if they float to the surface, they're no longer fresh and shouldn’t be consumed."

However, fellow food supermarket Aldi has recommended storing eggs in the freezer rather than the fridge. Partnering with food storage expert Kate Hall, they argued that your eggs will last much longer in the freezer.

For this you just need to break them from the shell, then freeze them either as whites, yolks, or both mixed together. Simply add a pinch of salt or sugar and then pour it into a freezer bag and stash it in your freezer.

Kate explained: “Using your freezer is such a simple way to press pause on your food so it doesn’t end up in the bin.

"Freezing food can help our budgets stretch further, and you can actually freeze a lot more than people realise. The trick is knowing the best way to freeze food and what to do with it after freezing. And in case you’re wondering, YES, you CAN freeze eggs! 

"Make sure you always freeze them on or before the best before date - the fresher the better.

"You’ll need to break them out of the shells first, but eggs can be frozen as whites, yolks (with a pinch of salt or sugar), or combined. If you’re freezing the whole egg, always whisk it first as it will be far harder to mix together after defrosting."