The United States Department of Agriculture advises against eating eggs that have been outside of refrigeration for more than two hours.
How Long Can Eggs Sit Out? According to the USDA, refrigerated eggs should not be left out for more than two hours. “Eggs are stored cold right after the hen lays the eggs.
"Eggs stored at room temperature dry out and lose protein quality, even when they remain microbiologically safe to eat. However, eggs stored in the fridge maintain their moisture and nutritional [value]," Clark tells us.
Unfortunately, eggs left out on the counter for too long need to be tossed. This is because eggs are susceptible to salmonella contamination due to how they're processed before they get to the grocery store. Salmonella is also the reason you shouldn't be eating raw eggs.
In Australia, most egg producers recommend storing eggs below 15C. This makes the fridge the best place for them. The Australian Eggs organisation also recommends a “climate-controlled refrigerated environment” for storing eggs.
If that's the case, then why are eggs not stored in fridges at the supermarket? Well, there's a simple explanation for that. It's apparently because store temperatures are kept below 20ºC, so refrigeration is unnecessary. 'This also prevents significant temperature fluctuations.
If you have a cool pantry that doesn't heat up when the kitchen temperature rises, that's fine for storing eggs but whilst a regular kitchen cupboard may seem a relatively constant environment, temperatures can still fluctuate when you're cooking things that produce a lot of heat or steam.
Can You Put Room Temperature Eggs Back In The Fridge? If the eggs have been at room temperature (68-70 degrees), for less than 2 hours, you can put them back in the refrigerator. If they've been at a higher temperature than 70 degrees, you can put them back if they've been out less than 1 hour.
The practice of storing eggs in lime water goes back centuries, and it's still one of the best ways to preserve eggs without refrigeration. Anyone who has kept chickens knows that egg production doesn't always line up with demand.
In Europe, farms vaccinate chickens against salmonella. That means the cuticle is still intact when eggs are sold. Refrigerating eggs with the cuticle intact could actually cause mildew to grow. Which could cause… you guessed it salmonella contamination.
The answer has to do with bacteria: Salmonella. In the United States, it's more than a food safety recommendation that eggs be refrigerated – it's the law. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) determined that the best way to fight Salmonella contamination is by sanitizing the eggs before they reach the consumer.
Gently drop one egg into the glass, and observe where it settles. If the egg sinks to the bottom and lays on its side, it should be fresh and ready to eat. If it floats all the way to the top, the egg may be spoiled.
Cook egg dishes (frittata, quiche, casserole) to a safe internal temperature. Cook egg dishes that contain meat or poultry to 165°F. Cook egg dishes that do not contain meat or poultry to 160°F.
3. Don't store eggs in the door of your refrigerator. Despite how convenient the refrigerator door seems, eggs are best stored in the main portion of your fridge on the middle shelf, ideally toward the back.
Eggs should not be stored on the refrigerator door, but in the main body of the refrigerator to ensure that they keep a consistent and cool temperature. Leftover raw egg whites and yolks should be put in airtight containers and stored in the refrigerator immediately.
Egg washing is not required in Australia, but sale of dirty eggs is prohibited by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). Storing washed eggs below 7°C can help reduce the ability of Salmonella to grow.
COVID increased demand relative to supply and also significantly increased operating costs. There is now a push from major retailers to transition from caged eggs to cage-free eggs which is having a significant impact on caged eggs - which traditionally make up the bulk of egg supply in Australia.
British authorities actually discourage refrigerating eggs on the theory that chilling and then warming could create condensation, which would allow salmonella to penetrate the shell.
Most people will still put them in the fridge at home, but because in Germany and most of Europe eggs are not washed and sterilized, unlike in the US and Canada, whereby the protective layer on the outside can be damaged, eggs don't HAVE to be refrigerated so the store sells them on the shelf.
Husbandry and hygiene practices in Europe
In Europe, it is unlawful to wash eggs because this process is believed to damage an outside layer of the egg shell known as the cuticle, making it easier for bacteria to penetrate the inside of an egg.
In the US, eggs that aren't refrigerated could cause salmonella poisoning—meanwhile, Europe considers it a health risk if eggs are refrigerated. This cultural difference stems from the way eggs are processed before they reach stores.
In the 2021-22 financial year, New South Wales produced 35% of Australia's eggs with Queensland (30%) & Victoria (20%) not far behind. How many hens are there in Australia's egg industry? In June 2022, Australia's egg industry reported a national flock size of 21,187,854 layers.
Australia imports most of its Egg from Vietnam, India and Italy . The top 3 importers of Egg are United States with 133,831 shipments followed by Netherlands with 60,516 and Germany at the 3rd spot with 43,584 shipments.