Experts believe that eggs are best stored at room temperature. Storing eggs in too cold a temperature, i.e. in the refrigerator can make them inedible. Keeping eggs in the fridge cause the growth of bacteria on the shells and this turn and enter the insides of the eggs, in turn making them inedible.
In Europe it's a health risk to store eggs in the fridge. In Australia, it's a health risk to store them out of the fridge. Who is right? The answer is all about Salmonella, the general name for about 2,000 types of bacteria that lead to food poisoning.
Store whole eggs in a cool dry place, ideally in the fridge, until you use them. Storing eggs at a constant cool temperature will help to keep them safe. Do not use eggs after their 'best before' date. Make sure you rotate stock and use the oldest eggs first.
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.
Refrigerating eggs, or storing them in a cool location is one of the most common ways to extend the shelf-life of fresh eggs. Fresh eggs that are stored in a carton and kept on the coolest shelf in the fridge will last up to 5 weeks. They can last longer if the humidity is high to prevent too much evaporation.
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.
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.
Most countries do not store their eggs in refrigerators. Instead, they leave them out at room temperature. This might seem like a food safety hazard, but both methods are safe. Salmonella is most commonly associated with chickens, and with eggs.
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.
The Europeans, on the other hand, don't wash their eggs in order to rely on this natural “cuticle” to protect from contamination entering the egg. Many European countries, like the UK, vaccinate their hens to prevent the transmission of salmonella when the hens lay eggs.
We Americans, along with the Japanese, Australians and Scandinavians, tend to be squeamish about our chicken eggs, so we bathe them and then have to refrigerate them.
The best way to keep eggs is to store them in their original carton in the refrigerator as soon as possible after purchase. Cartons reduce water loss and protect flavours from other foods being absorbed into the eggs.
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.
You can leave eggs on the counter about two hours at room temperature or one hour if the temperature is 90 degrees F or hotter before you start to worry, per the Egg Safety Center. After two hours, you'd be safer to throw those eggs out and get a fresh dozen rather than chance it.
Why are Italian eggs never refrigerated? Head to an Italian grocery store and you'll find eggs on grocery store shelves and never refrigerated. There's a reason for this. Eggs have a protective outer layer that protects them from disease and bacteria.
Not only do eggs need to be refrigerated ASAP, but they need to be refrigerated at the correct temperature. Make sure your fridge is set at 40°F or below, and keep the eggs in their carton. They should also be stored in the coldest part of the refrigerator, and not kept on the door, which tends to be warmer.
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.
No. It's not necessary or recommended for consumers to wash commercially packaged eggs, and it may actually increase the risk of contamination because the wash water can be "sucked" into the egg through the pores in the shell. When the chicken lays the egg, a protective coating is put on the outside by the hen.
What is this? However, here in the United States, commercial egg farms are required to clean the eggs before packaging them up in cartons to be shipped to supermarkets, so that means they require refrigeration.
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.
Finland, Sweden, and Denmark all apply a zero-tolerance policy on salmonella, and Denmark has the world's strictest control measures in relation to salmonella. Therefore, at DAVA Foods we are proud that Danish eggs are among the world's safest eggs and we work daily to keep it that way.
Leading the world are Japan and Mexico, where people eat 337 and 368 eggs each every year respectively. South Africa is an example of a country where consumption is lower – just 130 eggs/year.
An open jar of peanut butter stays fresh up to three months in the pantry. After that, it's recommended to store the peanut butter in the fridge (where it can maintain its quality for another 3-4 months). If you don't refrigerate, oil separation can occur.