how long can you leave eggs out unrefrigerated?

[Alexis]

I keep mine on the counter now too - as long as they are clean and unwashed! If the eggs are dirty, which occasionally happens after a lot of rain, I wash them, and those go straight to the fridge because people don't like seeing muddy/poopy eggs on the counter

I feel more than comfortable leaving them out for a couple of weeks, at about that point I will hard boil them and they disappear fast!

The boiling eggs method that Betty listed is a method I came across completely by accident once. My daughter turned the water on to boil and forgot to put the eggs in, so I put them in during a rolling boil (room temp eggs, of course). It works GREAT! Now I actually LIKE peeling eggs

 

[aggie9296]

crack them in a bowl and see. if bad, toss. i've eaten eggs that sat outside in 90 degree temps for 3 days and were still good.

 

[BettyR]

Quote:
No, the refrigerator doesn't change the taste it's the texture. An egg that comes out of the frig doesn't blend into foods as well as a room temperature egg does. A cold egg clumps together and it takes a lot of beating to get it smooth and it never really gets as smooth as a room temperature egg does. Also when you make scrambled eggs, the eggs that have never been in the frig whip up lighter and fluffier than the ones out of the frig. When you make boiled eggs the eggs that have never been in the frig have a much creamier texture...the ones that have been in the frig get a little rubbery. The only time I reach into the frig first to get an egg is if I'm making fried eggs. The yolk of a cold egg clumps together and is harder to break on accident when you want a sunny side up fried egg.

I put eggs in the frig for long term storage and in the winter time when the hens are not laying I'm happy to have them...even cold they are better than store eggs. But if I have a choice I will use up my fresh eggs first before I go into the frig for an egg.

By the way...fresh boiled eggs are VERY hard to peel...really almost impossible....unless you know the secret of how to cook them. A very kind and generous member of this forum posted the secret a few years ago and it works so well it's almost magic.... This even works on eggs right out of the nest!!!!

Get the water boiling first - rapid boil. Add a dash of salt. Gently lower room temperature eggs in with a ladle. 17 minutes later drain and put in ice water…allow them to sit in the ice water for another 17 minutes. Peel.

The eggs practically roll out of the shell. I have almost intact shells. Sooo easy.

Thankyou BettyR that was very informative! So when I make merangue next time the whites will whip up to fantastic heights!

and I am just soooo tired of the crappy scrambled eggs I am making at present so look forward to our fresh eggs even more than before! *shouts out the back door*
Hurry up and Lay you chickens!

You are welcome....glad I could help.




Quote:
It don't know where you are but summers here on the Gulf Coast stay in the upper 90's to low 100's from about the end of Jun until things start to cool off into the 80's towards the end of September. We usually get our first cold weather in December...but cold for us are temps in the 40's.

 

[acw123]

Great info. I too was worried and I thought a few hours not being in fridge was the max. I am so glad to read this. THANKS! I will have to try and sneak it by the DH also. He is adamant about refridgeration of the eggs.

 

[Eggcessive]

There will be no development in that egg unless it is incubated at 99-100 degrees--unless people forget to collect their eggs each day. Most of the people on here responding are talking about fertilized eggs, because if you have a rooster it is hard to find one that is not.

 

[drlcb]

While I was in the middle east we never refrigerated the eggs. The oldest one I ate sat on the kitchen counter and was nearly a month old ; it tasted fine... I made sure it was cooked well done though. We get so many eggs now that I usually scramble anything more than two weeks old and feed it to the flock. They love em!

 

[Irishhenman]

I keep all of my eggs on trays in the press, we only ever put cracked eggs in the fridge. They usually keep for one month or more sometimes

 

[hdmax]

It is always a good idea to refrigerate eggs that have been washed.
Freshly laid eggs have a protective coating, and once you wash it off, the egg will not store well, and even refrigerated, the egg will not keep nearly as long as an unwashed egg stored at room temperature.

If you do a little research about egg storage, you will see that many store eggs buried for up to a year and sometimes longer. (Before refrigeration, that was the way eggs were stored.) Eggs unwashed should store well for many months at 70*, But this will depend on humidity. (Very dry, or high humidity will shorten storage time.)

If you need to clean dirt/mud, or poop from an egg, just wipe it off with a dry towel, and if that doesn't work, wash it, then either use first, or refrigerate.

 

[MrsAuberry00]

Thanks, @Molpet . I was basically thinking the same thing, but thought I'd ask.

 

[ShrekDawg]

That's what I was wondering, too... I don't wash them, but I refrigerate them.  I plan on keeping future eggs on the counter but just wondered if it would be okay to take the dozen or so I've been refrigerating out to put on the counter.

IMHO when eggs have been refrigerated and put on the counter , condensate can remove the bloom.. same as washing them.. the bloom keeps the bacteria out.
so if an egg has been cold or washed it should be refrigerated. If the counter is 80`f or more the eggs should be refrigerated.

Thanks, @Molpet
.  I was basically thinking the same thing, but thought I'd ask.

Thanks