Egg Storage: Refrigerator VS. Countertop

[DarkWolf]

Ok... So lets see if I've got this right..

1.) Clean eggs can just be stored on the countertop in a basket.
2.) If egg is dirty
....A.) Wash the eggs with warm water ONLY - or
....B.) Lightly buff the dirt off with sand paper - or
....C.) Heavily soiled eggs should be discarded, or fed back to the flock.
3.) If 2 [A/B/C] the egg MUST be refrigerated as the bloom is removed, allowing bacteria in.

Does this about run down the whole egg storage thing?

Now, I'm not asking how long in the fridge they can stay. There's already a lengthy thread on that... Also a thread about how long on the countertop, which as I recall is around 2 weeks tops before refrigerated.

So.. What I DO want to know is.....

1.) Do you keep them on the counter for any given time?
2.) Do you refrigerate them instead? Without washing.
3.) Do you obsess over each, washing them and then refrigerating them?

 

[congdon476]

Sounds like you have the main info down! After reading on the threads on this stuff I would wash and put them in the fridge. I plan on either using them right away or cracking and freezing them into ice cube trays for single egg white servings (best for baking). I have so many friends and neighbors asking for them already (they aren't even laying yet!) that I don't think leftovers will be an issue at our home

 

[dacjohns]

You will find pros and cons for all of your mentioned methods of storage. Some folks feel very strongly about it and the USDA has things to say about eggs that are going to be sold to the general public.

Do what you feel comfortable with. No egg will last indefinitely even with the bloom still on. No egg will last indefinitely in the refrigerator.

For me, if the egg is dirty it gets washed. All eggs get stored in the refrigerator. Leaving on the counter overnight is not a problem.

As far as leaving unwashed eggs out--there might be very small cracks that have compromised the protective barrier. I think refrigeration is a safer way to go.

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Very good, Young Wolf. You got it.
=======================================
I put them in the fridge, that's all. No good reason not to. I knock off the dirt, if there is any. But then, I keep clean nests, so there isnt much of that.

Oh, Im sure someone will have a compelling reason why I shouldn't refrigerate them. But, I dont worry about it.

My greatest obsession about chickens is the amount of space we give them to live in.

Otherwise, there are enough people to obsess for me, that I dont need to.

Nicely phrased question, BTW.

 

[patandchickens]

Personally I've never washed an egg in my life. Soiled ones get used within a day or two (cracked on a clean portion of the shell, and used in something that will thoroughly cook them). The very very rare super gross poo-slathered ones get chucked into the hayfield for mice and bugs.

Everything else goes in the fridge, unless I am short of room in which case it goes on the countertop in a basket and just doesn't stay there as long.

It's not really a system as such

but it works fine for me.

Everyone finds something that works for them

Have fun,

Pat