Eggs. Keep them in the refrigerator or at room temperature?

[A.T. Hagan]

If fresh eggs are going to be used within a week (two at the most), which way would you store them?

If the eggs are to be used within two weeks at the most and your kitchen is not unreasonably hot all the time then it doesn't matter much one way or the other. If the eggs were fresh and sound they'll keep at least that long and likely much longer.

There are several considerations as to whether you should refrigerate or leave them at room temperature.

First is, do you have the fridge space for the number of eggs you have to keep?

Second, there is a difference between whether an egg is SAFE to eat and the QUALITY of the egg in consideration. A fresh, sound egg can be safely stored on a kitchen counter for weeks. It won't go bad if the shell is intact. But it can (and usually does) lose quality as it ages. By this I mean the thick and thin whites (there are two kinds of egg white) gradually grow more and more watery and the yolk grows more watery. A really fresh (Grade AA) egg will stand up proud when cracked onto a saucer. The yolk is tall, the thick white is easy to distinguish from the thin white. As the egg ages the yolk subsides, the thin and thick whites become more alike and runs all over the saucer. This will happen sooner with an egg stored at room temperature than an egg stored in the refrigerator. Both can still be safe to eat, but you'll know a Grade B egg from a Grade AA as soon as you crack it into the pan.

Third, what are you going to do with the eggs? If you're going to fry one, make meringue, or any other use where freshness is important then refrigerate the eggs. If you're going to hard boil them and want them to peel easy then leave them on the counter. A day on a warm kitchen counter is like a week in the refrigerator.

Fourth, if you're selling eggs and asking a premium price then sell them with the highest possible quality which means either selling them within a day or two of being laid or refrigerating them. My customers pay at least three dollars a dozen (or more if resold) so I want them to think they are getting a premium product.

Fifth, if you're selling hatching eggs it really depends on your customers. Personally I refrigerate my hatching eggs but NOT the ones I sell. Those are kept in as cool a place as I can provide, but many folks do not want their hatching eggs chilled so the ones I sell don't go into the fridge.

You thought this was a simple question, didn't you?

 

[redblack10]

I agree with A. T. Hagan. A colleague of mine swears by leaving them on the counter - unwashed. I leave them out for hard-cooked and still have trouble peeling, but I refrigerate all others. My Happy Girls give me really clean eggs, so I rarely even rinse them, unless I am selling.

 

[maizey]

I have family in Ireland, and over there,they don't even refrigerate them in the stores. If you buy eggs in ireland, you buy them off the shelf at room temperature like the bread. You can also buy buttered eggs, which are room temperature, raw eggs where the shells have basically been oiled. I asked my mother in law about those and she says it preserves the freshness, but she has her own chickens and has never bought any, and since i eat her eggs when im there, ive never bought any buttered or otherwise. Her eggs never see the fridge, and my husband never saw or ate a refrigerated egg until he came here. Now, having said that, I DO put mine in the fridge. I'm a culinary educator and I beat food safety into my kids with a rolling pin..I couldn't sleep at night with eggs on the counter :/

 

[ForeverSunshine]

We've always kept ours in the fridge. I always thought it was bad to leave them out.....

 

[Supernatural]

I was leaving mine out and washing them right before cracking them. When I started getting a lot of eggs, I started washing whatever we wouldn't eat in the next few days and putting them in the fridge. Then when I ran out of counter-eggs, I'd use the fridge-eggs. I noticed after a few times of doing this that the yolks of the counter-eggs were more likely to break in the pan while frying than the fridge-eggs, and I HATE that, so now I store all my eggs in the fridge.

 

[Kaseykeepstrack]

I was just researching this topic last week. In many countries, eggs are sold and stored at room temperature. Either is fine. However, once eggs are refrigerated they should remain refrigerated. This is because going from the fridge to room temp causes 'sweating' or condensation on the egg, which increases the chance that bacteria can enter the shell if left out for more than a few hours. Of course, the FDA recommends that eggs always be refrigerated.

 

[taylorashleyd]

I've kept them on the counter for a few days, but normally put them in the fridge. I use the freshness test before using them anyway (2 cups of cold water in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of salt dissolved in the water. If the egg floats it needs to be thrown away).

 

[Daddas1Punkin]

fridge ccause we don't always eat them fast enough

 

[1AcreRooster]

We leave ours on the counter, but do date them with a light pencil

 

[Hollowoakfarm]

Eggs to sell go in the fridge, but eggs we're going to eat remain on the counter. They don't last long. I cook eggs for my mastiffs for breakfast every day.