How do YOU store your eggs?

[Kendc0]

So I think I know the basics (and I mean very basic) methods for storing eggs.

To wash or not to wash? I think a lot of people ask that question. Do you store yours in the fridge? On the counter? In a little basket? In a jar?

I want to know what has worked best for you and why!

As an American, our grocery store eggs are all washed per government regulation (I'm pretty sure). But I have heard that some countries like Japan don't require washing and so their eggs are much safer to eat raw when it's called for that particular recipe (think a genuine Omurice or Oyakodon). I want to know best practices for safe to eat eggs and if someone plans to sell those unwashed eggs, what's the SOP?

So let's see it! I'd love to see your set ups too

 

[affacat]

The gravity roll for looks and quick access to the eggs we cook with. The trays on the right are super low profile and stackable when empty... We have 4 but only 2 are stacked there. (I found them on Amazon, highly recommend them if your egg count varies over time and you want expandable storage)

We normally have several eggs dozen on hand but i am about to clean everything so they're almost empty.

We don't wash our eggs, and we leave them on the counter. If we get overloaded we make something or give them away.

 

[Sussex19]

I never wash eggs; I don't think the ones in the shops here in Australia are either.
They get stored in the fridge in old ice cream containers.

 

[Callender Girl]

@Zud, this is probably much more than you wanted, but this is what I give new "customers." I don't know else they could possibly want to know -- because I tend to overexplain EVERYTHING. Hope you find this useful!

These aren't grocery store eggs

The eggs you are receiving are produced by a group of happy layers that are sheltered at night but are allowed to free range during the day. They forage and choose much of their own food; consequently, their eggs tend to have deep, rich-colored yolks.

The size of the eggs varies by chicken breed. The tiny Cochin Bantams lay much smaller eggs than the Sapphire Gem, a Czech hybrid known for its year-round productivity. Most of the layers are heirloom breeds, including Salmon Faverolles, Iowa Blues (the only breed developed in Iowa), Blue-Laced Red and Columbian Wyandottes and a Buff Orpington. All lay tinted, cream or brown eggs.

Newer additions are full-sized Cochins, a Bielefelder, Buckeyes (the only American breed developed solely by a woman – Nettie Metcalf in the 1890s), Speckled Sussex and Midnight Majesty Maran. Maran eggs are often described as “chocolate-colored.” One of the Easter Eggers lays light green eggs; her sister lays “normal” cream-colored eggs. That's the chance you take with Easter Eggers. A Prairie Bluebell Egger, house chicken Dottie, lays light blue eggs.

If you are receiving duck eggs, all are produced by Indian runner ducks, which lay white eggs. Duck eggs are generally about one-third larger than chicken eggs and have thicker shells. Duck eggs are higher in protein, a benefit to bakers since it results in lighter, fluffier baked goods. The yolks are proportionately larger than in chickens' eggs, and the eggs tend to be higher in healthy Omega-3 fatty acids.

American Buff goose eggs are available briefly in the spring as Gussie and Golly see fit to lay. They only produce for about five weeks, but the eggs are large enough to make an omelet with just one.

My eggs are not washed like grocery store eggs are. Washing removes the protective “bloom” that keeps bacteria from entering the egg through the shell. Stored eggs are not washed in Europe and are quite safe to eat; they will last for weeks without washing. You can either wash the eggs immediately before use, or you can wash and store them in the refrigerator when you receive them, if you are more comfortable with that. But eggs should be washed at some point before use.

My eggs are not stored in refrigeration, and no one has become ill from eating them. Again, many Europeans don't refrigerate their eggs, and for most of this country's history, neither did Americans. At an Iowa State University Extension poultry workshop in Fort Dodge, the ISU small farms project director agreed that refrigeration of eggs is not necessary, and eggs stored outside the fridge will last for weeks. You certainly can refrigerate them if that makes you feel safer.

Huffington Post ran an excellent article on the differences in egg nutrition and manners of storage on July 7, 2020.

While I am not opposed to using an egg carton twice, repeated re-use of egg cartons can result in a build up of bacteria and should be avoided, say experts. Non-Sytrofoam cartons can be recycled.

Unless you request a specific type of egg, all cartons may be a mix of size and species. In an effort to recoup some of my feed costs, I accept a donation of $1 per dozen eggs. The girls thank you for appreciating their work.

Bonus fun fact: Alektorophobia is the fear of chickens.

 

[Callender Girl]

I generally don't wash eggs. I store them -- depending on size -- in lidded, hard-plastic egg cartons, meant for fridge use, on the counter or, for the super-sized chicken and duck eggs, on an egg skelter, like affacat's.

Sometimes, the duck eggs are just too dirty, and if I have to wash those, they go in the fridge and are used first.

I sell eggs to folks I know, and when they get their first eggs, I give them a printed sheet explaining the how's and why's of storing eggs. I include information about the protective bloom on eggs, why U.S. store eggs are washed and must be refrigerated, and that the Iowa State University Extension small animal specialist is on record saying that unwashed eggs can safely be stored without refrigeration.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I wash, or rinse(Depends on dirtiness), & refrigerate them.

 

[HappyClucker7]

I don't wash my eggs unless they are super dirty, which only happens rarely. Once I bring them inside they go into a basket on the counter, and if they don't get used right away, then I'll put them in the fridge.

 

[Acre4Me]

So I think I know the basics (and I mean very basic) methods for storing eggs.

To wash or not to wash? I think a lot of people ask that question. Do you store yours in the fridge? On the counter? In a little basket? In a jar?

I want to know what has worked best for you and why!

As an American, our grocery store eggs are all washed per government regulation (I'm pretty sure). But I have heard that some countries like Japan don't require washing and so their eggs are much safer to eat raw when it's called for that particular recipe (think a genuine Omurice or Oyakodon). I want to know best practices for safe to eat eggs and if someone plans to sell those unwashed eggs, what's the SOP?

So let's see it! I'd love to see your set ups too

unwashed eggs aren’t “safer”.

Safer than what? If you think they are safer from salmonella you are incorrect. A bird with salmonella will lay an egg that contains salmonella. And as a side note, quail eggs do not contain salmonella -apparently quail do not carry salmonella, so in many Asian countries eating/using raw quail eggs is common.

Even in clean backyard or industrial setups, some eggs get dirty with poop. So, you clean them. Once cleaned, they must be chilled.

Due to the bloom on an egg, they are safe to store on the counter/room temp for awhile. But, in warmer weather I’ve noticed my counter eggs taste a bit different after several days at room temp, but this doesn’t happen in the colder winter months.

 

[Ozarkoak]

We don't wash our eggs. They go into the refrigerator when brought into the house. Our house is pretty warm some days 85F+ so it just weirds me out leaving the eggs out. Before we consume said egg we almost always wash them in warm water. We sell a dozen or two daily and we write right on the carton that THESE EGGS ARE NOT WASHED and we also give them the option of washed eggs. Out of everyone we sell eggs to 0% want them washed this is not their first farm fresh egg rodeo.

 

[Ozarkoak]

christ. that’s wild.

props to you for owning it though.

i don’t think you and i could be further apart here haha

Come by sometime and we can have some sweet tea and talk about the big city.