how long can i keep the eggs refrigerated ?

[sandrameissnest]

hello,
do i keep the eggs right away in the fridge? and how long can i keep them before they get bad ?
thanks
sandra

 

[Argus33]

well a lot of the eggs you get in the supper markets are a lot older than you would ever expect. Like i would not be surprised at all if i was told they were a year old. you can however tell by getting a bowl of cold water and put the egg in the bowl of water, if it floats toss it. if it sinks its good till it floats. if it looks like it wants to float, bake with it. you should be able to find this on the Internet somewhere, i just remember watching "The Dive" that had dumpster divers and what they did to tell if the eggs they got out of the dumpsters were good or not. hope this helps.

 

[Chemguy]

About a year. Here's a link to a study that compared different storage methods: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1977-11-01/Fresh-Eggs.aspx

 

[Happy Chooks]

Interesting article. I don't think I'd keep mine a year, but I do stockpile my eggs in the fridge starting in early Sept for the winter.

Unwashed is the key to longer storage.

 

[Chemguy]

I was surprised, too. I certainly don't plan on waiting a year to see if eggs still "taste fresh" but it is good to know that those that make it to the back of the refrigerator are likely still good after a few weeks.

I did some more research on this topic, wanting to see just how old the eggs at the store are. Overall, the average age is 8-14 days by the time they make it to the shelf. (which surprised me....thought they'd be older). The age does vary across the country. Here's a link to a study done in 2000: http://ps.fass.org/content/80/4/383.full.pdf

 

[Argus33]

I was just reading the replies on this to my wife and she mentioned on a show called doomsdayprepers that they showed a woman rubbing mineral oil on the eggs out of a super market and saying they would keep for 9-12 months in a cool dry place. Once i heard that i do remember somewhere seeing a product that you dip the egg into and it would make it last a scary amount of time like 3-5 years. i am thinking it was named something like liquid glass i think but i look at it like this. if i have roosters running with my hens, and we have more eggs than we can eat i throw it in the incubator and turn it into meat.

 

[Chemguy]

That liquid glass is sometimes called water glass. When you immerse eggs in it, a thin shell forms around the egg. Many of the preservation techniques are aimed at coating the egg with something that provides a barrier to bacteria, fungi and air. Commercial eggs are washed, then sprayed with mineral oil to help preserve.