Storing Eggs Pointy End Down?

[R2elk]

I have had my flock for 8 months now and the other day a friend sent me the following post from Lisa Steele's site:

http://www.fresheggsdaily.com/2015/01/why-should-eggs-be-stored-pointy-end.html

I had never heard this before! I have always stored mine pointy side up since that's how they are when you buy them at the store so I figured that was correct. Never actually thought about it before.

After reading about this, I am switching to pointy end down. I've asked several people in the last couple days if they have ever heard of this and they all said they had never heard of it either.

Makes me wonder, why does the commercial egg industry always package eggs pointy side up? Do they have studies showing consumers view pointy side up eggs in cartons as more appealing? Is it simply because that's how the packaging machines put them in the cartons?

One reason I came up with is that maybe it's because it is easier to pull them out of the carton from the pointy end vs. the blunt end?

Must be a reason why they package them pointy end up? Anyone know the answer?

I read the link and as far as I can tell, this is one person's hypothesis without any scientific data to back up their theory.

All store bought eggs that I have seen were pointy side up. It is my theory that this keeps the eggs fresher because there is less surface area exposed.

As others have pointed out there may well be more reasons to store pointy side up such as egg removal from the cartons and/or how the machines were built to handle the eggs.

Storing hatching eggs are typically stored large end up but their is a method that calls for storing hatching eggs pointy side up when being stored for periods that are longer than 2 weeks. When hatching eggs are stored pointy side up they are also enclosed in a plastic bag. The reason for doing so is to decrease the amount of moisture that the egg loses keeping it viable to hatching for a longer period of time.

 

[RollTideChicken]

Pointy end up makes them harder to grab not easier. The angle of the shell works against you and you have to apply more pressure to hold it or it can slip out. Big end up is how I've always seen them. This allows your fingers to "cradle" the egg and it can't slip.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[aart]

I read the link and as far as I can tell, this is one person's hypothesis without any scientific data to back up their theory.

Yes, that site should be taken with many grains of salt.
It sure is popular tho!

 

[The Moonshiner]

Pointy end up makes them harder to grab not easier. The angle of the shell works against you and you have to apply more pressure to hold it or it can slip out. Big end up is how I've always seen them. This allows your fingers to "cradle" the egg and it can't slip.
Just my 2 cents.

I agree.
My youngest helps collect eggs for hatching and of course half of them end up wrong side up so I go back and flip them. It seems so much harder to pick them up out of a carton when pointy side is up.
Saying its easier to pick them up pointy side up and hearing people buying store eggs pointy side up from the store sounds so strange to me.
Is this a twilight zone episode or what?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

When hatching eggs are stored pointy side up they are also enclosed in a plastic bag. The reason for doing so is to decrease the amount of air that the egg loses keeping it viable to hatching for a longer period of time.

Guess I won't be trying to hatch old eggs...

But putting a plastic bag on them would stop water from evaporating out of the egg and air from entering it.

I did know they could be stored on the counter as long as I didn't wash them

That is true... but I only keep the eggs we are eating this week on the counter. It is my understanding that eggs stored at room temp age degradation is equal to 1 week per day verses stored in the fridge. Sorry, no scientific collaboration. But I can definitely see the difference in the thickness of the albumin/yolk and such after they have aged at room temp for a couple weeks. I would NOT sell those to customers. But in the fridge, still as good as day 1.

 

[chickens really]

I was told pointy end down...The air cell is at the fat end of the egg and keeps them fresh longer...Even when incubating its pointy end Down.....

 

[HattieScratchy]

My understanding is that as long as they aren't washed. We eat so many eggs that they don't last long on the counter anyways and I don't sell them (don't have enough to). maybe 2 weeks tops and have never seen a difference in thickness between cracking on day 1 and cracking day 14.. maybe because they aren't there long enough for noticeable degradation.

That is true... but I only keep the eggs we are eating this week on the counter. It is my understanding that eggs stored at room temp age degradation is equal to 1 week per day verses stored in the fridge. Sorry, no scientific collaboration. But I can definitely see the difference in the thickness of the albumin/yolk and such after they have aged at room temp for a couple weeks. I would NOT sell those to customers. But in the fridge, still as good as day 1.

 

[lazy gardener]

I read the link and as far as I can tell, this is one person's hypothesis without any scientific data to back up their theory.

All store bought eggs that I have seen were pointy side up. It is my theory that this keeps the eggs fresher because there is less surface area exposed.

As others have pointed out there may well be more reasons to store pointy side up such as egg removal from the cartons and/or how the machines were built to handle the eggs.

Storing hatching eggs are typically stored large end up but their is a method that calls for storing hatching eggs pointy side up when being stored for periods that are longer than 2 weeks. When hatching eggs are stored pointy side up they are also enclosed in a plastic bag. The reason for doing so is to decrease the amount of moisture that the egg loses keeping it viable to hatching for a longer period of time.

Agreed re: your reference to storing hatching eggs pointy side up. Now, we all know, that "they say" that hatching eggs should, must absolutely be stored point down. And when storing hatching eggs, they should also be turned while being stored. However a recent study found that a viable alternative (and certainly less labor intensive) was to store them point up and not turn them. The study found that this method actually produced good hatch results. Just goes to show that all of the "they say" facts need to be held up to the light of day and scrutinized now and then. The idea of placing a hatching egg in plastic, and excluding air flies in the face of common sense! But, it actually helps to increase viability. An other recent study indicates that closing down ventilation during the first few days of incubation (I forget how many... possibly 10???) actually increases hatch rate also. Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction.

Yes, that site should be taken with many grains of salt.
It sure is popular tho!

Yep. Many of these web sites are full of "they said" information that lacks validity.

 

[aart]

Now, we all know, that "they say" that hatching eggs should, must absolutely be stored point down. And when storing hatching eggs, they should also be turned while being stored. However a recent study found that a viable alternative (and certainly less labor intensive) was to store them point up and not turn them. The study found that this method actually produced good hatch results.

Would that be 'They 2'? JK

 

[Patinas]

It's interesting that some have said they have never seen commercial eggs packed pointy side up and others, like myself, have never seen them pointy side down in cartons. Maybe has to do with where one lives?

There are also those skeptical of the article link I posted. It was not my intent to imply the info in the article is gospel when it comes to egg storage. I posted it simply because I'd never heard of storing eggs pointy end down and the article discussed why one should store them that way and it made sense to me.

I applaud those that are skeptical because I wholly agree that just because someone said "it is so" that it actually is. I myself will do some more research into this topic, only because it is interesting to me and when my curiosity gets tickled, I want to know the "why". I see no harm in storing them either way, but for now, I'm going with pointy side down.