Storing Eggs Pointy End Down?

[Patinas]

Not to beat this topic to death but I decided to check out the different egg brands at my local store and was surprised by what I found. Before I had my own flock, I always bought the cheap brands of commercial eggs and they were always packaged pointy end up.

What I found at the store was that the high priced eggs were packed pointy end down while the cheaper eggs were always pointy end up. There is one brand at my local store that says they are cage free, pasture raised hens...not organic though, and that brand sells for a whopping $6.50 a dozen! That brand is packaged point end down. There are a few other brands that claim they are "cage free" and sell for between $4 - $5 a dozen and those too were packaged pointy end down.

When the price drops below $4 a dozen, they suddenly were all packaged pointy end up.

No wonder I'd never seen commercial eggs packed pointy end down because I would never have spent up to $6.50 a dozen for eggs! I always went for about the $2 priced ones. I have no explanation for why expensive commercial eggs are packed differently than cheaper end eggs.

I've started packing eggs for my customers pointy end down at this point. My customers like my hens eggs so much that they eat them pretty regularly so in my case, probably makes no difference how I store/package them since they get consumed fairly quickly.

My conclusion is that if one has to store eggs for a lengthy period, maybe pointy end down is the best way to go but again, may be worth researching solid science behind how best to store eggs longer term.

 

[aart]

What I found at the store was that the high priced eggs were packed pointy end down while the cheaper eggs were always pointy end up. There is one brand at my local store that says they are cage free, pasture raised hens...not organic though, and that brand sells for a whopping $6.50 a dozen! That brand is packaged point end down. There are a few other brands that claim they are "cage free" and sell for between $4 - $5 a dozen and those too were packaged pointy end down.

When the price drops below $4 a dozen, they suddenly were all packaged pointy end up.

Interesting...maybe I'll remember to look when I next go to the grocery.

 

[Dawnclucks22]

I store mine pointy-side-down out of habit because I heard that's how they were supposed to be stored but I think in the long run it's all about preference.

 

[peckpeckpeck]

Not to beat this topic to death but I decided to check out the different egg brands at my local store and was surprised by what I found. Before I had my own flock, I always bought the cheap brands of commercial eggs and they were always packaged pointy end up.

What I found at the store was that the high priced eggs were packed pointy end down while the cheaper eggs were always pointy end up. There is one brand at my local store that says they are cage free, pasture raised hens...not organic though, and that brand sells for a whopping $6.50 a dozen! That brand is packaged point end down. There are a few other brands that claim they are "cage free" and sell for between $4 - $5 a dozen and those too were packaged pointy end down.

When the price drops below $4 a dozen, they suddenly were all packaged pointy end up.

No wonder I'd never seen commercial eggs packed pointy end down because I would never have spent up to $6.50 a dozen for eggs! I always went for about the $2 priced ones. I have no explanation for why expensive commercial eggs are packed differently than cheaper end eggs.

I've started packing eggs for my customers pointy end down at this point. My customers like my hens eggs so much that they eat them pretty regularly so in my case, probably makes no difference how I store/package them since they get consumed fairly quickly.

My conclusion is that if one has to store eggs for a lengthy period, maybe pointy end down is the best way to go but again, may be worth researching solid science behind how best to store eggs longer term.

Very interesting!
I've been checking my eggs every time I buy them from the grocery store for close to 30 years (finally just got chickens this year!!) I always checked for broken or thin shells & pointy side down.

I don't know where I learned that & don't know how true that is.
I've never found a pattern. I always just look for the carton that has intact eggs & the most pointed down. I flip any that are pointed up so they come home with me pointed down.

Course now it doesn't matter much to me since I don't buy store eggs anymore and I keep my eggs on the counter on their side since we eat em pretty quickly.

I do store some in the fridge if we're saving some to give away to friends / neighbors. These are pointy side down just because that's what makes me comfortable. But either way eggs are tasty & I've never gotten sick from pointy direction as far as I know.

I say do what makes you feel comfortable. And if you're keeping eggs around for more than 6 months that you have to worry about pointy up or down, then I can help ease your burden & take some of those eggs off your hands.

Btw I'm one of those saps that used to buy the $6 eggs because I wanted to make sure I wasn't supporting places that crowded & debeaked their chickens, and it wasn't always possible to buy from a local reputable farmer.
But then I don't buy $5 coffee every day from Starbucks. Just where I choose to splurge

 

[shawthorne44]

Good to know. I've been deliberately storing pointy side up because I use an egg steamer and they have to cook pointy end down because the air sack end has a tiny hole pocked in. I noticed that if I turned the eggs, then the yolk always ended up in the center. I think I'll switch and just deal with yolks more to the pointy end. This only really matters for deviled eggs.