To refrigerate or not to refrigerate, that is the question

[Missys Chicken Ranch]

Hey ya'll!
I would like to hear what you do with your unwashed eggs. Do you leave them on the counter or in the fridge? Does anyone really know how long they last on the counter? I have heard months but recently read an article that said eggs non-refrigerated eggs go bad faster than refrigerated eggs. They last less than 4 weeks. Currently I keep mine on the counter but i do not go through them quickly at all. I would love to hear your experience.
Thanks!

 

[PippinTheChicken]

Hey ya'll!
I would like to hear what you do with your unwashed eggs. Do you leave them on the counter or in the fridge? Does anyone really know how long they last on the counter? I have heard months but recently read an article that said eggs non-refrigerated eggs go bad faster than refrigerated eggs. They last less than 4 weeks. Currently I keep mine on the counter but i do not go through them quickly at all. I would love to hear your experience.
Thanks!

I put all eggs in the fridge. Unless I accidentally forget them somewhere I found one on thr window ledge today!

 

[hysop]

In my personal experience, it's easier for me to place them in the refrigerator. In spring and summer my house gets pretty warm. I’ve had eggs spoil being on the counter because of it.

So now I just place all of them in the refrigerator.

If my family went through eggs fast then I wouldn't mind risking leaving them in the counter, but I currently have 2-3 dozen eggs from the last couple of days and by the time we eat 1 dozen we have already acquired another dozen or two

 

[Tonyroo]

It's safer to store them in the fridge if your not going to use them frequently. I only have unwashed eggs on the counter for 2 weeks if it doesn't get used it goes in the fridge.

 

[arwoon]

I personally don't refrigerate my eggs unless I had to wash them, but it could also be better to refrigerate based on climate, as mentioned above.

 

[hysop]

I have eaten eggs that were 4-5 months old stored in the refrigerator. They obviously aren’t anywhere near as delicious as fresh eggs and they do float. But they are edible for hard times.

 

[Battlepants]

We keep ours un-refrigerated, but we have a wire egg rack that handles the FIFO process for us. Whenever it starts getting full, it's time to make breakfast burritos again!

https://imgur.com/lwtdblk

As for the expiration on eggs, I've never had one of the fresh ones go bad, but here's an easy test: get a big bowl of water and place your eggs in it.
-If the egg sits at the bottom on its side, has some time left before it goes bad. Safe to remain on the counter.
-If the egg sits at the bottom on end (egg appears to be standing up), it is going to go bad soon. Hardboil this if you want to extend the life, or use it in a dish today!
-If the egg floats, it has gone bad and needs to be composted.

 

[hysop]

We keep ours un-refrigerated, but we have a wire egg rack that handles the FIFO process for us. Whenever it starts getting full, it's time to make breakfast burritos again!

https://imgur.com/lwtdblk

As for the expiration on eggs, I've never had one of the fresh ones go bad, but here's an easy test: get a big bowl of water and place your eggs in it.
-If the egg sits at the bottom on its side, has some time left before it goes bad. Safe to remain on the counter.
-If the egg sits at the bottom on end (egg appears to be standing up), it is going to go bad soon. Hardboil this if you want to extend the life, or use it in a dish today!
-If the egg floats, it has gone bad and needs to be composted.

I used to swear by the float test because that's how I found out some of my eggs were spoiled (actually had green stuff oozing that I didn't notice prior to the float test and it reeked).

But I have come to learn that the float test is for the age of the egg and not so much about if it's good to eat or not. I’ve eaten refrigerated eggs that floated during a float test and they were still fine to eat, didn’t taste as great as fresh eggs but were edible.

 

[bill3607]

I go with 2 months unwashed unrefrigerated and 6 months washed and in fridge. That’s my rule but never make it to my fridge. I give too many away. I do give the same advise to the ones I give them to along with “always do the float test”. Rarely find a bad one. Maybe 2-3 a year out of hundreds

 

[Missys Chicken Ranch]

Thank you everyone! I appreciate your input.