Topic of the Week - Cleaning and Storing Eggs

[dogkahuna]

We only have 13 hens at the moment, so it's easy to collect eggs daily. Dirty eggs are washed under running warm water with a loofah. All eggs are refrigerated and are distributed within 2-3 days. I tell folks I can't guarantee the eggs still have their bloom intact unless they special order them that way.

The bloom should protect the eggs for 21 days, and I sure advise against storing eggs at room temperature longer than that.

I'm fascinated that people stockpile eggs. For those who do, how many eggs do you eat a week?

 

[Spartan22]

We collect eggs daily and store them on the dining counter unwashed. We sell eggs every 3 days, so we barely have a week old eggs. Other wise during summer when we have more than we can eat and sell, we pickled them and/or freeze them in ice cube trays. Dirty eggs which are very seldom we have are washed and cooked for breakfast the following morning.

 

[TrulyA]

I freeze individual eggs by breaking them into little egg size containers. They go in the deep freeze. I use them for making pasta and for baking. Have not noticed a difference from fresh eggs.

 

[FlyWheel]

So every egg that floated was rotten inside?

TTYTT, I never bothered breaking one to check, but seeing as I usually have enough to give a dozen away every now and then I'm not worried about the possibility that I may have unintentionally discarded a few good ones.

 

[Allie Grace Sanders]

Before I'm got my cockerel I would put my eggs on the counter until they got used. He mates with the pullets regularly, so I know they are fertile. How long is it safe to store them on the counter before a partially developed chick embryo pops out when I crack it?

 

[aart]

TTYTT, I never bothered breaking one to check

Well, then, I guess that....

TTYTT, I never bothered breaking one to check

....this claim is moot.

Saw a pic once with 18 days worth of eggs in separate glasses at various levels of 'float' but there was no followup on whether eggs were 'bad' or not.

 

[Lulu Lipshitz]

I have been told eggs should be stored pointy end down to keep the air sac at the top of the egg and intact. But so many people use those skelters that the eggs lay on their side and roll down when one is removed. Does it matter?

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I have been told eggs should be stored pointy end down to keep the air sac at the top of the egg and intact. But so many people use those skelters that the eggs lay on their side and roll down when one is removed. Does it matter?

I keep mine fat end up in the skelter, sometimes they move around but they get eaten in a matter of days

Gary

 

[tuesdaylove]

I personally collect eggs from my chickens and put them straight in the fridge without washing. Since I don't wash them, I'm sure they would be fine on the counter, but I'm an extreme germophobe when it comes to food and I don't want to risk any chance of food poisoning. I have a glass dish with a soft towel in the bottom, and I keep them in that. I try to store them pointy end down, but when they're all lying loose in the bowl they don't stay that way. If I ever have to buy eggs at the grocery store I keep the eggs in the carton.

I wash them in warm water right before I use them. After they're about a week old, I use the float test on them. I have float tested eggs that were 3-4 weeks old and if they don't float, I eat them and they have always seemed fine.

 

[lazy gardener]

Before I'm got my cockerel I would put my eggs on the counter until they got used. He mates with the pullets regularly, so I know they are fertile. How long is it safe to store them on the counter before a partially developed chick embryo pops out when I crack it?

That simply won't happen unless it is "incubator warm" in your house.

I have been told eggs should be stored pointy end down to keep the air sac at the top of the egg and intact. But so many people use those skelters that the eggs lay on their side and roll down when one is removed. Does it matter?

No it does not matter. The only time it will matter is if you are collecting eggs to hatch. And even then, the "they said" advice about "an egg must be stored with the air cell up and tilted frequently while in storage until it is put in the incubator" has pretty much been disproven. A recent study found that eggs could be stored with pointy end up, not turned at all prior to setting, and the hatch rate was acceptable.

- Should you wash the eggs before storing them?
- Should you store them on the counter or in the fridge?
- Are they better stored in egg cartons?
- Are they better stored in the fridge after washing them?

I store eggs on the counter until my baskets are full. Then, I wash them, put them in cartons, and refrigerate them. That way I always have cartons of eggs available for my customers. If I did not have excess eggs, and were not selling to the public, I'd simply keep them in the basket, and rotate 2 baskets. Wouldn't bother to refrigerate or wash them.

- How long can you store a fresh egg, before it starts going stale?

I wouldn't know. I've never had a stale egg.

- Can you freeze eggs and what is the best way to do it?

Yes, you can, but I've never bothered to do so. My understanding is that they need to have either sugar or salt mixed with them to make the texture ok.

- How can you tell if the eggs you stored are still o.k. to eat, without cracking them open?

IMO float test is a waste of time. All it will tell you is if the air cell is big enough to make the egg float. If an egg is suspect, simply crack it into a plate or bowl before using it. Give it the nose and eye test.