Kitchen

[wismiss]

A friend of mine lives next door to people who have chickens.  They have given my friend some eggs and told him he doesn't have to refrigerate them.  I was surprised so looked it up on the internet and this is what I found.

In the United States, fresh, commercially produced eggs need to be refrigerated to minimize your risk of food poisoning. However, in many countries in Europe and around the world, it's fine to keep eggs at room temperature for a few weeks. Fresh unwashed eggs do not need to be refrigerated for several weeks. Always refrigerate washed eggs.  Unwashed fresh eggs will keep the best.

I learn something new every day and this was especially surprising.

[Sage04]

Spent many years in the Caribbean and the eggs were never refrigerated. The hens laid the eggs in the back yard and they were put in a bowl and on the counter.

We were talking about this just last week and googled it and found the same info you did.

[PA Mom-mom]

@wismiss  Yep. My DD has chickens, and they keep the eggs in a basket and wash them just before use. When they get more in, they put the older ones in the refrigerator, but they don't wash them.

[fthunt]

Have never found a dirty shell - egg from a grocery store - but to get them home as quickly as possible to the refrigerator..........I do the turkey trot.

[January121]

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@fthunt wrote:

Have never found a dirty shell - egg from a grocery store - but to get them home as quickly as possible to the refrigerator..........I do the turkey trot.

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@fthunt  ..... I only buy England’s Best eggs .... their shells are usually clean but, in the past the lesser brand eggs always had some “dirt” on the shells ... that is the reason I stopped buying them 🤓

[Harpa]

Oh! So that's where I Love Lucy got the fresh eggs on the counter bit! I always wondered about that!

Anyone know what I'm talking about? When they were in the egg business. She had a bowl of eggs sitting on the table.

Thanks for clearing up this mystery, @wismiss !

[AuntG]

We had at least 25 chickens when I was young. Eggs were never washed and could be left out. In those days, we baked fairly often so they were used up quickly.

[candys mine]

The reason it is not neccessary to refrigerate New Farm Fresh UNWASHED eggs is NOT because they are less dirty than mass farmed eggs.  It is because when the hen lays the egg the egg is coated with "bloom" which protects it from air and bacteria.  Wash the egg and you wash Off the Bloom and air and bacteria can get to the egg. Mass produced eggs are washed during the packing process and so must be refrigerated. 

[Still Raining]

A neighbor sells their eggs and it is amazing how some refuse unwashed eggs.  City folk 😜

[faeriemoon]

I have also read that when you buy refrigerated eggs you must refrigerate them when you get home.  There is something about them sweating on the counter when they go from the cold store refrigerator to your room temperature counter that allows bacteria into the egg.