Should you keep eggs in the refrigerator? Is there another way? If you’re from the city you most likely didn’t even realize that some people do keep their eggs at room temperature. You might think, is this safe?
There are two types of people in this world, those who store their eggs at room temperature and those that keep them in the fridge. Each group thinks they have the right way and the other has egg on their face. 😉
My thinking was if I purchased my eggs from the store and they were in the refrigerator section then that is where they need to be stored. Isn’t that reasonable? Although I have seen eggs at the Farmer’s Market in cartons sitting out at room temperature. So what is the correct way? I was now questioning everything that I grew up believing about egg storage.
I started to think, I know some recipes tell you to wait to use your eggs until they come up to room temperature and that some chef’s believe that egg shells are porous and therefore can absorb the smells of the refrigerator. Gross! I mean chickens aren’t stored in the fridge so why should there eggs? Who is to say the non-fridge camp isn’t correct?
What do the experts say? Here is a scientific experiment and the results. You may be surprised!
FoodTest provides the food and drink industry with government-approved laboratory analysis to ensure the safety, quality and legality of their products. The company kept two batches of eggs for a month, one at room temperature, the other at a typical fridge temperature of 6c. Samples from both batches were regularly tested for nasties such as E.coli, the superbug staphylococcus aureus, salmonella, listeria and campylobacter.
The results, taken at the start point of the test, at the end of the first week and at the end of the second week, were all the same.
There was no difference whatsoever between the two batches. Both remained bacteria-free.
Jay Tolley, the operations and quality manager at FoodTest, confirmed that where safety is concerned: ‘There is no advantage in keeping the eggs refrigerated as opposed to storing them at ambient room temperature.’
The results of our admittedly small-scale but highly scientific test show it seems perfectly OK to keep your eggs outside the fridge.
On a personal note, I picked up a Rachael Ray Stoneware 12-Cup Sittin’ Pretty Egg Tray to store my eggs which works in the fridge or the counter! This is what got me started thinking in the first place!
Now that you have considered the findings, should eggs be stored in the refrigerator or at room temperature? Did it change your mind? What is your opinion?
Credit: Expert Information, The Daily Mail
