How to Keep Eggs without Refrigeration

[amarinesurveyor]

Originally Posted by svnatasha

I agree. Most importantly is to get the eggs directly from the farm. AND DON'T WASH THEM!!! they are covered with a dried "slime" directly from the chicken. It keeps them fresher longer. The basic idea is to keep the shell from becoming porous with age. Anything we can do to strengthen the impermeability of the shell or membrane will add life to the egg.

This process has worked well for me in the past.

In a small pan boil some water and add canning wax. Once the wax melts reduce the heat to a simmer so the wax forms an even layer (more or less) on top. Dip the eggs into the water for about 10 seconds and remove. This will cook the inside of the membrane and make the egg impermeable. As it is removed the wax will coat the egg. I store the eggs in plastic egg containers and turn them every week or so. This process should you get you months of storage.

Then again, taking a chicken along might be more fun....




Following is a method that has proven reliable for months long storage.

We have chickens. No not on a boat, but at our place in Jupiter, FL. svnatasha has it right. The freshly laid eggs have a coating on them that naturally seals them so they don't spoil. I'm not sure how long they last but we never refrigerate ours, until we eat them or give them to friends. They usually get used within a couple of weeks or so.
I think that most of the methods of sealing them will have the same result - to keep any bacteria out, and keep the egg from spoiling.
I didn't expect to be giving hints about keeping eggs on a boating forum!
Brian

[slabber]

I remember as a child during WW2 my mother, and everyone else we knew, used
waterglass (sodium silicate in solution) to preserve eggs for months. I believe it
was a household tip from the government.
Slabber.

[John A]

As an ex-farmer, I'd caution people from buying eggs from a third world farm or any unknown farm for that matter. You don't want a rooster anywhere near a hen! Only buy eggs from farms when you know the eggs have been succesfully candled.
John A

[aboutgone]

we have chickens,we get a dozen a day.we never refrigerate them,and get at least 3 months(never went any longer) out of them.these are large brown eggs from road island red's... ............Ed

[rivonia]

I have two plastic containers - each holds 6 eggs. I turn the container upside down once a week. Good for short or longer voyages. I have tried eggs from a farm and supermarket eggs and find the latter have a stronger shell.

Claire

[John A]

Yes, turn the eggs or the yolk will stick to the bottom of the shell.
The thickness of the shell is determined by the amount of calcium in the hen's diet. For stronger shells a calcium supplement must be given to the hen.
Another hint - take an empty egg carton to the market, sometimes the eggs are displayed in flats or loose.

[zeehag]

i have kept eggs bought in a mexican market in san diego for 5 weeks without problems without treatment....is alll gooood....without fridge.....they were fine until the last---after 5 weeks they tend to get nasty...

[moonchaser]

i concur with buying the local eggs fresh. if never refrigerated, as most are not in caribbean, they will last longer. good idea to take a hard egg case, available in states where camping supplies are sold, as few vendors in islands have cartons available. they just do not do well in a bag. two things that seems plentiful in the islands are chickens & eggs. chickens certainly are free range as they run loose most places. but everyone seems to know which ones are theirs.
i once saw a fellow digging a moat in clarence town, bahamas to keep some goats off his property. i ask him whose goats they were. he said, "no ones till you kill one".

[FSMike]

I have visions of a "Chicken Overboard!!!" drill.

[hellosailor]

Fresh from the farm and untreated might be good--from a small clean farm. But poultry usually isn't clean, and salmonella contamination is rampant, at least with poultry farming in the US. I'd have to wonder if eggs that didn't get a small bleach wash (etc) before storage might not be a slamonella risk.

All the old cookbooks used to list ways to keep eggs, and the USDA probably has a free booklet on it. I'd just hate to find out I had salmonella four days out from any help in good weather, much less bad.

[boatman61]

Varnish and store in the bilges... if they're off the smell will let you know.
Crack one at a time into a seperate dish before adding to the mix...

[sarafina]

I poached 4 eggs this last weekend that were, by my count, at least 6 weeks old. All were fine. I buy from farmers when I can, but I suspect these were garden variety store eggs because my farmer suppler has not been at the farmers marker for 3 months or so. I did nothing to preserve them. Kept them in a plastic egg box that I used for camping. Stowed in a cool box under a seat by the galley. What would be the ice box/cooler if we actually put ice in it. Sometimes the white gets a bit yellow, but it cooks up fine. The yolks are prone to breaking more easily as they age. Give up sunny side up or over easy.

salmonella is a risk in raw eggs. cook them and you will be fine. worried about contamination from the exterior shell? wash them just before you use them with soap and water. rinse well before breaking to avoid bubbles in your morning eggs ; -)

bad eggs smell strongly of Sulpher, an unmistakable scent. in this case they are rotten, which is different from being contaminated with salmonella. if you break open a bad egg just dump it and get out another one. this is really a case where one bad apple don't spoil the who barrel! in fact according to the fda; In the United States, the highest number of cases of Salmonella food poisoning occur in the Northeast, where it is believed that about one out of 10,000 eggs is infected with Salmonella.

which in my mind is a pretty low risk, given that unless your are immune compromised or very young or old salmonella is usually a really bad case of the runs and a few days of being sick, not a life or death matter.

as a Caesar salad and hollandaise lover i am grateful for that!

[E.L.Green]

i remember when i was stationed in germany they had eggs in the food stores on the local economy that were not refrigerated. they were in clear plastic crates and were all coated with a colored substance that my girlfriend told me will last over a month.

[SaucySailoress]

OK, so now I have the urge to go and get some chickens - although I know it'll make the maid mad. Never mind, she just had a pay rise. darn, now I'll have to find a chicken forum to find out what I'm supposed to do with them.

Oh, and what about when we cruise? Can we take them? Is it the same regulations as traveling with cats and dogs?

[GordMay]

What Sara said in post #27.

It's estimated that eggs age more in one day at room temperature than they do in one week in the refrigerator. As eggs age, some of their cooking qualities are affected. The yolks and whites become thinner and more prone to breaking when you separate them. You'll also find these eggs harder to poach, as thin whites spread quickly throughout the poaching water instead of clustering around the yolk. And you may notice a large dent in the fat end of hard-cooked eggs. This happens as moisture and carbon dioxide evaporate from the white, allowing air to enter through the porous shell and enlarge the air space.

To properly judge the freshness of an egg, its contents need to be at room temperature. Allow “old” refrigerated eggs to warm.
First, check each egg by rolling it across a flat surface. Only consume them if they roll wobbly.
Open the egg.
If the egg white is watery instead of gel-like, don't consume the egg.
If the egg yolk is not convex and firm, don't consume the egg.
If the egg yolk easily bursts, don't consume the egg.
If it smells foul you will certainly not want to consume it.