Number one way for Preserving eggs.

[Martkimwat]

The other thing that helps them last longer is to turn them every few days, don't know why, I think it stops the egg from hatching or maybe keeps the inside of the shell coated with the egg white (albumin) to prevent air getting in through the shell. I never put my eggs in the fridge and they keep for several months. Always do the float or sink test before I use them though when they are that old (still use them if they are buoyant but fully submerged) but then in UK we don't have salmonella issues with eggs as a general rule. The recommendation over here is not to refrigerate eggs, I believe it is different in the USA.

[PhilC]

Back in the early 80's cruisers we knew used wax. When we called in St Helena they were so used to cruisers heading off on the long leg to the Caribbean or Azores that you could buy them pre-waxed.

[friz]

Originally Posted by Sea Dreaming

Actually, I think the biggest eason you refrigerate eggs in the US is marketing to prevent litigation. We US consumers are drilled to believe EVERYTHING is unsafe and must be refrigerated or cooked to carbon or its not safe to eat. The various food councils (lobbiests) spend big bucks to "educate" the population as a protective measure against lawsuit. Lawsuit, like American foot ball, is a national pastime.

And of course lawsuits are all frivolous? May I suggest that food councils (lobbyists) push various food storage schemes to prevent litigation by lowering the number of ill people post consuming their products?

[HopCar]

The reason eggs need to be refrigerated in the US is because the U.S. Dept of Agriculture requires eggs to be washed before they are sold. Unfortunately this removes a protective layer and opens the pores in the egg shell. The eggs then need to be refrigerated to keep them from spoiling. This wash is not required in many European countries.

The other thing commonly refrigerated that doesn’t need to be is butter, especially salted butter. I wouldn’t keep in out in ninety degree temperatures but my house is air conditioned and butter lasts at least a week on my counter. I don’t know how much longer it will last as I put out one stick at a time and use it up in a week or less.

[sailingabe41ds]

I have chickens and have fresh eggs daily. I keep them unrefrigerated for several weeks and after that I play it safe and keep it in the fridge for several more weeks. They are coated with antibacterial layer but in mass production they are washed and thus loose that protection. You do not have to worry about hatching or embryos because they are not fertile...no rooster. Also you store with the pointed side down. Color of the shell does not make a difference in taste or color of the yolk.
They are funny little animals with individual personalities. They eat everything including live mice/ small rats but they do crap alot and are messy.
We name our chickens Trixie, Dixie, Lulu, Clitus, and Dillie...and we do not eat them.


Abe

[HopCar]

Originally Posted by sailingabe41ds

I have chickens and have fresh eggs daily. I keep them unrefrigerated for several weeks and after that I play it safe and keep it in the fridge for several more weeks. They are coated with antibacterial layer but in mass production they are washed and thus loose that protection. You do not have to worry about hatching or embryos because they are not fertile...no rooster. Also you store with the pointed side down. Color of the shell does not make a difference in taste or color of the yolk.
They are funny little animals with individual personalities. They eat everything including live mice/ small rats but they do crap alot and are messy.
We name our chickens Trixie, Dixie, Lulu, Clitus, and Dillie...and we do not eat them.


Abe

A lot of bee keepers keep chickens as well. The chickens eat hive beetles before they can get in the hive and cause trouble.

[mawtty]

Coating washed eggs with Vaseline gel to seal the porous shell then returning them to the cartons which need to be inverted once a week to stop yoke settling against shell.
Keeps in tropics for many weeks.

[sailingabe41ds]

The purpose of egg turning is for healthy embryo developement ...I dont think its an issue in unfertilized eggs or eggs that are not incubating.

Abe

[Martkimwat]

Originally Posted by mawtty

Coating washed eggs with Vaseline gel to seal the porous shell then returning them to the cartons which need to be inverted once a week to stop yoke settling against shell.
Keeps in tropics for many weeks.

Thanks for reminding me what the reason was for turning eggs when preserving them for eating, and NOT trying to develop a healthy chick!

[Blindsail]

The US there is a much greater concern of salmonella than there is other places. We end up buying eggs at farmers market and from people where they have never been refrigerated and we have found we can buy a big flat and they will last for several weeks never being refrigerated. Our understanding is that if they have already been refrigerated they need to stay that way. So we like to buy them when they are fresh and then do not need refrigeration.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Blindsail

The US there is a much greater concern of salmonella than there is other places. We end up buying eggs at farmers market and from people where they have never been refrigerated and we have found we can buy a big flat and they will last for several weeks never being refrigerated. Our understanding is that if they have already been refrigerated they need to stay that way. So we like to buy them when they are fresh and then do not need refrigeration.

EU rules require chickens to be vaccinated against salmonella , as a result of this , and the preservation of the protective cuticle , EU eggs are NOT allowed to be washed and hence stored at room temperature

USDA does not require salmonella vaccines and as a result is more concerned about salmonella , hence the mandatory wash and the need then to refrigerate.

I had an egg for brekkie , been on the boat for 7 days in 35 degree C heat. I’m perfectly fi......

[dannc]

What is always missing in these egg storage discussions is the quality and nutrition of the eggs.

Storing eggs so they are cool drastically maintains the quality and nutrition of the egg along with preserving them. Storing eggs at room temperature quickly, as in a matter of hours, lowers the quality and nutrition of the egg.

Years ago my family wanted to raise chickens.

Eventually, I relented and we bought some chicks. As part of the learning to raise hens and produce eggs we did research including talking to the local community college. Somewhere along the line, I saw a report, which I cannot find in spite of searching numerous times, talking about egg quality and nutrition. The paper showed a dramatic decrease if the egg was not cooled. We are talking hours, not days, and it gets worse the longer the egg is not cooled.

My family would not go out and get the eggs every morning, they would wait until the evening so the quality of the eggs would drop. Buying good quality chicken feed, was not chicken feed, and we could have bought great quality eggs, with better nutrition from the store, cheaper than it cost in chicken feed.

One hen was eaten by a fox, another was hen pecked to death by the flock, but mainly by the head hen, who was a bi...ch. The hen pecked hen was like a dog and very friendly. She would follow you around, sit in your lap and liked to be petted. Course it was the family's favorite chicken.

We gave the head hen to someone else with a flock and I am sure they put that chicken in the pot. I wanted to make chicken and dumplings with that b...h hen but the family would not let me. The surviving hens went to a facility that cares for adults with diminished mental capacity. They like to watch the chickens, and chickens can be fun to watch, it is called Chicken TV for a reason

When we were in Europe, we would buy the eggs and store them in the fridge. Have no idea how long the eggs were from hen to store but at least we minimized the nutritional loss.

Later,
Dan

[goboatingnow]

EU food advice specifically warns against refrigerating eggs. It suggests they be kept at a cool room temperature. Refrigerating unwashed eggs can cause dampness on the eggs skin and lead to bacterial formations.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by dannc

... Storing eggs so they are cool drastically maintains the quality and nutrition of the egg along with preserving them. Storing eggs at room temperature quickly, as in a matter of hours, lowers the quality and nutrition of the egg ...

... As part of the learning to raise hens and produce eggs we did research including talking to the local community college. Somewhere along the line, I saw a report, which I cannot find in spite of searching numerous times, talking about egg quality and nutrition. The paper showed a dramatic decrease if the egg was not cooled. We are talking hours, not days, and it gets worse the longer the egg is not cooled ...

Processing Options for Improving the Nutritional Value of Poultry Meat and Egg Products
M. G. MAST and C. S. CLOUSER

Scroll down [a long way] to:
The Effects of Processing, Storage, and Further Processing on the Nutritional Value of Eggs

"Shell eggs lose very few nutrients when stored properly. Everson and Souders (1957), in a comprehensive literature review on egg composition, cited several studies showing no significant losses of protein, fat, or minerals in shell eggs. Changes in solids were attributed to the transfer of water from the white to yolk or evaporation through the shell. Riboflavin, thiamine, and vitamin A decreased slightly during cold-storage times of 3 to 4 months.

The quality of eggs stored at room temperature deteriorates at a much faster rate than does the nutritional value. Imai (1981) demonstrated that although coating the eggs slowed the rate of deterioration at room temperature in a 4-week storage study, egg quality was much higher in both coated and noncoated eggs stored for up to 4 months at 3ºC ..."

Here ➥ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK218177/

[dannc]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

EU food advice specifically warns against refrigerating eggs. It suggests they be kept at a cool room temperature. Refrigerating unwashed eggs can cause dampness on the eggs skin and lead to bacterial formations.

The reason we cool down food is to minimize spoilage. Putting eggs in the fridge SLOWS down the growth of bacteria, be it on eggs or other foods. Furthermore, I don't eat raw eggs but cook them, so if there was bacterial growth, it is a who cares. The eggs we were buying were consumed in a day or so not kept for weeks or months and we did not get sick.

The EU advice is interesting because the eggs are unwashed in the first place. Chicken scat and eggs go down the same "channel" so to speak. I crack eggs a certain way to minimize contact of the egg with the shell even though I cook the eggs anyway. I would be more worried about the growth of what is ALREADY ON an unwashed egg than what MIGHT grow when the eggs are kept cool.

Later,
Dan