Do You Have to Store Eggs In the Fridge?

Although the egg cartons in the supermarket are usually not refrigerated on the shelf, eggs should be stored in the refrigerator. Actually, eggs have a natural protective layer, the so-called cuticle, which makes them durable for 18 days after laying. After this period, however, the natural protection is no longer active and the eggs must be stored in the refrigerator. It is therefore a precautionary measure, because it is easier to keep the eggs refrigerated immediately than to have to wait for the 18-day period to expire. However, once the eggs have cooled, the cold chain must not be interrupted before consumption. Condensation forms on the shell, allowing germs to get inside the egg.

After the egg is laid by the chicken, the best-before date is 28 days. After that, you should only use raw eggs for dishes that are heated to over 70 degrees, for example scrambled eggs with bacon, even after they have been stored in the refrigerator.

If you want to store eggs in the fridge, however, you should not store them near smelly foods. It is therefore best to place the eggs in their carton or in the egg compartment of the refrigerator to prevent the smell of other foods from being transferred to the egg.

While raw eggs have a shelf life of 28 days, they can be stored in the refrigerator for about two to four weeks when cooked. On the other hand, dishes prepared with raw eggs, such as tiramisu, mayonnaise or sugar eggs, should not be stored in the refrigerator for more than 24 hours to avoid salmonella infections. You should only use fresh eggs if possible. Unprocessed and separated, raw egg yolks and egg whites can be stored in the refrigerator for about two to three days.

In countries like the US and Canada, eggs must be kept refrigerated in supermarkets. Here, however, eggs are also washed after laying, which destroys the natural protective layer of the product. Accordingly, for hygienic reasons, the eggs can no longer be offered in the shop without cooling. At the end remains the preparation. We will tell you here how you boil eggs and what differences you make between chilled and room temperature stored eggs.