You’re not alone if you’ve ever wondered how long store-bought eggs last. The truth is, it depends on the retailer. Learn how to store your eggs properly to get the most out of them. There are two main types of eggs: refrigerated and unrefrigerated. Each has its own set of benefits and disadvantages. Here, we’ll take a look at each method in turn.
How Long are Store Bought Eggs Good For?
- Eggs can stay fresh for several weeks in the refrigerator and even longer in the freezer if transported and stored correctly.
- From the time they are washed until they are purchased, all eggs must be kept below 45°F (7°C) according to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations. However, managing and storing eggs properly once you have acquired them is crucial.
- To avoid condensation from forming, which could facilitate the movement of bacteria through the shell, you should refrigerate eggs as soon as possible.
- Eggs should ideally be kept in their original carton in the back of the refrigerator. The refrigerator door is opened, closed, and shielded from odour absorption and temperature changes.
- Additionally, you can use a thermometer to confirm that the temperature in your refrigerator is appropriate (below 40°F or four °C).
- The graph illustrates how long eggs can be kept before becoming bad or degrading to the point where it’s preferable to discard them (in terms of taste and texture).
- Eggs should not be frozen in their shells. You can break them into a freezer-safe container and store them frozen for a year or more if you wish to keep them for longer than the suggested 4-5 weeks in the fridge.
- Although eggs can be kept in the freezer indefinitely, their quality begins to deteriorate after a specific time. Ensure your freezer is set at or below 0° F (-18° C).
- Move the container to the refrigerator when you’re ready to use them so they can defrost and be used within a week.
- Eggs can be securely stored at room temperature for 1-3 weeks, if preferred, if you reside outside of the United States is a nation where chickens are protected against Salmonella and eggs are not cleaned and refrigerated.
- However, the quality of the eggs will start to deteriorate after about a week at room temperature. Additionally, an egg’s natural defences fail after around 21 days.
- After this time, eggs can be put in the fridge or freezer to increase their shelf life, but they won’t keep as long as those kept in the fridge since they were purchased.
- Eggs shouldn’t be left at room temperature for more than two hours if you live in the US or another nation where they need to be refrigerated.
What Signs Point to a Still-Good Egg?
There are several techniques to determine whether or not eggs are still edible if you are unsure how long they have been in the refrigerator.
- The first step is to check the sell-by or expiration date printed on the carton. You shouldn’t worry if the current date is earlier than this one.
- Search for the pack date instead. A three-digit number that represents the day of the year the eggs were cleaned and packed will be printed here. As an illustration, January 1 is 001. You can be sure that the eggs are still good if they haven’t been packaged for more than 30 days.
- Your eggs might, however, remain safe for a few additional weeks after these dates. A sniff test is the most accurate method for determining whether an egg is rotten in this situation.
- Other techniques, such as candling or the float test, can only determine whether an egg is fresh and cannot determine whether it has gone rotten.
- Before performing a sniff test, examine the shell for cracks or a powdery or slimy look. Then throw the egg. Open the egg on a spotless, white dish if everything appears to be in order before usage. Look for any colour changes or strange odours.
- An unmistakably foul odour will emanate from a rotten egg. Use the egg if everything appears in order and there is no scent.
- Even though they can make you ill, eggs tainted with the Salmonella bacteria may appear and smell normal.
As a result, ensure to thoroughly cook eggs to a safe internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) to eradicate potential pathogens. To learn more about determining whether an egg is good or bad.
What are the Uses for Older Eggs?
There are particular methods to use eggs that aren’t the freshest but aren’t awful, and the same is true for uses where fresh eggs are preferable. Older eggs are best for boiling; an egg gets simpler to peel as it ages and has a more oversized air pocket. Older eggs work well for egg salad, deviled, and hard-boiled eggs.
Older eggs can also be used for quiches, casseroles, omelettes, and scrambled eggs. However, it is best to use fresh eggs when making fried and poached eggs.
The yolk and whites of an egg will get runnier the longer they are stored in the refrigerator. As a result, using an older egg may produce a sloppy mess rather than a solid fried egg or a compact poached egg.
Furthermore, a used egg might not work as well as a leavening agent in baking. However, you can utilize older eggs for nearly anything. If you’re unsure of how long an egg has been in the refrigerator, crack it open and give it a sniff.
When Properly Stored, Can Eggs hardly Ever Go Bad?
The eggs are cleaned and sterilized in the nations shortly after they are laid to minimize Salmonella contamination, the germ frequently blamed for food poisoning from poultry products.
However, cleaning an egg may harm its naturally protective cuticle in addition to eradicating microorganisms. Because of this, bacteria may enter the egg more easily and contaminate it. An egg’s eventual “going bad” or decay is due to germs.
However, storing eggs at refrigerator temperatures (below 40°F, or four °C) inhibits bacterial growth and helps prevent it from piercing the egg’s shell.
When combined with an egg’s protective shell and enzymes, refrigeration is so good in preventing the growth of bacteria that, if they are handled and stored correctly, refrigerated eggs rarely go bad.
Nevertheless, over time egg quality deteriorates. This makes the egg’s air pocket larger and the yolk and whites thinner and less bouncy. It might eventually just dry up instead of becoming rotten.
Despite these modifications, an egg may remain safe to eat for a very long period. However, eggs have a shelf life, and there comes a time when you should toss them.
How to Keep Eggs?
According to the FDA, eggs should be chilled at or below 40°F (4°C). It is preferable to keep them inside, not in the door, on a shelf. (If you often open and close your fridge, the door may not maintain a constant temperature.)
Keep eggs in their original cartons rather than using the built-in egg caddy in the refrigerator. They will be better protected if you keep them in this packaging because it will stop them from absorbing odours from strong-smelling foods, and even moisture loss is stopped.
Won’t you consume all of your eggs before they expire? They’ll last up to a year in the freezer, where you can keep them. (This gives freezing your eggs a whole new meaning.)
However, before placing eggs in the freezer, some preparation is needed.
Before freezing the eggs, the American Egg Board advises taking them out of their shells.
To do this, crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk them briefly to combine (try not to whip too much air into the mixture). To prevent the yolks from hardening excessively in the freezer, add 1/8 teaspoon of salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar, or one teaspoon of corn syrup for every 1/4 cup of yolks.
The egg mixture should be poured into freezer containers, sealed, labelled with the date and the number of eggs, and then frozen. They should be thawed in the same manner as milk (put them in the fridge overnight).
What are Different Parts of Eggs?
Shell
An eggshell’s texture is bumpy and gritty, containing up to 17,000 tiny pores. Crystals of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) make up practically the whole eggshell. Because its pores are semipermeable, air and moisture can travel through them. Additionally, the shell includes a thin outer layer known as the bloom or cuticle, which aids in blocking out dust and pathogens.
Membranes, Both Inner and Outer
These two translucent protein membranes, which are located between the eggshell and egg white, offer adequate protection against bacterial invasion. These layers are surprisingly sturdy when you tug at them, including keratin, a protein also found in human hair.
Air Cell
After the egg is laid, the interior of the egg cools and contracts, creating an air space. The crater you frequently see at the end of a hard-cooked egg is caused by the air cell, which typically lies between the outer and inner membranes at the egg’s bigger end. As an egg age, the air cell enlarges.
Albumen
The name albumen, derived from the Latin word album for “white,” refers to the egg white. About 40 distinct proteins, the primary constituents of the egg white in addition to water, are present in four alternating layers of thick and thin albumen.
Chalaze
The chalazae, which are opaque bands of egg white, keep the yolk in the centre of the egg. They connect the yolk’s casing to the membrane of the eggshell like tiny anchors. The fresher the egg, the more noticeable they are.
Yolk
Compared to this, the yolk includes more protein, some fat, and most of the egg’s vitamins and minerals. It also contains less water. These include calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, vitamin D, thiamine, and riboflavin. Lecithin, a powerful emulsifier, is also found in the yolk. Depending on the hen’s diet and breed, the colour of the yolk can range from a little trace of yellow to a stunning deep orange.
Can Eat a Rotten Egg Have Hazard Effects on Your Health?
One runs the danger of contracting a Salmonella infection, a type of food poisoning if one consumes raw eggs. Bacteria of salmonella can develop on the shell and inside the yolk and egg white.
Salmonella infection symptoms can include the following reliable Source:
- Constipation
- Abdominal pain
- Fever
- Vomiting
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the symptoms often appear 6 to 6 days after eating a contaminated egg and linger for 4 to 7 days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Without the use of antibiotics, most people recover from a Salmonella infection. Those who experience severe symptoms, however, might need to be hospitalized.
When making meals that call for raw or lightly cooked eggs, properly cook the eggs so that the yolk and white are solid.
Conclusion
You might be wondering how long your store-bought eggs are good for. Store-bought eggs can keep for two to six weeks under refrigeration. However, they can stay fresh longer when they’re frozen. You’ll want to avoid throwing them out before the expiration date, and you’ll most likely need to eat them within two to three weeks after purchasing them. If you’re unsure of their shelf life, follow the Food and Drug Administration guidelines.
A few things can help you determine the quality of your eggs. Please make sure they’re clean and don’t have cracks. Also, check to see if they smell bad or have any odour. If they smell bad, they’re probably past their prime. If you’re not sure, try sniffing them. You should be able to tell if they’re still good by the smell.
