Just curious since we're from all over the planet here who refridgerates their eggs. In Egypt they do not and I'm told in the UK they just keep them in a cold dark place. I always refridgerate them but I'm starting to wonder if it's really necessary.

You know.....a long time ago, I would have looked at this question and thought you were a nut to ask such a thing.

For all my life, of COURSE we refrigerated the eggs we bought!

Then. I met my wife...................and traveled to Turkey....................and it kind of opened my mind to a whole new world. Because......................in Turkey..............they DON'T refrigerate their eggs!!

I was shocked. I thought for sure, I'd never leave without aquiring a good case of "salmonella".........

But, you know what...............I have now expanded my mind....................and I now have opened up myself to the possibilty that not everyone refrigerates their eggs!

I'll tell ya........one trip to Turkey...............and I have opened myself to a whole new world of possibilities. I'm like a totally new person.

That there are actually people on this planet who DON'T refrigerate their eggs!

Who would've known...............................

I voted yes, only because if I ever bought or ate eggs, I would refrigerate them.

I do refrigerate my eggs. Doodle your right in the UK they dont put them in the frig, first time i saw that i was shocked! For some reason i thought they were gonna be off and you couldnt eat them, but they were fine.

Hmmm....interesting! I refrigerate my eggs but only because I was raised that way. I too am afraid of salmonella as well. I don't see how *not* keeping them cold keeps that from happening....but I suppose there are all sorts of cultures that don't keep certain foods cold.

Refrigerate or Freeze
For safety's sake, refrigerate eggs immediately after purchase and use them within 4 to 5 weeks. Use hard-cooked eggs (in the shell or peeled) within 1 week after cooking. Cooked eggs, including hard-boiled eggs, and egg-containing foods should not sit out for more than 2 hours. Within 2 hours they should either be reheated or refrigerated. Refrigerate leftover cooked egg dishes up to 3-4 days. When refrigerating a large amount of a hot egg-containing leftover divide it into several shallow containers so it will cool quickly.

Use frozen eggs within one year. Eggs should not be frozen in their shells: to freeze whole eggs, beat yolks and whites together. Egg whites can also be frozen by themselves.
Source

When I lived in Italy I didn't refrigerate my eggs because they weren't refrigerated when I bought them in the grocery store. Here I do refrigerate them because that's how they're sold.

Maybe it depends on what they do to the eggs before they hit the shelves? Dunno.

When i was a kid, my mom never refrigerated hardboiled eggs. They always tasted fine and none of us ever got sick off them. But i definitely refrigerated my hardboiled eggs.

Did that freak you out as much as it freaked me out? I remember going to a shop for a sandwich and a big chunk of meat and cheese sitting on a slicer. This is in the middle of July so you can imagine how hot it was! I ate it and survived. Everything that I keep in the fridge was just sitting out on a shelf there!

To answer your question though, yes, I do put my eggs in the fridge

I refridgerate mine. My fiance is from Ghana, they don't refridgerate theirs. They buy them on the road side, in a small plastic bag. I thought it was strange to not keep them cool, but he told me he never heard of refridgerating them. Well everything was fine, I didn't get sick.

I watched the Discovery Channel here in the USA a few years ago that mentions maggots growing inside eggs.

Eggs at the supermarket has an expiration date. Once past the expiration date, it's sent back to the facility for sorting. The sorting will see if the eggs can be re-sold or not. Some have maggots in them. Those that do will be discarded or sold to another company that uses them for food to various animals. This is from the Discovery Channel.

Question that may come up. How does this affect whether or not eggs should be refrigerated? Well, according to the carton on where the eggs go, it says KEEP REFRIGERATED. Then, if those who still lack common sense, then I don't know what else to say.

I came to Germany in 2004 and most stores did not put the eggs in cold storage. However, by the time I left last month, most had switched over to doing that. I can't imagine not putting eggs in the fridge.

I'm from the UK and I don't know anyone who doesn't stick their eggs in the fridge!

My MIL doesnt, neither do some mates of mine from the UK, so guess they are weird

That's really bizarre! Perhaps it is an area thing???

we have always refridgerated our eggs except when the easter bunny came and hide them the night before. we still ate the hard boiled ones and well im still here.

Maybe a generation thing? My Mum lives in an old house and puts them in a pantry. My grandmother used to keep them in the pantry so they were always near room temperature for baking. Now I have the dilemma. When I buy my eggs they are often warm as the chicks have just laid them. Then I feel like I have to wait for them to get to room temperature before I stick them in the fridge. And for those who love chickens (I do cos we kept them when I was a kid), here is the hencam. Not quite Africam, I'm afraid.
http://www.clarencecourt.co.uk/hencam.asp

Exactly... what else are those little egg-shaped compartments in fridges for, huh? Not that anyone uses those, but still. I can report that I, and every other UK-er whose refrigeration arrangements I'm familiar with, keeps eggs in the fridge! That said, I'm aware that you don't need to - I think it says something like 'store in a cool dark place' on egg boxes... keeping them in the fridge is great though, they last forever... ('best before' dates be damned!!)

Food infection is a common infection to all household as all of you are aware. Eggs is no doubt one of the members that is home of salmonella bacteria. The new generation is a little smarter about these things than do older generations. This is due to the fact the new generation had more schooling, and new stuff to learn about medical science. I hope many of you who are not keeping these eggs inside areas that is suited for them will reconsider.

I grew up on a farm and we had a ton of chickens. We'd leave for a weekend in the summer, come home, go to the chicken huts to get the eggs and then put them in the fridge. They had already been in the 100+ degree heat all weekend. I grew up on farm fresh eggs like that and I'm fine. Makes me wonder though......maybe it's all the hormones and steriods that chickens are given these days that promotes bacteria earlier than they did back in the day.

Aymerlu,

You are correct. Bacteria colonies will grow very quickly given enough biomass and nutrient resources to sustain them. Today, with constant treating to these chickens, the eggs are bigger and contains more nutrients.

Nope, less nutrients actually. There was a study done on chicken and eggs. Due to the way that chickens are reared now, with antibiotics and growth hormones, their meat now contains substantially LESS nutrients and MORE fat. Chicken 40 years ago was better for you. Same goes for eggs.

I don't put my eggs in the fridge, never have done.

Something I didn't know.

oops I'm still on Easter spirit, I thought you were talking about chocolate eggs so I voted no, but normal eggs yes I refrigerate them.

I am from the north of Scotland but have lived all over the UK and I do not know anyone who does not keep their eggs in the fridge.... my mum and my grandmother allways kept eggs in the fridge and if you are unsure how fresh an egg is fill a jug of water and gently pop the egg into the cold water if it sinks it is fresh if it floats or is very near the top it is stale and should not be eaten.... only time in my life an egg has ever made me ill was when I bought eggs from a farm we were passing when we were on a camping trip... they were ment to be fresh.....


Kez

We don't?

I've never met anyone who doesn't keep their eggs in the fridge.




Must be a Welsh thing, then!

My MIL doesnt keep eggs in the frig, she's in Antrim. My mates in Manchester and Cheshunt dont as well.
My guess its a preference or maybe how they grew up *shrugs*

I can understand the following reasons for not refrigerating eggs:

• Your household goes through a container (12 or 18) in ONE opening
• You're cooking at institutional levels, so MULTIPLE CONTAINERS get used at a time
• You buy eggs individually, not by container (it is possible in a very few US supermarkets/hypermarkets such as Meijer, found in KY, MI and OH; in some countries outside North America, this is commonplace)

I know in Jamaica I haven't seen eggs in the Fridge. But we here in America have always kept them in the fridge. I will stick with the fridge.

From the BBC:

Storing and freezing eggs

Eggs should always be stored in a cool, dry place, ideally in the fridge. However,
you will often need to remove eggs from the fridge a little before cooking time
to bring them to room temperature. This is particularly important when boiling eggs,
as they can have a tendency to crack when going into simmering water if they are too cold.

Store eggs apart from other foods, especially strong smelling foods because egg shells
are porous. If you have an egg tray in your fridge, this is the ideal place to store them,
otherwise keep them in their boxes. The exception to this rule is if you're lucky enough
to be in possession of a fresh truffle. By storing it in the box with the eggs for a few days
the eggs will take on some the truffle's flavour. You can then use the eggs for luxurious
scrambled eggs.

Eggs can be frozen, but you'll need to crack them first. To freeze whole eggs, break them
into a bowl and beat a little to blend. Tip into a freezer bag or airtight plastic container,
label the container and use within three months.

If you're separating eggs for particular recipes, you'll often end up with a surplus of yolk
or white. These can be frozen to be used another time. It's best to freeze them in small
batches, as these will be most useful. Be sure to label the number of eggs that go into
each freezer bag.

Egg whites can simply be tipped into freezer bags and labelled, whereas egg yolks need
a pinch of salt or sugar beaten in (depending on whether they'll be used for sweet or
savoury dishes later). This will stop the yolks becoming too thick with freezing. Defrost
frozen eggs in the fridge overnight and use them straightaway.

Never use eggs after their 'Best Before' date and never use eggs with damaged shells. Eat
dishes containing eggs as soon as possible after preparing them. Otherwise, cool them
quickly and store them in the fridge.

They generally do not frig eggs all over MENA....buuuuuuuut ye salmonella!

Someone from ME/NA (say doodlebug, Henia, etc) please answer this question:

Is it common in those areas (as it is in India) to buy eggs in "small packages" (less than six at a time)?

I refrigerate them because when I buy them refridgerated in the market...but I have seen them in the Farmer's Market "not refridgerated".

In the States, I store them in the refrigerator.

On this last trip to Cairo (Feb-March 2007), we bought a container that had 2 doz eggs and the hubster (who is Egyptian) put them in the fridge. I think he is very conscious of the problems they had been having with bird flu, etc. But I am not sure if this has changed how some of the ppl there store their food, but I know that we put everything back after eating a meal too. LOL, after it sat around on the table for awhile . . . so I guess there are always points where food poisoning could happen.

I know there are public service type ads in Arabic that explain about cooking chicken!

i put my eggs in the fridge, but my parents dont. They have one of those 1/2 underground homes so one of the rooms serves as a cold pantry naturally.

I first thought this thread was about women freezing their eggs to beat the biological clock...

Yes we do. What if they were fertalized, they could become balut and I have had my fill of balut

Yes I do! Hubby from the UK had never refridgerated them and thought I was strange when I freaked out over the eggs in Tesco sitting on a shelf .

HM.. I guess no, since I don't ever buy eggs.

OMG
what a post
i do refrigerate tham
i didnt know eggs can be discussion point in vj

We don't refridgerate them after we buy them; I always did in the US because that's just what everyone did, but here in the UK we have teeny tiny fridges and we just don't have the space to refridgerate something for cultural reasons.

Hehehe....ever since I met my husband and he replaced my "travel fridge" with a "normal fridge" he often tells me there is room now for the eggs.....

Hahaha...I had a fridge in my dorm room at uni that was bigger than the one we have now...ours is one that fits underneath the worktop in the kitchen.

I can't wait for one of those spacious side-by-side American fridges...mmm...but even then we probably won't put the eggs in there.

I didn't know in the UK refrigeration is a cultural thing.

It's a bacterial culture thing

It isn't. It is in America; you don't have to keep your eggs in the fridge, but Americans do so because they're terrified of bacteria. The British are a little more laid-back in that respect, but they're quickly catching up to us in the germophobe stakes. I wouldn't be surprised in 10 years' time if the Brits kept their eggs in the fridge too.

I put them in the fridge because that's what they thought me to do

But I remember when I was a kid and there were hens at my aunt's farm and somehow the eggs would get all rotten and pop and they were sooooo stinky!! How does that happen?

Well, one thing this thread has illustrated is that eggs are a mystery to the majority of people.