Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Where do you store eggs?

Options
2

Comments

  • Options
    #32
    ComfortKid
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,169 ✭✭✭ComfortKid


    freshpopcorn wrote:
    We only got back into hens this year and we only have two now but we generally they generally lay on egg a day. So we have about 14 eggs in a week. We've a good few half an acre areas fenced off areas so we try and move them around. I know there are plenty of hutches for sale on done deal and there popular with people with smaller gardens.


    Thanks for the info. Is it just two hens you have, you don't need a cock do you? What do you feed yours? I know there is oats for them or can they just eat insects and stuff?


  • Options
    #33
    Kovu
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,241 ✭✭✭✭Kovu


    ComfortKid wrote: »
    Very strange isn't it.

    It's because of conditions they're kept in, plus afaik we vaccinate our egg production hens against salmonella whereas it's not the done thing in America.


  • Options
    #34
    ComfortKid
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,169 ✭✭✭ComfortKid


    This thread is going a bit off topic I suppose. I'm going to do a bit of research tomorrow and see if it is plausible for me. Shall I need any more info I will be back to ye.

    We now have a majority vote for keeping them at room temperature.


  • Options
    #35
    freshpopcorn
    Registered Users Posts: 30,596 ✭✭✭✭freshpopcorn


    ComfortKid wrote: »
    Thanks for the info. Is it just two hens you have, you don't need a cock do you? What do you feed yours? I know there is oats for them or can they just eat insects and stuff?

    No we don't have a cock. To be honest they eat cold spuds/bits of chopped veg. But we have special food for them that came in back 10kg bag and cost €8.00. They also pick at the ground a lot.


  • Options
    #36
    Spanish Eyes
    Registered Users Posts: 15,971 ✭✭✭✭Spanish Eyes


    ComfortKid wrote: »
    This thread is going a bit off topic I suppose. I'm going to do a bit of research tomorrow and see if it is plausible for me. Shall I need any more info I will be back to ye.

    We now have a majority vote for keeping them at room temperature.

    Yes, it will always be in the press (room temp) for the eggs in this house.

    Then if gone over BBF date (as someone else said too) I do the bowl of water test. If they sink down they're fine if they float they are discarded.

    Works for me. And I am still here.

    I LOVE eggs :D


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #37
    ComfortKid
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,169 ✭✭✭ComfortKid


    Spanish Eyes wrote:
    I LOVE eggs

    Spanish Eyes wrote:
    Then if gone over BBF date (as someone else said too) I do the bowl of water test. If they sink down they're fine if they float they are discarded.


    Never heard of this before. Will make an interesting experiment.
    Any idea why they float when passed there BB date?


  • Options
    #38
    Dial Hard
    Registered Users Posts: 13,758 ✭✭✭✭Dial Hard


    ComfortKid wrote:
    Never heard of this before. Will make an interesting experiment. Any idea why they float when passed there BB date?


    As eggs age the air pocket in them grows. Once it gets big enough, they'll float rather than sink.

    Thought that was common knowledge, tbh.


  • Options
    #39
    ComfortKid
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,169 ✭✭✭ComfortKid


    Dial Hard wrote:
    As eggs age the air pocket in them grows. Once it gets big enough, they'll float rather than sink.


    I get that, but why are they bad to eat once the air pocket grows or is that just a rough guide as to when they are bad?


  • Options
    #40
    Dial Hard
    Registered Users Posts: 13,758 ✭✭✭✭Dial Hard


    ComfortKid wrote:
    I get that, but why are they bad to eat once the air pocket grows or is that just a rough guide as to when they are bad?


    It's a rough guide. And it depends how you want to cook them. Poaching older eggs is an exercise in futility. But for omelettes and frittatas, you can get away with it. The crack test is really the litmus. If it smells bad, bin it.


  • Options
    #41
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 13,712 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Bayberry wrote: »
    chickens don't lay perfectly clean eggs!
    Freshly laid eggs are surprisingly clean.

    My mum's eggs look exactly like shop-bought eggs, and she doesn't wash them.

    They have the odd piece of of feather perhaps, but so does your average shop-bought egg. The only difference is in the taste. Shop-bought eggs taste nothing like home-produced eggs; and once open, they look nothing alike, either.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #42
    rubadub
    Registered Users Posts: 32,382 ✭✭✭✭rubadub


    ComfortKid wrote: »
    My friend didn't seem to understand the logic that if they're not refrigerated in the shop, they didn't need to be at home. Thanks
    I can't see how he could possibly argue with this logic. The eggs will typically have a date on them, so could be sitting on the shelf up until that point.

    It will however extend the life, maybe that is what he is getting at.
    HeidiHeidi wrote: »
    Ketchup and mayonnaise are sold off a shelf, but after opening need to be regfrigerated.
    And both can be stored on the shelf at home for ages before opening. They are actually fairly similar products to eggs care wise. Ketchups, tinned/canned foods are often sterilized or at least heat treated or packaged in a controlled environment. The moment you open the lid you are exposing it to airbourne contaminants which are landing in it, so the clock starts ticking the moment you open it.

    This is similar to eggs, if you had eggs with a date 1 month away, and decided to crack the eggs into a bowl then the "container" is opened, just like your mayo etc. So now you should no longer leave this open bowl in the press expecting it to last a month. Even if you cracked the eggs into a jam jar and sealed it you have exposed them to contaminants.


  • Options
    #43
    Spanish Eyes
    Registered Users Posts: 15,971 ✭✭✭✭Spanish Eyes


    Dial Hard wrote: »
    It's a rough guide. And it depends how you want to cook them. Poaching older eggs is an exercise in futility. But for omelettes and frittatas, you can get away with it. The crack test is really the litmus. If it smells bad, bin it.

    True, older eggs do not poach well as the white can go all over the place.

    HOWEVER.... I have successfully poached eggs over BBF that "sunk" by placing them in a mug half filled with water. Into the micro for twenty seconds. Then another ten. Depends on the power of the micro. Mine's 800w.

    Lovely kept together poached eggs.

    But I still prefer to do the whirlpool in the pan though with ahem, fresh eggs!

    I love eggs....


  • Options
    #44
    vicwatson
    Registered Users Posts: 28,404 ✭✭✭✭vicwatson


    I'm a fridge store person, have always done that, regularly use them after their BB date and still alive to tell the tale !


  • Options
    #45
    ComfortKid
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,169 ✭✭✭ComfortKid


    Being alive is not a great gauge.

    I want the best tasting eggs, if they kill me, so be it!

    #iloveeggs


  • Options
    #46
    rubadub
    Registered Users Posts: 32,382 ✭✭✭✭rubadub


    vicwatson wrote: »
    use them after their BB date and still alive to tell the tale !
    So do I. The BB date will be based on the assumption of it sitting on a shelf in a supermarket. If they were going into a fridge the people determining the BB date would have put a far longer date on it.


  • Options
    #47
    adox
    Registered Users Posts: 19,018 ✭✭✭✭adox


    we just keep them in the box they come in on a shelf.

    I thought it was always advised to not keep eggs in the fridge as they are poris and will absorb any scents from other foods in the fridge.


  • Options
    #48
    Dial Hard
    Registered Users Posts: 13,758 ✭✭✭✭Dial Hard


    Dial Hard wrote: »
    Eggs that are washed after laying (as in the US) should be refrigerated. Eggs that aren't (as in the EU) shouldn't. It's to do with the protective membrane that's placed around them as they're laid.

    Touch site won't let me post a link for some reason, will add it next time I'm on my laptop.

    Finally got around to posting the link, which is actually really interesting, for anyone still wondering why eggs are washed & refrigerated in the US and not in most of the rest of the world.

    http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/09/11/336330502/why-the-u-s-chills-its-eggs-and-most-of-the-world-doesnt


  • Options
    #49
    Bayberry
    Registered Users Posts: 707 ✭✭✭Bayberry


    Dial Hard wrote: »
    Finally got around to posting the link, which is actually really interesting, for anyone still wondering why eggs are washed & refrigerated in the US and not in most of the rest of the world.

    http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/09/11/336330502/why-the-u-s-chills-its-eggs-and-most-of-the-world-doesnt
    A 38-country survey by the International Egg Commission found that people feel strongly about how their eggs should look. The Irish, French, Czechs, Hungarians, Portuguese, Nigerians and Brits hanker for brown eggs. Canadians, Finns, Americans and Indians prefer white shells. Dutchmen and Argentines don't seem to care.
    Family visiting from the US at Easter brought egg-dying kits for the kids - apparently it's a big thing over there. They were disappointed when they went to buy the eggs in Ireland because all the eggs were brown!


  • Options
    #50
    Jawgap
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,297 ✭✭✭✭Jawgap


    On the shelf.

    Eggs in the fridge causes condensation within the shell which causes issues which cannot be discussed.


  • Options
    #51
    ComfortKid
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,169 ✭✭✭ComfortKid


    Jawgap wrote:
    Eggs in the fridge causes condensation within the shell which causes issues which cannot be discussed.


    What the hell? Discuss please!


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #52
    Jawgap
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,297 ✭✭✭✭Jawgap


    ComfortKid wrote: »
    What the hell? Discuss please!

    Nah, I'll just get pulled over by......

    10893d1393086592-whered-zombie-poll-threads-come-threadpolice.jpg

    .....the other advice, I'd offer is to buy in small quantities, about a week's worth at a time.

    Some more advice here (I presume 'signposting' is ok?) - read, research and decide for yourself.....

    https://www.egginfo.co.uk/egg-safety/storage-and-handling


  • Options
    #53
    Faith
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,657 Mod ✭✭✭✭Faith


    Jawgap wrote: »
    On the shelf.

    Eggs in the fridge causes condensation within the shell which causes issues which cannot be discussed.

    Discussing risks academically is fine. Giving direct advice is not.

    Eggs have porous shells. Salmonella lives on the outside of the shells, and can only pass through with moisture. If eggs are refrigerated first, then left on a shelf, the condensation that forms can push the salmonella through. If they're always on a shelf, there's no condensation. So if they're refrigerated when you buy them, store them in the fridge. If they're on the shelf when you buy them, it's up to you, but choose one storage method and stick with it.

    The American must wash their eggs by law, which is why they're stocked in fridges. The EU prohibits egg washing, which is why they're usually stored on the shelf.


  • Options
    #54
    Dizzyblonde
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators, Regional East Moderators Posts: 12,110 CMod ✭✭✭✭Dizzyblonde


    Faith wrote: »
    Discussing risks academically is fine. Giving direct advice is not.

    Eggs have porous shells. Salmonella lives on the outside of the shells, and can only pass through with moisture. If eggs are refrigerated first, then left on a shelf, the condensation that forms can push the salmonella through. If they're always on a shelf, there's no condensation. So if they're refrigerated when you buy them, store them in the fridge. If they're on the shelf when you buy them, it's up to you, but choose one storage method and stick with it.

    The American must wash their eggs by law, which is why they're stocked in fridges. The EU prohibits egg washing, which is why they're usually stored on the shelf.

    I didn't know that - and only recently I've been taking them out of the fridge, half a dozen at a time, so they'll be at room temperature when I use them :eek:


  • Options
    #55
    Bayberry
    Registered Users Posts: 707 ✭✭✭Bayberry


    Dizzyblonde wrote: »
    recently I've been taking them out of the fridge, half a dozen at a time, so they'll be at room temperature when I use them :eek:
    Do you eat them raw? If you're going to cook them, I can't see how it makes much difference whether they start at room temperature or at fridge temperature.

    It might make a difference if you're mixing them into a custard or mayonaisse, I suppose.


  • Options
    #56
    Jawgap
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,297 ✭✭✭✭Jawgap


    Bayberry wrote: »
    Do you eat them raw? If you're going to cook them, I can't see how it makes much difference whether they start at room temperature or at fridge temperature.

    It might make a difference if you're mixing them into a custard or mayonaisse, I suppose.

    Difference between heat and energy.......

    ......the energy input during cooking raises the temp of the egg by a given number of degrees - if your starting temp is low, your cooking temp and finishing temp will be lower, unless you extend the cooking time which may lead to the less dense area of the egg (the white) being overlooked.


  • Options
    #57
    Jawgap
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,297 ✭✭✭✭Jawgap


    Faith wrote: »
    Discussing risks academically is fine. Giving direct advice is not.

    Eggs have porous shells. Salmonella lives on the outside of the shells, and can only pass through with moisture. If eggs are refrigerated first, then left on a shelf, the condensation that forms can push the salmonella through. If they're always on a shelf, there's no condensation. So if they're refrigerated when you buy them, store them in the fridge. If they're on the shelf when you buy them, it's up to you, but choose one storage method and stick with it.

    The American must wash their eggs by law, which is why they're stocked in fridges. The EU prohibits egg washing, which is why they're usually stored on the shelf.

    Sorry, that's not entirely true - the prohibition on washing applies only to grade A hen eggs.

    Grade B hen eggs may be washed - but these are not sold to consumers.


  • Options
    #58
    Jawgap
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,297 ✭✭✭✭Jawgap


    Faith wrote: »
    Discussing risks academically is fine. Giving direct advice is not.

    Eggs have porous shells. Salmonella lives on the outside of the shells, and can only pass through with moisture. If eggs are refrigerated first, then left on a shelf, the condensation that forms can push the salmonella through. If they're always on a shelf, there's no condensation. So if they're refrigerated when you buy them, store them in the fridge. If they're on the shelf when you buy them, it's up to you, but choose one storage method and stick with it.

    The American must wash their eggs by law, which is why they're stocked in fridges. The EU prohibits egg washing, which is why they're usually stored on the shelf.


    ......and just to be clear, Salmonella in and on shell eggs is a small problem thanks to the implementation of the Salmonella Control Plan and the development of Bord Bia's Egg Quality Assurance Scheme


  • Options
    #59
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,571 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    Jawgap wrote: »
    Sorry, that's not entirely true - the prohibition on washing applies only to grade A hen eggs.

    Grade B hen eggs may be washed - but these are not sold to consumers.

    It is true to the extent that the discussion was about eggs for retail consumers, bringing eggs for use by commercial customers into the discussion is irrelevant.


  • Options
    #60
    threebagsfull
    Registered Users Posts: 100 ✭✭threebagsfull


    I know people (who've never even seen a hen) who freak out about eggs not being dumped before the expiry date, despite the fact that you'd be able to smell if they were off.

    Given that our eggs are not washed, or at least like they are in the US, it's probably better not to keep them in the fridge if you have open ham or food you would eat without washing. It has been up a hen after all.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #61
    Bayberry
    Registered Users Posts: 707 ✭✭✭Bayberry


    Jawgap wrote: »
    Difference between heat and energy.......

    ......the energy input during cooking raises the temp of the egg by a given number of degrees - if your starting temp is low, your cooking temp and finishing temp will be lower, unless you extend the cooking time which may lead to the less dense area of the egg (the white) being overlooked.
    That's the theory - how does it actually work out in practice? If you're boiling an egg, the variation in how quickly the water heats up depending on how much water you put in the pot in the first place will swamp any initial variations in the temperature of the egg. And that's with the boiling temperature of water being low enough that 10-15 degrees difference in the starting temperature could arguably be relevant. When you're talking about the much higher temperatures for frying, differences in the initial starting point would surely be irrelevant.


Advertisement