[georget]

Just collected my first ever eggs from my own hens and a thought occurred to me.Are eggs better kept in the fridge or at room temperature.I do recall hearing somewhere not to keep them in the fridge door because of the change in temperature every time the door is opened,which sounds daft to me the door is never open for long.Ive also heard that you shouldn`t eat them until they are 3 days old,they taste better apparently.If that is true then theres probably no point putting them in the fridge.I welcome any opinions from you more experienced poultry keepers.Thanks in advance....George

[snow white]

They keep longer in the fridge. About three weeks I think.  But they are best warm if you bake a cake with them.  I keep mine in the fridge and I have eaten them newly laid - yum.  I cook with them out of the fridge too as I am too disorganized.  If you want to hard boil them it is best till they are a week old.

[splash101]

Yeah, first eggs  Its a good feeling isnt it?

I think its down to personal preference on how you store them.

When I used to buy eggs I kept them in the fridge but I've never kept our own eggs in the fridge. I dont have them hanging around for long enough for them to go off.

They are not kept in the fridge at supermarkets.

I agree with snow white, if you are wanting a hard boiled egg, use ones that are about a week old otherwise you wont be able to peel them properly.

I've not heard about not eating them until 3 days old though.

[Mrs Bee]

I agree with Snow White.

Also my environmental health inspector  said that I should keep the eggs in the fridge and give them a life span of three weeks.

[8doubles]

There is no need to keep eggs in the fridge IF you have a cool kitchen.
When people started serving red wine and storing foods at room temperature there was not a lot of central heating about!
If you keep the heating thermostat turned right up the fridge may be the best place.

[georget]

Got the first 2 on saturday had them poached on toast on Sunday..DELICIOUS orange yolks only small but they may get bigger 

[GrannieAnnie]

We keep our eggs in the utility room as its cool.  Never in the fridge.  slightly older eggs are better for boiling as already mentioned, but fresh eggs are better for cakes and yorkshire puddings in my opinion.

Mrs Bee, your EHO will have told you that because you sell stuff.  Like when we had our catering trailers, at that time we weren't allowed to use wooden utensils, chopping boards and candy floss sticks, but it has been proven that there is a natural antiseptic or something in the wood that kills off a lot of bacteria, whereas in plastic, when you get little cuts and cracks, the bacteria stays alive longer if not cleaned properly.

[Sassy]

Congrats on your first eggs. Most people keep them in the fridge because there is storage space specially for eggs. It is not essential though and when you have your own hen the eggs tend to get eaten very quickly!  If your kitchen isn't too warm keep them out.

Your eggs should very gradually get a bit bigger.

[ehs284]

For most of us - i.e. those who eat the eggs from their own hens almost immediately, it doesn't matter.

Within the egg shell is a membrane which is the key to the dilemma.
At temperatures above about 10 and below about 20C this membrane will stay flexible and strong, keeping out bacterial growth safely for 20 days. At refrigerator temperatures the membrane hardens and has a much shorter life before it fails to work. This doesn't matter so long as the eggs stay in the frig and the low temperature controls bacterial growth.
Once the membrane has failed then bacteria can enter via the shell and condensation does make the shell permeable to bacteria. So, never put in frig then take out and then return to frig; if you take one out - use it.

You'll have seen that supermarket chains never sort, move or store in other than ambient temperatures.

There are other considerations and the commercial situation is sometimes different. The salmonella in eggs problem was due to the bacteria being in the oviduct and so entering the egg as it was formed. No storage situation would make any difference.

In many kitchens where would you store the eggs if they couldn't be put in the refrigerator? But, do remember that they should be considered as contaminated by faecal bacteria on the outside so need to be kept separated from ready to eat and cooked foods.

[georget]

Thanks everyone theyre not going in the fridge,i dont think they will last long enough to worry about them they are too nice!

[Mrs Bee]

We keep our eggs in the utility room as its cool.  Never in the fridge.  slightly older eggs are better for boiling as already mentioned, but fresh eggs are better for cakes and yorkshire puddings in my opinion.

Mrs Bee, your EHO will have told you that because you sell stuff.  Like when we had our catering trailers, at that time we weren't allowed to use wooden utensils, chopping boards and candy floss sticks, but it has been proven that there is a natural antiseptic or something in the wood that kills off a lot of bacteria, whereas in plastic, when you get little cuts and cracks, the bacteria stays alive longer if not cleaned properly.

I know about the wooden utensils. The advice changes all the time.
I actually keep our eating eggs out of the fridge but the business eggs in the fridge. I always follow the EHO's  rulings.

I have noticed that most places you buy eggs keep the eggs out of the fridge but our local Chinese warehouse keep their's in the fridge.

[Sassy]

For most of us - i.e. those who eat the eggs from their own hens almost immediately, it doesn't matter.

Within the egg shell is a membrane which is the key to the dilemma.
At temperatures above about 10 and below about 20C this membrane will stay flexible and strong, keeping out bacterial growth safely for 20 days. At refrigerator temperatures the membrane hardens and has a much shorter life before it fails to work. This doesn't matter so long as the eggs stay in the frig and the low temperature controls bacterial growth.
Once the membrane has failed then bacteria can enter via the shell and condensation does make the shell permeable to bacteria. So, never put in frig then take out and then return to frig; if you take one out - use it.

You'll have seen that supermarket chains never sort, move or store in other than ambient temperatures.

There are other considerations and the commercial situation is sometimes different. The salmonella in eggs problem was due to the bacteria being in the oviduct and so entering the egg as it was formed. No storage situation would make any difference.

In many kitchens where would you store the eggs if they couldn't be put in the refrigerator? But, do remember that they should be considered as contaminated by faecal bacteria on the outside so need to be kept separated from ready to eat and cooked foods.

Great explanation, really helpful.

[LittleRedHen]

As an American, I always keep my eggs in the fridge.  I've never had a rotten egg yet!

[Agatha]

You could do a taste experiment with new eggs and 3-day old ones, but I've eaten lots of eggs more or less straight from the hen and can't see how the taste could be any better!  Fresh eggs especially good poached or fried 

[8doubles]

As an American, I always keep my eggs in the fridge.  I've never had a rotten egg yet!

I would think that very few modern urbanites have ever had a bad egg , eggs that are laid in a nestbox and collected daily are not the iffy ones but if say they are being layed free range around a field or barn the occasional one can slip through the system to appear later when it is well past its best !

I expect most hen keepers have never even had a reason to float test their eggs.

I once found a swans egg that had been washed out by floodwater and put it down quickly (but oh so gently)
when i realised it was fizzing !