[Jacinta]

Is it ok to put eggs in the fridge if they are still warm from being laid?  Just know you're supposed to let food cool before refrigeration for food poisoning reasons.

[8doubles]

Is it ok to put eggs in the fridge if they are still warm from being laid?  Just know you're supposed to let food cool before refrigeration for food poisoning reasons.

I think the reason you do not put warm food in the fridge is to avoid heating the other fridge contents. Apart from that the faster it is chilled the safer it is, less time for bacteria to multiply.
I never put eggs in the fridge unless they are cracked or thin shelled and are to be eaten before the main store of eggs on the worktop rack.

[GrannieAnnie]

Ours never get to the fridge!   

[jamima]

Eggs are not supposed to be kept in the fridge but at room temperature according to the chefs  always keep mine on the worktop 

[penninehillbilly]

our kitchen is too warm to keep them on the worktop, I think they keep better in the fridge, as long as I don't put them straight into boiling water.

[Sassy]

I keep mine in the fridge as I had a cockerel. I will consider keeping them out now I no longer have him.

[wolverine]

eggs deteriorate 3 times faster if left at room temperature.

[Chicken_Lover]

We usually let ours cool down on the draining board before putting them in the fridge with the others, but put eggs straight in fridge if not warm.

[hillfooter]

There's no problem putting eggs straight into the fridge.  The reason it's usually advised to let things cool is to put as little heat into the fridge as possible to prevent the internal temperature rising.  It really is only rule of thumb advice to avoid putting in food from the oven which is at significantly higher temperature than the fridge.

When considering temperature everything is relative and the scale of temperature you should consider is degrees Kelvin not Celsius (Centigrade )or Fahrenheit which are scales offset to a norm which makes the numbers come closer to a range of numbers we can physically appreciate.  So if you consider chicken bum temperature and room temperature in the absolute scale of degrees Kelvin, room temperature is about 295 degK and chicken bum temperature is 310 degK ie a mere 5% difference in absolute terms and the mass of an egg is pretty small so the amount of additional heat you add putting in the very warmest eggs is very little.

The in out of the fridge argument is a perennial lot of hot air.  Cooks prefer to cook with room temperature ingredients mainly as it helps to give greater consistancy of cooking times rather than have ingredients at all sorts of different temperatures.  The old myth about taste and/or nutrional value has been shown in many blind tasting trials to be just prejudice.  Don't believe me you can do a double blind test yourself just ask me how.

The recommended temperature to keep eggs according to Food Standards agencies is to keep in a fridge.  In fact in the USA all eggs are sold from the fridge which I believe is the law and in the UK official advice is to sell from the fridge but due to public preference there's mixed practise.  On the continent it is usually room temperature.  Eggs stay fresher much longer stored at fridge temperatures as with any food, this is a fact.  

However eggs are "living" things which are often still viable to hatch even after 12 or more days at room temp.  I have also hatched eggs (by accident) which have been stored in a fridge for a week, I've not tried it for longer periods.  Much depends on the initial condition of the egg.  Clean eggs with no dirt or cracks, from healthy hens will last at least two weeks at room temperature but as bacteria inside an egg will multiply rapidly at room temperature it's far safer to refridgerate.

I've seen it suggested even on this site that soft shelled eggs can be eaten which is a very risky practise indeed.  If you've ever had food poisoning you wouldn't risk it believe me.  If you are that desperate not to waste soft shelled eggs make sure they are thoroughly cooked before you feed them back to the chickens or put them in the bin.  Or just make a souffle for the mother in law!

HF

[Jacinta]

Cheers everyone!  It seems it one of those how you've been brought up things.  We have two hens laying now and they get eaten pretty much straight away, usually stick them in the fridge cause our two cats will pretty much eat/play with anything!  The amount of things they've dragged on to the floor from the bench, sealed or otherwise is numerous. 

[penninehillbilly]

Thanks HF, I think your reply pretty much answers any questons or lingering doubts (in my mind anyway 

[Lindeggs]

Interesting comment about selling eggs refrigerated or not, HF.  In NZ all eggs are at room temperature in the shop before they are sold.  I've never seen any refrigerated.  

Of course room temperature in a supermarket is going to be fairly low and steady, unlike my kitchen which gets hot and cold depending on a whole lot of factors.  But I'm sure it does influence the 'culture' of egg storage.  I've always seen them sold at room temperature so it makes it obvious to store them that way at home.

[Dominic]

I'm always argueing with people about this.

A fridge (and Freezer) work by lowering the temperature, and this lower temperature slows down bacterial growth.
A Large, Modern, Well Stocked Fridge will not blink, even if you put a large casserole in it, fresh from the oven.  I know this, because I've done it, and I watched the temperature reading stay flat.
If you take 1 litre of water at 0 degrees, and another litre at 100 degrees, mix them, and you get two litres of water at 50 degrees.
My Fridge usualy contains 12 litres of beer and 5 litres of wine at 2 degrees.  Adding a litre of water at 100 degrees could technicaly raise the fridge above 6 degrees, but the fridge would also be cooling to counter this.
A few eggs at body temperature just isnt going to bother anything
Although obviously, your Fridge will use energy to cool your hot food.



Do not get me started on "do not refreeze"

[Swing Swang]

Just to stick my oar in - these comments may be worthy of consideration:

There may still be a considerble amount of water vapour being given off by warm food - if uncovered this may cause problems for some fridges (icing up of the freezer compartment etc), or may even condense on other food in the fridge.

If the hot food is covered the situations is different. The condensed water vapor will drop down onto the food, which may or may not be a problem,  which will result in a thin moist layer developing on top of the covered food. This will remain as a descrete layer or dilute the uppermost portion of the food so that it has a different salt/sugar/water content to the bulk of the food, which may then be more liable to bacterial colonisation depending on how the food is subsequently stored.

For example I make porridge from pinhead oatmeal and water with no salt or suger on a weekly basis (and microwave a portion each day for breakfast). If I leave it to cool down, uncovered, at room temperature so that it forms a hard skin before putting it in the fridge it lasts longer than if I put it straight into the fridge, from the pan, in a sealed tupperware container.

SS