Egg storage temperature: features, conditions and recommendations

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Man has been using eggs for food for a very long time. For the first time this product was appreciated by the inhabitants of India. Eating eggs in this country began as early as 2.5 thousand years BC. A little later, the Romans began to eat them, and then the inhabitants of other European countries.

In Russian cuisine, eggs have long been used exclusively as a separate dish. At the same time, they prepared only on certain days. In our country, eggs began to be added to complex dishes no earlier than in the 19th century. Today, this product is, of course, very popular in Russia. After all, eggs have a lot of useful properties. However, they can show their best qualities only if they are properly stored. Stale eggs should not be eaten, of course. Such a product can cause very serious poisoning.

Temperature

It is believed that the optimal storage temperature for eggs is -2 - +20 °C. Under these conditions, this product will remain fresh for some time before eating. Of course, like any other food, the shelf life of eggsdirectly dependent on the ambient temperature. The lower it is, the longer you can not eat a store-bought product of this variety.

According to the requirements of GOST 31654-2012, table eggs can be stored:

• at a temperature of -2 to 0 °С no more than 90 days;
• at temperatures from 0 to +20 °С - a maximum of 25 days.

How long can you keep in the fridge

Almost any housewife has eggs in stock. And keep them, of course, most often in the refrigerator. That is, in most cases, the temperature for storing eggs at home is + 2-4 ° C. Under such conditions, this product is able to maintain its freshness for a very long time. It is believed that you can keep eggs in the refrigerator for up to a month. In many cases, at this temperature, they do not disappear even within 2-3 months.

Can eggs be stored at room temperature

Sometimes it happens that it is not possible to put eggs purchased or collected in the hen house in the refrigerator. After all, such equipment, for example, may fail or be filled with other products.

Eggs, such as milk or meat, do not belong to perishable food. Therefore, in the absence of a refrigerator, they can be kept for some time and, for example, in a kitchen cabinet at room temperature. Storage of eggs under such conditions, according to the regulations, is possible for 25 days. However, at the same time, the air in the room, of course, should not warm up above 20 ° С.

SoThus, the answer to the question of whether it is possible to store eggs not in the refrigerator, experts give a positive answer. But still, the air temperature in the room when using this method should not exceed +25 ° C. At this temperature, this product is able to stay fresh for a couple of weeks. Warmer air in the room can cause the onset of the incubation period. Embryos, for example, in fertilized eggs develop already at a temperature of +36 ° С.

Important

The above dates, of course, can only be valid for recently collected eggs. A store-bought product at home, of course, will be stored less. Indeed, from the assembly of such eggs to the moment when they hit the counter, quite a lot of time can pass. In addition, in the supermarkets themselves, this product often lies for a long time.

At room temperature, eggs are, of course, best kept away from all sorts of heating appliances. For this product in the apartment it is worth finding the coolest and preferably dark place. Most often, eggs in the house are kept in drawers of kitchen cabinets or in the pantry.

When stored for a long time in the refrigerator or at room temperature, even if the requirements of GOST regarding the terms are met, this product still changes its qualities somewhat over time. Actually fresh eggs are considered only for 9 days after collection. Such a product, if desired, can be boiled both soft-boiled and in a bag. If the eggs were stored in the refrigerator or in a room for more than 9days, it is better to cook them only hard-boiled. In this way, the risk of poisoning can be eliminated.

How fresh eggs differ from those collected long ago

How eggs should be stored in this way is understandable. It is best to keep this product in the refrigerator at a temperature of 0 to +8 ° C. But how can you tell fresh eggs from those that have been laid for a long time? It's actually not too hard to do.

To find out when the eggs were collected at the poultry farm, you just need to look at the markings. Stamps with the date of production at such enterprises are put on each egg.

Also, to determine the freshness of this product, you can look at it in the light through an ovoscope. Such a device is available to many villagers who breed chickens and incubate chickens. If the yolk in a translucent egg is in the middle, then it is fresh and can be eaten both soft-boiled and in a bag.

If under the ovoscope you can see that there are blackouts in the yolk next to the protein, this means that the egg, after it was laid, has lain somewhere for at least a week. Such a product can also be eaten, but preferably only hard-boiled. Stale chicken eggs under the ovoscope will not shine through. There is such a product, of course, it is not worth it.

Also, to determine the freshness of the egg, you can immerse it in a glass of water. If it sinks and falls to the bottom, it means that it was demolished only a few days ago. If the egg touches the bottom only with a sharp end, its "age" isabout a week. Of course, such a product can also be considered fresh. If the egg sinks only to the middle of the glass, it is 2-3 weeks old, and you can still eat it. If it floats on the surface, then it is rotten and can only be thrown away.

Cooked product

Of course, many housewives are also interested in how to properly store boiled eggs. In its raw form, therefore, even at room temperature, such a product can remain fresh for a long time. Being boiled, eggs to some extent lose this property. After heat treatment, it is desirable to store such food only in the refrigerator. Under room conditions, eggs in a whole shell will remain fresh for about 3 days (at a temperature not exceeding +20 ° C).

In the refrigerator, at a temperature of +2 °С to +4 °С, such a boiled product can be kept for up to a week. At the same time, eggs can be stored in airtight containers under the same conditions for up to 14 days.

The exception in this case are soft-boiled eggs. They spoil much faster than hard-boiled ones. In room conditions, such eggs can lie until they lose their freshness for no longer than 24 hours. They can be stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 2 days. That is why it is recommended to boil eggs only soft-boiled for Easter. After all, Easter eggs will have to lie on a plate with Easter cake for quite a long time. Soft-boiled eggs under these conditions are likely to disappear. It won't be safe to eat them anyway.

Hard boiled Easter eggs, by the way, can be stored a little longer than regular boiled ones. The fact is that the paint used to decorate Easter eggs clogs the pores in the shell. As a result, microorganisms that contribute to the spoilage of the contents of the egg cannot penetrate it for longer. Easter eggs can be stored up to 4 days.

A similar method can, if necessary, be used to ensure that regular boiled eggs stay fresh longer. To prolong their shelf life, their shells just need to be greased with vegetable oil.

How long can boiled eggs be stored without shell or cracked

Such a product, of course, will lose its freshness very quickly. Eggs without shell or cracked when cooked at room conditions can be stored for no more than 12 hours. In the refrigerator, such a product will lie until it loses freshness for 1 day.

How long do quail eggs keep

This product is also quite popular among Russian consumers. Quail eggs cost more than chicken eggs. However, at the same time, they contain more vitamins and substances useful for the human body. You can store quail eggs, like chicken eggs, for a long time.

At temperatures from 0 to +8 ° C, this product remains fresh for up to 30 days. It is these for quail eggs that the GOST standards are provided for. However, practice shows that this product can keep its freshness much longer. So, it is considered quite safe for quail eggs to store at a temperature of 0 to +4 ° C in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

How to determine the suitability for eating

Distinguish fresh eggs from rotten specialwork, of course, will not be. When spoiled, such food begins to emit a very sharp and unpleasant smell of hydrogen sulfide. Eggs should also not be eaten:

• make noise when shaking;
• with gray shell without shine.

A product with these characteristics will be spoiled for sure. The yolk of eggs that are not too fresh is flat and runny, while the white is watery.

Egg products

GOST standards, of course, must be observed for such a semi-finished product. Dry egg products should be stored:

• at temperatures up to +20 °С - maximum 6 months;
• up to +4 °C - no more than 24 months

Liquid egg products are stored according to the rules:

• at temperatures up to +4 °С - maximum day;
• up to -18 °С - no more than 15 months;
• up to -12 °С - maximum 10 months

Instead of a conclusion

Storage of eggs and egg products, including at home, should therefore be subject to certain rules. In any case, it is best to keep such food in the refrigerator. Under such conditions, chicken eggs should be eaten for a maximum of three months, quail eggs - two. Dry powder in the refrigerator can, according to the standard, be eaten even two years after release.