How Do You Keep Eggs Fresh?
- Mark Jensen
- Mar 14
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 17
For the most part, there should not be much concern over transporting eggs from the store to home in terms of food safety. However, for some, the commute may be long, or the temperatures can soar during certain times of the year. To combat this, it would be best to transport eggs in an insulated bag or cooler to keep them cold while possibly protecting them from cracking or being crushed.
When storing eggs in the refrigerator, the best location is on the middle shelf, near the back, since this will keep them colder, which helps them last longer. Places that should be avoided include the door, which is the warmest part, and anywhere that is prone to freezing, such as the back of the top shelf, as occurs in some refrigerators, because eggs can crack and change texture when they freeze, rendering them useless and therefore causing them to be thrown away.
Eggs, like many foods, are able to absorb odors from other foods, which is why it is important to store them away from pungent foods, and other foods with strong odors. Using containers with tight-seals is helpful in mitigating this problem.
For raw eggs out of the shell, it is important to store them in a tightly sealed container to prevent them from drying out. When storing yolks that have been separated, you should add a small layer of water on top, since yolks are even more prone to dehydration, even in a sealed container.
From a food safety perspective, it is important to wash your hands before handling raw eggs to ensure that your hands are clean from any contaminants or other germs, depending on what you were doing beforehand, and especially after handling raw eggs, since they can be a source of Salmonella both on the outside and in the inside. Salmonella is a very hazardous pathogen, and infection can cause severe illness, including the possibility of forming reactive arthritis in some people, which is a permanent condition.
Mark Jensen earned his a B.S. in Food Science and M.S. in Management from the University of Florida. He previously served as a Research & Development Technician at Planeteers and a Quality Assurance Technician at Carl Buddig & Company.
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