Number one way for Preserving eggs.

[sparrowhawk1]

I know there's other threads on this but I did a search and couldn't find them. but I just watched a YouTube video on18th century food preservation and they said using quicklime will preserve fresh eggs up to two years. One ounce of lime to 1 quart of water, he also put a handful of lime into the Container first. It's readily available at hardware stores and it's also called hydrated lime.

[undercutter]

Immerse the eggs in Engine Oil. New oil of course. When all the eggs are gone, change the oil in the engine.

Apparently the oil will not penetrate the membrane inside the shell. The object is to keep the air away from the egg.

Never heard of the lime method but we have forgotten so much.

[Bill Seal]

Sodium silicate (waterglass).

At least that's what I've read.

[sparrowhawk1]

Originally Posted by Bill Seal

Sodium silicate (waterglass).

At least that's what I've read.

Isn't that only for hard boiled eggs? Without their shell.

[bytownboy]

I vaguely remember reading to coat them in Vaseline. Have had them stay good for many weeks in tropics unrefrigerated (and no Vaseline).

Doug

[SV THIRD DAY]

Wrap them in bacon...no sorry that was for a cure for warts.
We have kept unrefrigerated eggs for up to 4 weeks, just on the counter....no drama no engine oil. But of course my favorite is to keep eggs safe and sound in a lemon curd for night watch....

[barnakiel]

Two YEARS???

Why not buy fresh on the other side?

Fresh eggs stay OK 20 to 30 days without preservation.

I understand you are headed to the Antarctic for the winter or rtw in the Southern Ocean. (?) Lucky duck.

b.

[capt-couillon]

If you can purchase eggs straight from the chicken, they will last 2 to 3 times the length of washed eggs you purchase in the supermarket.... Hard to find these days in the US

[FSMike]

I seem to recall that the Chinese consider 100 (?) year old eggs a delicacy, but I don't want to eat them.
I just rotate the box of eggs 180 degrees every morning, which does a good job of keeping the air from ruining the eggs.

[Sea Dreaming]

We keep regular store bought egggs just out and about. Im not sure how long they actually stay fresh, we eat a lot of eggs and go through them pretty fast. However, we buy the 60 egg case so its at least a minth. But these other solutions turn my stomach......engine oil? Egg shells are porus, so what else are you eating with your eggs?

[undercutter]

Originally Posted by Sea Dreaming

We keep regular store bought egggs just out and about. Im not sure how long they actually stay fresh, we eat a lot of eggs and go through them pretty fast. However, we buy the 60 egg case so its at least a minth. But these other solutions turn my stomach......engine oil? Egg shells are porus, so what else are you eating with your eggs?

Never said I tried it, just what I was told by several long term cruisers that we met in Cuba. Europeans actually that had been on the water for decades.

Porous yes, that is why you submerse them in oil so the air can't get into them. I guess the oil molecules are too big to penetrate the egg membrane. But then I guess you wouldn't have to use any Pam if it did!!!!

[RaymondR]

Sodium Silicate or waterglass, apparently the sodium Silicate reacts with the carbonates in the shell to form a flexible but air proof membrane on the shell which excludes to oxygen responsible for the deterioration of the egg.


Vaseline, I have tried this one and it appears to work. I coated eggs with Vaseline and left them for about three months and when I cracked them and made a scrambled eggs they looked perfectly edible. Unfortunately my lab rat mate became suspicious when I did not serve any for myself and would not eat them so the digestive health portion of the experiment was not completed. There are some really selfish people about these days.


100 Year Eggs. These things have a thick coating of what looks like charcoal so I suspect the preserving mechanism is similar to that prevailing with Vaseline or waterglass. Having spent a significant portion of my life in South East Asia I have seen them in markets all over the place but have never been game to consume one.

[Sandibar]

I think the Pardeys coated eggs with vegetable oil to preserve them.. or maybe it was Jonathan Reid. Definitely some sailing biography I've read, though. Would much prefer that to engine oil.

The 100 year eggs are traditionally made by coating the eggs for months in clay or ash to increase alcalinity. Eaten them many times, although they are not a big favourite

[Lizzy Belle]

Methinks it helps to know if you're buying washed eggs (don't understand why but the US washes their eggs) - washing takes away the natural protection and makes them go bad much quicker.

Unwashed eggs (EU countries and I would assume plenty of others as well) you can keep in a cool(ish) place for 2 months easily.

Try to buy fresh, unwashed eggs that haven't been refrigerated and simply store them somewhere coolish and you're good to go for pretty much any passage.

I buy supermarket eggs and keep them in a cupboard for about 8 weeks w/out issue. They'll probably keep longer then that, but they're usually gone by then

When in doubt, I put them in some water to see if they float or sink. If it sinks, eat it. If it floats at the top, toss it overboard.

[Island Time O25]

In US store sold eggs can be already a few weeks old and the date stamped on the package does not always correspond to the date of their "harvest". I.e. two packages may have the same "best by" date but one can have eggs a few days old and the other a few weeks old. The date of packing is a 3 digit code where Jan 1 is 001 and Dec 31 is 365.

Cracking the Date Code on Egg Cartons | UNL Food | University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Interesting take on the differences between US and UK/EU in their egg policies.

Do Eggs Need To Be Refrigerated Or Can You Store Them At Room Temperature?

Here's why you have to refrigerate eggs in the U.S. but not in Europe - LA Times