What is the current wisdom on keeping eggs?

[Methersgate]

Old books advise:
a) storing them point down
b) painting the shells with isinglass (what’s that?)
c) boiling them for one minute
d) buying them absolutely fresh (doh...!)
e) never ever putting them in a fridge

What is today’s wisdom (besides “keep them in the fridge, stupid!”)?

[Methersgate]

Belay that; there’s an excellent thread on it from ten years ago, but the search tool didn’t find it.

And I can’t see how to link to it...

[cal40john]

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...gs-165047.html

[SV_Galateia]

The link does not work....

[cal40john]

Originally Posted by SV_Galateia

The link does not work....

I just tried it, it works for me.
You can try clicking on the Search button in the Cruisersforum menu bar, scroll down to Custom Google Search, then type in preserving eggs.

I clicked on "the number one way to preserve eggs" link.

[GordMay]

Works, for me.
Number one way for Preserving eggs ➥ https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...gs-165047.html

[zengirl]

I shop once a month at Walmart. Buy 4 doz eggs. Keep them in my frigoboat at the bottom and don't do anything special to them. They last all month with no problem. My refrig is constant 36-38 F. You don't need to refrig eggs if bought fresh and person who raises the chickens has never put them the refrig.

[oldvarnish]

Sailed eggs from Uruguay to the Azores, so through the tropics. Did nothing to them.
I was at sea 62 days and had an egg a day for the first fifty. After that they were OK to eat but tasted a bit stale and dull.

[doublewide]

We have researched egg storage. Boiling eggs before long-term storage is the WRONG thing to do, and is potentially dangerous because it makes them more susceptible to bacterial contamination. Boiled eggs must be refrigerated and eaten within a week of boiling.
The hen applies a natural coating to the outside of the shell. Google "bloom" or "cuticle" to learn more about this coating. The bloom prevents bacteria from penetrating the shell. You want to preserve the bloom.The egg producer has cleaned the eggs before putting them into the carton, so there is no need for you to wash them.
Eggs keep for a long time. The eggs you buy at the store today may already be several weeks old. By USDA standards, they have been refrigerated at less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit since they were gathered. While it is best to refrigerate them, eggs can be stored at room temperature for a while.
At the beginning of a long voyage our refrigerator is so full of dairy and fresh fruits and veg that there is no room for eggs, so we often store our eggs in a cool, dark cupboard for a while until there is space for them in the fridge.
So, our best practice is: refrigerate eggs as soon as possible, and don't wash or boil them until you are ready to eat them.

[dadster3]

Back in my backpacking days, I heard that coating eggs with Vaseline would keep them fresh because it would keep air from passing through the permeable shells. Never tried it though.

[Ken Z]

I have kept eggs with out refrigeration for three weeks in the fl. Keys and bahamas in summer for 3 weeks with zero spoilage or getting sick. As told to me in the 70 ‘s , boil for 10 seconds, a few at a time to control timing and store in the shade. We tried to consume in 2 weeks, a egg that floats in a pan of water is a bad egg. Beware of bad eggs lol....

[Cthoops]

We cruised without a refrigerator for the first year. We bought refrigerated eggs and kept them on the counter for a month with no issues. No turning, no Vaseline, etc.

[fxarcher]

I saw a video where this big steel schooner went from NZ to Holland via the NW passage. They turned the eggs every week to keep the yolk suspended in the center. I also believe they coated them with vaseline. Not sure about that.

[billburr]

Buy them unrefrigerated, if you can find them. (most places in Mexico don't refrigerate them) Turn them 180 degrees every day. They lasted for us on a 25 day sail to Hawaii and were fine. To check if eggs are good put them in water. If they float, they are not good, if they sink they are fine. (Don't do it overboard

[DockDoc]

Eggs have a semipermeable porus shell, chicks do breathe via the shell remember.

In the USA, Japan, Sweden, and Australia commercially sold eggs are washed to remove "dirt" aka chicken Sh!t. The cuticle is removed during this process. Then the egg is very thoroughly dried. The last step, drying, is critical as it inhibit bacterial growth and then the eggs are chilled to retard bacterial growth. Bacteria thrive in warm temperatures. Salmonella doesn't grow well at all at refrigerator temps of about 40F or lower. THe cost of refrigeration is passed on to the consumer, so only about 33% of chickens are vaccinated against salmonella in the USA.

In the UK eggs can not be Class A if washed or cleaned in any way. Washing removes the protective cuticle which leads to bacterial ingress so they don't remove it.
Further because 'wet egg shells' lead to infection the UK and other countries do not refrigerate the eggs. A cold egg put on a counter top will get condensation on it, and lead to bacterial growth. Again the importance of a dry egg shell is shown. As a side note UK has very low salmonella from eggs because they vaccinate the 90%+ chickens!

A fresh, washed, previously chilled egg is good for 2 hours at room temp in the fridge 3+ weeks.
A fresh unwashed, dry, never chilled egg is good at room temperature (68-74 degrees F per the UK CHIBSE) for a lot longer.

The easiest way to keep them a long time is get fresh, dry, unwashed eggs and not cool them. Every time you use an egg crack them one at a time in a bowl, and then add them (if they past the sniff test) to the group of eggs that your using. You can coat eggs in vasoline, or mineral oil to seal them against ingress of bacteria.
The safest way to keep an egg a long time is to keep them dry and refrigerate.

No add revenue or stock interest but I use a lot of Ova Easy. Powdered eggs. Very safe, long shelf life, light and tasty. I do this because Salmonella can get into the egg prior to it being laid, prior to the cuticle being applied, and I am pretty darn sure many small farmers selling eggs in Barraterre or wherever are not vaccinating their chickens.