# What happens to unrefrigerated eggs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 10, 2005, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711 "2005-04-10T22:52:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2005, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711/1 "2005-04-10T22:52:55Z")
There isn’t any room left in our dorm fridge, but I’m going shopping this afternoon and I’d like to pick up some eggs for cooking, scrambling, etc. Are eggs okay to be left out for a day or two until we eat a space clear for them in the fridge? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2005, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711/2 "2005-04-10T23:00:45Z")
I would guess no, if your that desparate for eggs and it’s not cold enough to keep them outside (in a garage?), maybe pick up some ice and keep them in a cooler, I think that might be okay for a day. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2005, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711/3 "2005-04-10T23:15:37Z")
From an egg-related FAQ: "Can I keep eggs at room temperature? Eggs are a perishable food and should be stored in their carton in the refrigerator. For optimum quality, eggs should be used up before the ‘Best Before’ date expires. For every hour eggs are kept at room temperature, they age an entire day." > **[Using Raw Eggs In Cooking](https://whatscookingamerica.net/eggs/raweggs.htm)** > >   Following is what the American Egg Board says on using raw eggs in cooking:   There have been warnings against consuming raw or lightly cooked eggs on the grounds ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711/4 "2005-04-10T23:20:40Z")
According to the [American Egg Board]([http://www.aeb.org/safety/egg\_handling\_and\_care\_guide.html#What](http://www.aeb.org/safety/egg_handling_and_care_guide.html#What) is the best way to store raw eggs?): > [@](#): > > Continually keep raw shell eggs, broken-out eggs, egg mixtures, prepared egg dishes and other perishable foods refrigerated at 40° F or below when you’re not cooking or eating them. These foods should not be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours, including the time you use to prepare and serve them. Allow no more than 30 minutes to 1 hour when it’s 85° F or hotter. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2005, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711/5 "2005-04-10T23:22:08Z")
Depending on the ambient temperatures in your kitchen/larder, eggs can be kept unrefrigerated for a lot longer than you might think (although the shelf life will depend on how long they’ve been stored before you buy them). Eggs are normally stored/sold unrefrigerated here in the UK; most people keep them in the fridge as soon as they get them home - they will last longer that way, but I’m pretty sure the ‘best before’ date (here) refers to unrefrigerated storage and it is usually a couple of weeks or so. That aside, it’s quite important in baking to use eggs that have been allowed to return to room temperature - your cakes will be lighter this way. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2005, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711/6 "2005-04-10T23:31:18Z")
([Cite](http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodrin/poultry/epfaq.htm#eggfrig) on the UK unrefrigerated sale of eggs - the advice given here is to refrigerate upon purchase; the ‘display until’ date (which precedes the ‘best before’ date by a week, but is often still allows a couple of weeks from purchase) must refer to safe unrefrigerated storage. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711/7 "2005-04-11T00:24:52Z")
> [@Tracy Lord](#): > > There isn’t any room left in our dorm fridge, but I’m going shopping this afternoon and I’d like to pick up some eggs for cooking, scrambling, etc. Are eggs okay to be left out for a day or two until we eat a space clear for them in the fridge? Here’s the problem: in the USA, many, many eggs are infected with Salmonella. Not so in other countries (Mangetout), not so historically. But that’s the way it is now. So every time you eat an uncooked egg–or an egg in which the Salmonella has been allowed to run rampant due to keeping it unrefrigerated–you run a high risk of swallowing live, feisty, Salmonella bacteria. Your location says Oregon. Don’t do it. The odds are against you. ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711/8 "2005-04-11T00:56:50Z")
There are also some that suggest otherwise. Salmonella is pretty rare, and leaving them out of the refrigerator doesn’t infect them. They are laid that way, not from leaving them out, that just spoils them. Depending on the temerature, you can leave them out for weeks at a time (as said above). Dr. Mercola’s statements suggest that if you cannot refrigerate your eggs, buy them fresh from a farmer or buy the “organically fed” eggs. [Cite](http://www.mercola.com/2002/nov/13/eggs.htm). About halfway down or so, with the checking eggs for freshness: > [@](#): > > 4 If you are getting your eggs fresh from a farmer it is best to not refrigerate them. This is the way most of the world stores their eggs; they do not refrigerate them. To properly judge the freshness of an egg, its contents need to be at room temperature. Eggs that are stored in the fridge and opened immediately after taking them out will seem fresher than they actually are. Eggs that you want to check the freshness of should be kept outside the fridge for at least an hour prior to opening them. As a side note, he recommends it, but I personally refrigerate mine, and I don’t eat raw eggs as he suggests. I know some of the protein is damage in cooking them, but I eat other sources of protein so I don’t care. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711/9 "2005-04-11T12:13:21Z")
Eggs aren’t refrigerated in many countries. Here in Mexico for one. They keep for a long time unrefrigerated with no problem other than they lose their freshness quicker. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711/10 "2005-04-11T12:26:21Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > That aside, it’s quite important in baking to use eggs that have been allowed to return to room temperature - your cakes will be lighter this way. I read cookbooks for pleasure, there are always a couple by my bed and I have never read this tip. Genius. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711/11 "2005-04-11T13:26:42Z")
I’ve heard people say they think it’s all in the imagination, but I’m _sure_ I’m not imagining it; if I have to bake a cake quickly and have no time to warm the eggs, the result is invariably flatter and more dense than if they have been left out for a few hours. I’m not sure what the mechanism is, but I’m convinced there is some reality to it. It’s also probably worth mentioning that the consistency of an egg varies with its age; when cracked onto a plate, an egg straight out of the chicken’s arse will have a much brighter, taller-standing yolk and a much firmer, more gelatinous/resilient white than one that has been stored for a week - which will have a flatter, paler yolk and some of the white will just be a runny puddle. Freshy-laid eggs are generally able to be poached by cracking them straight into simmering water - try it with a store-bought egg that is a couple of weeks old and you may just end up with egg soup. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711/12 "2005-04-11T13:59:04Z")
> [@toadspittle](#): > > Here’s the problem: in the USA, many, many eggs are infected with Salmonella. According to Scarlett67’s link, it’s 1 in 20,000 eggs. I’d say, if you’re buying eggs and planning to not refrigerate them, eat them right away, go with egg friendly dishes for a couple of days. Or, buy a 6 pack. They should be fine unrefrigerated for a few days, I wouldn’t go too long with them, though. The UK info is instructive, but since we handle them differently in the US, I wouldn’t try to press your luck. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Duality](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.duality/32/4098_2.png) [@Mr.Duality](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Duality)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711/13 "2005-04-11T14:20:29Z")
Another helpful hint regarding eggs: cracking them against a rounded surface rather than a sharp-cornered surface will result in fewer egg-shell fragments in what comes out of the egg. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711/14 "2005-04-11T15:25:36Z")
> [@CBEscapee](#): > > Eggs aren’t refrigerated in many countries. Here in Mexico for one. They keep for a long time unrefrigerated with no problem other than they lose their freshness quicker. I know I’ve asked this before **CEScapee** : what part of Mexico are you in? We buy our eggs here non-refrigerated (yeah, even at Wal-Mart or Sam’s), but my wife puts them in the fridge because she knows I’ll throw a fit if she doesn’t (search for my “is my wife trying to poison me?” thread from back when I was a newlywed). One thing I’d like an answer to, though: the eggs here taste “stronger” than they do back home. I don’t know if it’s different hens, different feed, or the non-refrigerated status of the eggs from producer to market. Also, here, they don’t wash the eggs prior to selling them. So somethings there’s uh, stuff, on the eggs, like fluff of feathers and other gunk. Odd, considering this a place where they peel all of the onion skin off the onions to sell to you. Oh, yeah, the unrefrigerated, salmonella-containing eggs won’t have live salmonella if you _cook them_. The biggest danger, I think, is having them taste nasty from spoilage. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711/15 "2005-04-11T15:46:05Z")
I live in Kansas, and my ex-roommate’s Russian wife never refrigerates her eggs. We all survived just fine. Your eggs will live, and I’m betting you will too. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711/16 "2005-04-11T15:55:14Z")
We keep our eggs unrefrigerated, but never buy more than we will use within the next 3-5 days. I consider it an acceptable risk in our situation because we don’t have children, we’re semi-young and healthy, and soft cooked eggs are a big no-no in DeHouse. If you’re storing eggs to use sometime next week, refrigerate. If you are cooking for anyone immunosuppressed, \*always \* keep your eggs refrigerated and, if possible, use [pasteurized eggs](http://www.safeeggs.com/). ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711/17 "2005-04-11T16:18:55Z")
I worked at a Migros supermarket in Switzerland, and they didn’t refrigerate the eggs for sale. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711/18 "2005-04-11T22:25:59Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Also, here, they don’t wash the eggs prior to selling them. So somethings there’s uh, stuff, on the eggs, like fluff of feathers and other gunk. Am I to infer that they _do_ wash them in some places? Weird. Feathers, chicken crap, all to be expected on the shell over here. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711/19 "2005-04-11T22:38:36Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Am I to infer that they _do_ wash them in some places? Weird. Feathers, chicken crap, all to be expected on the shell over here. We get nice clean white egg shells in Chicagoland. Except when we pay more for nice clean brown egg shells. This is true even at Farmer’s Markets and ethnic food stores. It never actually occured to me that eggs would have stuff on them. Whenever the young farm girl on TV takes them out from under the hen, they’re nice and clean! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711/20 "2005-04-11T22:57:12Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Am I to infer that they do wash them in some places? Weird. Feathers, **chicken crap** , all to be expected on the shell over here. Ugh. Major _yuck_ factor there! I’ve been lucky and not come across one of those yet here. Note to self: Make sure ask wife if washes eggs prior to opening so feces encrusted bits don’t end up on breakfast plate. > [@WhyNot](#): > > We get nice clean white egg shells in Chicagoland. Except when we pay more for nice clean brown egg shells. This is true even at Farmer’s Markets and ethnic food stores. It never actually occured to me that eggs would have stuff on them. Whenever the young farm girl on TV takes them out from under the hen, they’re nice and clean! 😃 Maybe we United Statesians have a superior race of super-clean, super-chickens? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-unrefrigerated-eggs/298711.md?page=2)