Note to housewives: shelf life of eggs and storage conditions

Egg white is an affordable, healthy and easy-to-prepare product. It is used in the preparation of omelettes, desserts, pastries and other dishes. Usually obtained from shelled eggs immediately before use . But sometimes there is extra protein . It is a perishable product. However, by creating special conditions, it can be kept suitable for consumption for quite a long time.

In the freezer

Egg whites last the longest in the freezer. The duration of suitability without loss of valuable qualities will range from several months to six months.

Freeze the product in plastic containers or in an ice tray. After complete freezing, transfer it to a regular plastic bag and continue storage.

IMPORTANT: Egg whites are only allowed to be defrosted once. If re-frozen, the product will lose its properties.

It is necessary to write down how many proteins are frozen and put the date on the label.

What to do with delays

You can identify an expired product based on several criteria, including bad smell, lack of presentation, etc.

If the expired item was purchased in a store and noticed immediately, then according to the law, the consumer has the right to return it to the retail outlet on the terms of a refund of the money spent.

If poultry farm products have deteriorated at home, they must be disposed of immediately, since after this the salmonella virus is activated and hydrogen sulfide appears. They cause poisoning in people, and in some cases lead to death.

It is strictly forbidden to eat expired food.

Dry proteins

Dehydrated chicken egg white (albumin) is used in the same recipes as regular egg white. But it can be stored much longer than raw. The opened package is placed in a dark, dry place, and the product will be suitable at room temperature for about a year. Sealed packaging can be stored for several years.

Chicken egg white is a very valuable product that is widely used in cooking. It can be stored in various convenient ways without losing the quality of its composition and nutritional properties. But for this you need to know the storage conditions.

How to determine freshness?

At home:

1. Place in a container with water. This method will show:
   lies horizontally on the bottom - fresh;
2. “stood up” vertically - the chicken laid it about a week ago;
3. “hangs” in the water with the blunt end up - the egg is about twenty days old;
4. surfaced - alas, it went rotten.
5. With the help of light. Bring the egg to a powerful lamp or to a window if the sun is shining brightly. We are looking for signs of damage:
   spots appeared on the back of the shell;
6. illuminates the embryo;
7. the yolk has “dried” to the wall.
8. Break an egg:
   an unpleasant odor will indicate that the product is spoiled;
9. if the white is thick and does not spread on the plate, then the egg is fresh;
10. a cloudy white, opaque protein indicates freshness - carbon dioxide has not yet had time to evaporate through the pores of the shell.

Important. The buyer has the right to demand replacement eggs or a refund from the store if it turns out that they purchased a damaged product. This is stated in Article 18 of the Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights”.

We invite you to watch a video on how to check the freshness of eggs at home:

What does it depend on?

If stored incorrectly, eggs may age, shrink, and become infected with bacteria. Therefore, we pay attention to the appearance, labeling and packaging.

According to current Russian standards, eggs are stamped with a harmless dye and packaged by type and category.

Markings are letters and numbers in red or blue on each egg. The first sign indicates the permissible storage period:

• “D” - “dietary”;
• "C" - "dining room".

Another sign indicates the category of the egg and is measured in grams:

• Third (3) - from 35 to 45.
• Second (2) - from 45 to 55.
• The first (1) is from 55 to 65.
• Selected egg (O) - from 65 to 75.
• Highest (B) - 75 or more.

The dietary ones indicate the date and month of sorting, but the quail ones are not marked. According to the standards, it is allowed not to label eggs, provided that information is indicated on the container and it is sealed with a label that breaks when the consumer container is opened.

Packaging plays an important role. The material must be approved for contact with food, undamaged, clean, dry and free of foreign odors - this ensures quality.

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A good option is a cardboard container. This method will protect the product from foreign odors and maintain the necessary humidity.

What eggs can you freeze?

Only certain types of eggs can be frozen.

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), you should never freeze raw eggs in their shells (1, 2).

When raw eggs freeze, the liquid inside expands, which can cause the shell to crack. As a result, the egg contents may spoil and be at risk of bacterial contamination (3, 4).

Additionally, freezing raw eggs in their shells can negatively affect the texture as the egg yolks become thick and gel-like. This may make them difficult to use for cooking or baking after defrosting.

It is also not recommended to freeze hard-boiled or soft-boiled eggs, as egg whites can become rubbery and watery after thawing.

However, the following types of eggs can be safely frozen with good results (1):

• raw egg whites
• raw egg yolks
• raw whole eggs that have been removed from their shells and beaten
• cooked mixed egg dishes such as casseroles

Conclusion:

Due to safety concerns and negative changes in texture, it is not recommended to freeze boiled or raw eggs in their shells. Types of eggs that can be frozen include beaten whole raw eggs, raw egg whites, raw egg yolks, and cooked egg dishes.

Time frame: how long can be suitable?

Storage standards were invented for a reason. They directly depend on the category of eggs.

• dietary for no more than 7 days after laying, weighing 40–45 grams. Store eggs at temperatures up to 20 ° C for no more than one week.
• Canteens are not so heavy and last longer than 7 days. Depending on their weight, they are assigned a category: first, second or “selection”. At temperatures up to 20 °C they can be stored for 25 days. From 0 to 2 °C - no more than 120 days.

Time of use according to GOST

The shelf life of chicken eggs in various conditions is of concern to many, because this is one of the ingredients present in the daily diet. When purchasing, you should pay attention not only to the category, but also to the condition of the shell.

There should be no droppings, cracks, or other defects; this negatively affects the suitability. Only small spots or stripes obtained during transportation are acceptable. Before eating, be sure to wash under running water and check the smell - it should not be unpleasant or foreign.

Shelf life of eggs

How long you can store eggs in the refrigerator depends on their type and freshness. Those that are collected at the factory have a clear criterion for counting the expiration date - the date on the shell. For factory eggs, the shelf life is 1 month, for homemade eggs – 3 months.

Chicken eggs are also divided into dietary and table. The former must be eaten within a week after production, the latter are allowed to be sold within 25 days. Fresh eggs are stored longer in a brown shell, as it is thicker than white.

If all storage rules are followed in the supermarket, the shelf life of eggs can reach 30 days. The shelf life is affected by the type in which the purchased product is located. See the table below for more details.

It is equally important to remember about humidity; it should not exceed 85%, otherwise the product will quickly deteriorate and is not suitable for long-term storage.

After cooking, pay attention to the color of the white; if it is gray or bluish, then it is better to throw away the egg - it is spoiled. In any case, boiled chicken eggs cannot be stored for more than two weeks (this is the shelf life in the refrigerator). Read more about storing boiled eggs in our article.

Another way to check freshness is to put it in water. If it floats to the surface, it means that air has accumulated under the shell and the egg is clearly stale.

You will need a little warm water, regular table salt and one fresh chicken egg. Prepare a saline solution and put it in there:

• lies on the bottom - the egg is fresh, produced less than a week ago;
• floated up with the blunt end up - older than a week;
• floats in the prepared solution - older than two weeks;
• if it surfaces, it is spoiled and cannot be eaten unless you want to risk your health.

You won’t be walking around with a salty solution in the store, so you can just shake the egg next to your ear. If no sounds are heard, then the product is fresh.

This is, of course, not a 100% guarantee of suitability, but together with other methods (check the markings on the shell, evaluate the storage conditions in the store) it may work. The appearance, especially in closed boxes, is definitely worth evaluating; sometimes there are cracked or even cracked eggs.

Most often they try to sell such a defect at a small discount. But it’s better not to take risks and buy products that are a little more expensive, but of better quality.

The shelf life increases if eggs are boiled correctly. For example, you don’t need to throw cold ones into boiling water, you need to first let them warm up a little at room temperature. Then put it in water, bring it to a boil, boil for five minutes and add cold water.

Quail eggs, like other birds, have their own unique properties that need to be taken into account:

• their shell is more durable, so when damaged it wrinkles rather than cracking and splitting;
• at the same time, it is thinner, so the shelf life is much shorter than chicken;
• the contents do not fade over time, but dry out until they almost completely disappear;
• Quail eggs contain the enzyme lysozyme, which prevents the formation of bacteria.

As a result, they can be kept uncooked in the refrigerator for up to two months, boiled for only 5 days, fresh without a refrigerator for 30 days, and cooked for only a day. Many people forget about this and leave cooked foods on the table for several days, but this can cause illness. Read more about how to store quail eggs.

Fresh geese and duck eggs are stored at a temperature of 2 to 12°C for no longer than two weeks; before laying, they must be thoroughly washed with soda or soapy water. This feature is explained by the fact that their shells are more porous than chicken shells, so microbes penetrate much more easily. Of course, washing will shorten the shelf life, but it guarantees safety from dangerous diseases.

The duration of storage is affected by compliance with a few simple rules. By following them, you can increase the preservation several times, without losing taste. The product can be used in the same way as fresh: for omelettes, various salads, meringues, cakes and other baked goods.

1. Do not place on the side door of the refrigerator.

Despite the fact that many models are equipped with specialized compartments on the side. Due to temperature fluctuations when opening and closing the door, the shelf life of food is reduced. The ideal place is a Chilledroom chamber designed for vegetables and fruits.

1. 2-4°C is the best storage temperature for fresh eggs; when raw, they can remain intact for up to a month and a half.
2. There is no need to wash them before storing them in the refrigerator; this will shorten the shelf life of the eggs. Read more about this here.
3. Choose containers or stands with divisions (they usually come with the refrigerator and are located on the side door).

Eggs will be better preserved in a secure position in the refrigerator. They need to be laid with the sharp end down (1 piece per 1 cell).

The container should be made of plastic with a lid that closes tightly, this will eliminate exposure to other strong odors, such as onions, smoked meats and citrus fruits.

Eggs very quickly absorb foreign odors and this affects their taste and the taste of the products prepared from them, this is especially noticeable in omelettes. In general, it is recommended to use only fresh eggs.

To preserve the freshness of chicken eggs for a longer period of time, they should be placed in a container with the sharp end down, then the yolk mass will be located in the center. Well, at the blunt end, the shell contains more pores through which oxygen penetrates and carbon dioxide escapes, and there may also be bacteria. If you place the product with the blunt end down, the germs will rise to the top and can infect the egg from the inside.

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Some housewives prefer to store fresh eggs on their side and turn them over periodically, so that the yolk will not stick to the wall and will not be damaged when the shell is broken before cooking. This is very important for those who need to separate the white from the yolk before cooking or for those who like fried eggs with a solid, slightly runny yolk.

To understand which method is right for you, try leaving one egg sideways in the refrigerator, the other with the sharp tip down. After a week or two, compare the results. To make the experiment “clean”, use products of the same category, or better yet, purchased at the same time from the same tray.

Without a refrigerator, boiled eggs are stored for no longer than half a day, and if cracks appear on the shell during cooking, then only five hours.

The maximum permissible temperature is 20°C; important factors are also: humidity (up to 85%), lack of sunlight (meaning direct rays), drafts and temperature changes. After long-term storage, the shell must be processed.

Raw dietary eggs retain their freshness for only 7 days, table eggs for up to 25, washed for no longer than 12 days. This is due to the fact that in factories all testicles are treated with a special solution of 1.5% hydrogen peroxide, which prevents the pores from becoming clogged with dirt. Water washes away this solution and germs and dirt can get into the pores. Therefore, it is best to wash food immediately before cooking and store it in a special container.

Storage without refrigeration is possible using one of the following methods:

• place them in a salty solution at the rate of 1 liter of water per 25 grams of salt), so they will last for four weeks without loss of taste;
• pour the concentrated lime mixture into clay pots from under flowers, place the eggs in them with the sharp tip down - up to four months, but the eggs themselves do not acquire a very pleasant smell;
• wrap in newspaper, glossy or any other paper, put in a container, keep in a cool cabinet where the temperature is not higher than 10°C;
• grease the eggs, put them in a box with oats, so that they are at some distance from each other;
• grease each piece with a mixture of wax and vegetable oil or melted paraffin;
• use sweetened water (2 kg of sand per 2 liters of water): bring the syrup to a boil, dip fresh eggs into it, then dry and put in a container;
• grease with a mixture of bran and charcoal (wood).

Each of the options is good in its own way; to decide which one is right for you, do a little experiment. Leave one egg for storage for several weeks using each method, and then prepare an omelet. It will best demonstrate the preservation of the external and taste qualities of the product.

There are a lot of storage methods, but you shouldn’t abuse too long options if you don’t want to sacrifice taste and healthy qualities. For a long time, chicken eggs will be kept at the correct temperature in the refrigerator, special containers-stands where you can place everything in separate cells.

You can even put the whole eggs in the freezer. Or store the yolk and white separately from each other, so they will last much longer and will taste the same as their fresh counterparts. If you store it whole, it is important to check the integrity of the shell. Cracks in it are an avenue for bacteria, which will not only quickly spoil the contents, but can also cause serious illness. For the same reason, it is not recommended to lay eggs on top of each other, as this could damage the shell.

Fresh chicken eggs are an excellent product for regular meals, during a sports diet or for weight loss. They supply the body with a large amount of useful substances and can retain their taste when stored both in the refrigerator and without it. Knowing the shelf life of eggs, you can calculate when they need to be used and thereby protect your body from collisions with microbes that form when stored incorrectly or for too long.