With eggs becoming a pricey commodity these days — if you can even find them at the grocery store, that is — you might be looking for ways to make the eggs you do have last longer.
Knowing the best ways to store eggs can help reduce waste from spoilage and help you make the most out of each carton.
Safe storage and preparation of eggs is essential to prevent bacterial infection. Some consumers may be especially concerned about egg safety because of the recent outbreak of bird flu in the U.S.
However, there is no evidence that bird flu can be transmitted to humans via eggs, as long as eggs are refrigerated or frozen properly, and then cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
It’s also unlikely that contaminated eggs will even make it to store shelves due to safeguards put in place by farmers.
If you’d like to avoid eggs altogether, there are several plant-based alternatives that can stand in as solid replacements in recipes, including flaxseed gel, aquafaba (chickpea water), and fruit and bean puree.
Here are some tips for making eggs last longer, from safe refrigeration methods to proper freezing techniques.
The best way to refrigerate eggs
Whole raw eggs
To last the longest in the fridge, eggs should be refrigerated at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, recommends Elisa Malobert, food safety manager at the American Egg Board.
They should be stored in their original carton on an inside shelf, not in the door, which “prevents temperature fluctuations and protects them from absorbing odors from other foods,” Malobert tells TODAY.com.
Raw eggs with shells should also be stored away from pungent foods to keep them from absorbing other odors in the fridge.
Stored properly, whole raw eggs refrigerated in their shells can last about three weeks from their purchase date, or about four to five weeks beyond their pack date.
Raw eggs outside their shells
When storing raw eggs outside their shells, keep them in a tightly sealed container. If you’re storing separated raw egg yolks, the American Egg Board recommends covering them in water to keep them from drying out. Then, drain the water before using.
Refrigerated raw egg whites can last up to four days in the fridge, while refrigerated raw yolks can last up to two days, Malobert says. Slightly beaten raw eggs (whites and yolks combined) can also last up to two days in the fridge.
Hard-boiled eggs
Hard-boiled eggs in their shells can last up to one week in the fridge.
“Store them in a covered container in the main compartment of the fridge to prevent odor absorption,” Malobert recommends.
Peeled hard-boiled eggs, meanwhile, should be used the same day they are prepared, according to the American Egg Board.
Why do hard boiled eggs spoil more quickly than raw ones? According to the USDA, the cooking process “leads to a thin layer of water forming on the cooked egg surface under the shell,” which can create a breeding ground for bacterial growth.
The USDA recommends refrigerating hard boiled eggs within two hours of cooking.
Pickled eggs
Sealed, unopened containers of commercially pickled eggs can last for months on the shelf, according to the USDA. Once opened, pickled eggs should be refrigerated and used within one week.
The USDA does not recommend pickling and canning your own eggs at home.
How to freeze eggs
If you want your eggs to last a really long time, it is possible to freeze them.
Raw whole eggs, or separated raw yolks or whites, can last up to one year in a freezer set to zero degrees Fahrenheit or colder.
The American Egg Board does not recommend freezing whole raw eggs in their shells, or freezing hard-boiled eggs in any form.
To safely freeze eggs, remove fresh, clean raw eggs from their shells, place in tightly sealed containers and date them.
Egg yolks can take on a thick, gel-like texture when frozen. To avoid this, stir in either 1/8 teaspoon of salt or 1½ teaspoons of corn syrup before freezing, the American Egg Board recommends. The salt-mixed eggs can be used for savory dishes, and the corn syrup ones can be used for desserts.
Frozen eggs can be thawed overnight in the refrigerator, or else defrosted under cold running water, Malobert says.
Thawed egg whites “should sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before beating for better volume” and should only be used “in thoroughly cooked dishes,” she adds.
Defrosted eggs can be used in cooked dishes including scrambled eggs, omelets, baked goods and casseroles, Nelson Serrano-Bahri, chef and director of innovation at the American Egg Board, tells TODAY.com.
However, thawed eggs should not be used in recipes like mayonnaise or meringues because “the freezing process alters their ability to whip properly,” Serrano-Bahri says.
How can you tell if a raw egg is still good?
There’s a kitchen myth that if an egg floats when placed in water, it has gone bad.
However “the common ‘float test’ isn’t a reliable freshness indicator,” Malobert says.
Good eggs can float because even fresh eggs can contain large air pockets.
Eggs that are older than their expiration or “sell by” date are also not necessarily bad. An expiration dates “tells the grocery store how long to display eggs on the refrigerated shelves, which also reflects when the eggs will be of optimum quality,” Malobert says.
However, “eggs stored correctly remain safe past this date” as long as they are fully cooked, she adds.
To judge whether a raw egg is still good, refer to the “Julian date,” or pack date, on the carton. This will be listed as a number somewhere between 001, meaning Jan. 1, and 365, meaning Dec. 31. (The USDA offers a guide for figuring out the pack date.)
Eggs that have been properly refrigerated can last for four or five weeks beyond their pack date.
Can you store eggs outside of the fridge?
Keeping eggs in the fridge is pretty much a given in the U.S., as well as in Canada, Japan and Scandinavia, according to the USDA.
However, many other countries, including most in Europe, do not refrigerate their eggs, keeping them at room temperature at grocery stores and at home.
Why do we refrigerate our eggs in the U.S.?
It comes down to the way eggs are cleaned and treated. In the U.S., eggs are spray-washed before they hit store shelves, a practice that began in the 1970s.
Spray-washing eggs strips them of their naturally occurring outer membrane, or “cuticle,” which prevents infection from salmonella and other bacteria, according to the USDA.
Other countries do not spray-wash their eggs, meaning the eggs keep their protective coating. Some European countries argue that preserving the eggs’ protective coating makes refrigeration unnecessary because the eggs are naturally shielded from infection.