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Why Do Americans Refrigerate Their Eggs?

nytimes.com

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Re: Why Do Americans Refrigerate Their Eggs?

#31

Post by nraynaud »

TenOhms wrote: post #22
Kenji wrote: post #17

I love how, once again, the states are clueless, forcing companies to wash the eggs on one continent, and forcing them not to on the other continent. Another useless law, hampering the production of vital goods.

What do you base that observation on? The article doesn't address whether washing + refrigeration is safer than leaving the membrane in-tact and not refrigerating. In fact, it hints at the exact opposite, saying Japan adopted the US method after a major salmonella outbreak. Who's right, or more importantly, does this even matter?

I feels crappy not to have an absolute answer.

Re: Why Do Americans Refrigerate Their Eggs?

#33

Post by cjg_ »

martin-adams wrote: post #5

Not explicitly mentioned, but is linked from the article: In Europe, the understanding is that this mandate actually encourages good husbandry on farms. It’s in the farmers’ best interests then to produce to cleanest eggs possible, as no one is going to buy their eggs if they’re dirty [1] So in Europe, you need a clean environment as you're not allowed to wash the eggs. I find this equally compelling than not wanting…

I've bought eggs that clearly have been marked as washed in Sweden (and this producer says they wash all eggs, http://www.kronagg.se/vaara-produkter/tvaettade-aegg/).

It seems it is legal to wash them but you need an approved facility for it as it can contaminate the eggs.

Re: Why Do Americans Refrigerate Their Eggs?

#34

Post by nemetroid »

In Swedish egg farms, if salmonella is discovered (in a mandatory screening), the entire flock must be killed off. This provides a good incentive to avoid salmonella outbreaks. The state reimburses up to 50% of the costs incurred (up to 70% if the farm is part of the additional voluntary salmonella screening program).

Re: Why Do Americans Refrigerate Their Eggs?

#37

Post by tptacek »

ricardobeat wrote: post #16
RandomOpinion wrote: post #15

I think part of the article that's getting glossed over is: " A refrigerated egg, no matter the source, will be good for four or five weeks. Unrefrigerated eggs are best used within a week, though they may be fine for two. " So, one would want to refrigerate eggs (washed or unwashed) anyway if they're not all going to be used immediately.

Or just not buy them if they are not going to be used immediately. Eggs quickly lose their quality (try poaching a week-old or refrigerated egg). I understand this may be unrealistic for car-dependant US households that have no option but to shop in large batches...

Refrigerated eggs poach fine; if they didn't, nobody in the US would have decent poached eggs. :)

Re: Why Do Americans Refrigerate Their Eggs?

#38

Post by tptacek »

nraynaud wrote: post #29
monochromatic wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not at all what I got from the article. I read it as saying basically that reasonable people can disagree about whether eggs should be washed and refrigerated, and there are good reasons for either position.

I would agree, I'm still puzzled tho, because vaccine works but is not used for economic reasons. So we Europeans, mostly don't vaccinate and don't refrigerate (let's forget the health care and say it's the cheapest), but in the US you're paying for an entire cold shipping infrastructure anyways, which doesn't strike me as "cheap".

You need a cold chain anyways for all sorts of other foods, both here and in Europe. Meanwhile, washing eggs does reduce salmonella (salmonella in American eggs is practically nonexistent), and refrigerated eggs do keep longer.

Re: Why Do Americans Refrigerate Their Eggs?

#39

Post by INTPenis »

tomca32 wrote: post #26
INTPenis wrote: post #11

I'm a swede and I had no idea, I've refrigerated eggs as long as I can remember. My parents are from Croatia though so it's kind of weird that I picked up this habit. My relatives in Croatia do not refrigerate eggs. Most swedes that I can think of refrigerate their eggs straight from the store. The recommendation is printed on the box to refrigerate. Now that I've read this article it suddenly makes sense why I've so…

Hmm..weird. I'm from Croatia and I would be surprised to see people not refrigerate eggs. We (me and my family) always refrigerated them. Every fridge I've seen has egg holders that we would fill up. Pretty sure that most people I know refrigerate eggs, but then again, I never really paid attention to that.

Well my relatives are from the country, they have their own chickens. But yeah, like you say, even in Croatia most refrigerators are sold with egg holders.

Re: Why Do Americans Refrigerate Their Eggs?

#40

Post by mikekchar »

tptacek wrote: post #37
ricardobeat wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or just not buy them if they are not going to be used immediately. Eggs quickly lose their quality (try poaching a week-old or refrigerated egg). I understand this may be unrealistic for car-dependant US households that have no option but to shop in large batches...

Refrigerated eggs poach fine; if they didn't, nobody in the US would have decent poached eggs. :)

They are harder to make, though. The albumins break down over time, leading to a more liquid egg white. This, in turn causes the egg to spread out more when you are poaching them. Making a perfectly round poached egg by dropping it into a pot of salted, simmering water is very difficult if the egg is less than a few days old. That's why Starfrit sells egg poachers.

BTW, I don't know about the US, but in Canada, the supply chain often delivers eggs to the store that are 2 weeks old, so it's quite likely that most people have never cooked with a fresh egg before in their life.

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