# eggs



## asleep.at.the.oars (May 6, 2006)

I know there are people out there who refuse to keep their eggs in a cooler, and I always wondered why I felt the need to do so. This is why. 

Why The U.S. Chills Its Eggs And Most Of The World Doesn't : The Salt : NPR


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## Jensjustduckie (Jun 29, 2007)

We have chickens, sometimes when we change out the straw they make new nests that are not in the nesting box. I've found troves of a dozen eggs that sat outside for who knows how long and they were all still good and tasty. 

The U.S. and it's CAFO's are disgusting


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## 2kanzam (Aug 1, 2012)

I'll put them in a cooler if there's room...but if not I don't worry keeping them out for a day or two. Never had a problem, I just try to keep them in the coolest place I can find. To me it's one of those unecessary extra steps americans came up with. Similar to how we all insist on keeping our cheese in a fridge....or throw it away if it gets mold on it.

It even says most are vaccinated in the US. So that's good enough for me. If you're really paranoid you could dip them in mineral oil as you take them outta the fridge to prevent air tranference (possible contamination) through the shell. Even so proper cooking takes care of it. So there are ALOT of things that need to go wrong for you to get sick and the most important one is up to you cooking it well enough.

I know some old timers who never washed their eggs and just turned them over every few days while they are sitting on the table. They said they'd practically last forever that way. I know some that would wash them and then immediately dip them in mineral oil to seal them and leave them unrefrigerated. I think wax works as well.


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## asleep.at.the.oars (May 6, 2006)

Jen, that's the point - you're not industrially washing the eggs causing the natural barrier to dissolve. Eggs bought from a store need to be kept cold. I know some river runners will transport store-bought eggs in a rocket box, and that's unsafe. I like the oil idea though.


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## jge1 (Aug 10, 2014)

I've been told to crack all the eggs into a Nalgene bottle, which is then of course refrigerated.


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## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

jge1 said:


> I've been told to crack all the eggs into a Nalgene bottle, which is then of course refrigerated.


Not exactly what his particular thread is all about - but what I do as well. 

This is as I see it a little deeper and quite interesting to me. I've known many folks with their own chickens that leave eggs on the table in a basket, never known why till now. I know we 'mericans tend to worry about things too much. There is so much worry about "germs" in the modern media but to me letting some germs "get by" can be a good thing, builds immunities, etc. The key to me is knowing when to be extra diligent and when you can "let your guard down"...21 days in the canyon is not the place introduce new criters to your system...


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## restrac2000 (Mar 6, 2008)

elkhaven said:


> The key to me is knowing when to be extra diligent and when you can "let your guard down"...21 days in the canyon is not the place introduce new criters to your system...


THIS.

What I do at home may not be appropriate for multi-day rafting trips. I am more conservative with my decision making on the river because my behavior has a direct impact on others. I don't drink untreated water from any source (say Swasey's) nor do I take risks with food in the backcountry. At home....I will eat raw tuna, room temperature duck eggs, etc because the limited risk falls solely on me. 

I do think the article hit the nail on the head with American's prioritizing aesthetics as part of the egg storage issue....I don't think most American's are interested in buying crap stained eggs. 


Phillip


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## the_dude (May 31, 2006)

i keep a laying flock of about 30 chickens at home. i occasionally find a clutch of eggs under the coop, under a bush, in the garden under a raspberry plant, etc. i bring them inside and do the "float test." the ones that float get tossed, and the ones that don't get eaten or sold. in the summer i also leave them coop for a few days at a time because i'm too busy to get to them. 

unrefrigerated and unwahsed eggs are fine. the only way i wash mine is if they have poop on them because i'm sure my customers don't want to buy eggs covered in poop or risk tossing poop in their bowl of scrambled eggs when they crack them.


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## 2kanzam (Aug 1, 2012)

the_dude said:


> i bring them inside and do the "float test." the ones that float get tossed, and the ones that don't get eaten or sold.


good point on floating them, I do that too. We don't eat eggs that often so sometimes the eggs get pretty darn "old"

If I didn't show her that test she would throw away many many good eggs a year.


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## carvedog (May 11, 2005)

So when you guys crack eggs ahead of time, how long do you think they last?

And does it have to be nalgene? What about a ziploc into a cutoff milk carton so the shape is square? Wasted space is my nemesis in a cooler.


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## restrac2000 (Mar 6, 2008)

carvedog said:


> So when you guys crack eggs ahead of time, how long do you think they last?
> 
> And does it have to be nalgene? What about a ziploc into a cutoff milk carton so the shape is square? Wasted space is my nemesis in a cooler.


Mine were fine for a week. I did this technique for field work in the middle of winter in the Uintah Basin though and they would freeze themselves. The ambient temperatures rarely got above 30F and often hung around -10F. 

Not sure the benefit outweighs the risk, even with a cooler, in other environments. I mean you are exposing the egg to both oxygen and bacteria no matter how much you clean the nalgene. It seems like you are expediting spoilage for the sake of easy storage. If its about storage then why not just use the prepackaged carton eggs most stores have? They aren't as tasty but it would be both safer and easier to store. 

Phillip


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## elkhaven (Sep 11, 2013)

carvedog said:


> So when you guys crack eggs ahead of time, how long do you think they last?
> 
> And does it have to be nalgene? What about a ziploc into a cutoff milk carton so the shape is square? Wasted space is my nemesis in a cooler.


I don't know how long they last, never had them longer than about 5 days that way and no problem there. I use a widemouth nalgene cause they're easy to get in and I have a ton of them around. I've used other things, including rectangular tupperware type things... just seem to go back to the nalgene... one will hold about 2 dozen eggs... I also sometimes bring them whole in foam egg crates (like in the store, just not the paper ones) for the first day or two's eggs to order... I have not gotten into anal storage where the little rounded area around a bottle bothers me, but maybe I will some day.


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## glenn (May 13, 2009)

carvedog said:


> So when you guys crack eggs ahead of time, how long do you think they last?
> 
> And does it have to be nalgene? What about a ziploc into a cutoff milk carton so the shape is square? Wasted space is my nemesis in a cooler.



How Long to Keep / Best Way to Store Eggs â€” Fresh, Raw, Out Of The Shell   | StillTasty.com - Your Ultimate Shelf Life Guide


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## raftus (Jul 20, 2005)

We had eggs in a rocket box for a 16 day grand trip - no problems. I think they were just regular store bought - Moenkopi did the food pack.


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## jge1 (Aug 10, 2014)

restrac2000 said:


> Not sure the benefit outweighs the risk, even with a cooler, in other environments. I mean you are exposing the egg to both oxygen and bacteria no matter how much you clean the nalgene.


True, but if you try to just carry whole eggs, and the shells crack, things are worse, because they're in an environment considerably more likely to have nasties than the inside of a recently sterilized Nalgene.


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## sleighr (Nov 14, 2011)

eggs in a rocket box in a trailer frame on a cat so pretty much river temp. Did this in June GC. No problems. Yolks stood up fat and sassy all the way to the last one.


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## asleep.at.the.oars (May 6, 2006)

Glad you stayed healthy. With what I've now learned, I wouldn't do that unless I had fresh (unwashed) eggs.


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## Avatard (Apr 29, 2011)

Quote:
Originally Posted by *carvedog*  
_So when you guys crack eggs ahead of time, how long do you think they last?

And does it have to be nalgene? What about a ziploc into a cutoff milk carton so the shape is square? Wasted space is my nemesis in a cooler._

square box? totally ruins the taste.


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## Sembob (Feb 27, 2014)

I have often scrambled eggs then froze them in a nalgene. If I was wanting unscrambled eggs they are way better off left in the shell. If the shell cracks then they are in the same shape as being in the nalgene anyway. I wouldn't not refrigerate store bought. Maybe Moenkopi has a deal with a local farm? But once eggs are washed and referred they should stay that way. Also store bought eggs are often 3-4 months old before they hit the shelves ( not sure why, something I recently read). I don't fridge my eggs unless they are cracked. One of my hens pecks eggs. 


Jim


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## cayo 2 (Apr 20, 2007)

Who the @#%$& knew egg talk could be so interesting .....cool that raising your own chickens is catching on ... was_working on a job with a pet chicken ,thing had every bit as much personality as a dog or cat....laid good eggs nearly daily...the way poultry is raised on the big operations is terrible ,fattened up in some cubicle,..,.they just let chickens and pigs free range and return to a coop or pen as a base with supplemental food from their people in villages or even mid sized towns in Belize .The chicken and unrefrigerated eggs are better I think,taste great and healthier....never really noticed much poop or any problems from them,except rosters crowing at annoying times....


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