Five Tips for Egg Storage and Freshness

Margaret Hudson
President, Burnbrae Farms
4^th Generation Farmer

Today I’m going to share some great tips to help you reduce egg waste by keeping them fresh and ready-to-use at home for longer.

Tip #1: Keep the egg carton

The eggs you buy from the supermarket come in a perfectly-crafted carton for egg storage. It’s genius for several reasons, so don’t toss it away! The carton was specifically designed to protect your eggs against accidental breakage (no waste from broken eggs). The covered lid also protects the porous eggshell from absorbing strong odors (such as that half of an onion that’s stored nearby). Finally, the domed-shaped carton base allows you to store eggs with the large end up, which helps the yolk remain centered. This comes in handy for making picture-perfect fried eggs that work deliciously in this Thai style green curry noodle soup .

Tip #2: Store eggs in the centre of the fridge

You may be tempted to take eggs out of the carton and store them on the refrigerator door. Perhaps your fridge door even comes equipped with perfect egg-sized holders. But don’t do it. It’s vital to store eggs in the coolest part of the fridge, which is the centre, not the door. If they are stored on the door, they get exposed to temperature changes when the fridge door opens, and this can affect their shelf life and freshness. Once cracked, you need to use the egg immediately. The shell is the egg’s defense against bacteria, and once it’s compromised, the chances of harmful bacteria rise.

Tip #3: Test for freshness

Yet another reason to keep eggs in the carton is because it has a ‘best before’ date printed on it making it easy to know how fresh your eggs are. But let’s say you habitually keep your eggs in the fridge door (because you haven’t seen this blog yet!), and you mixed eggs from several cartons together. How can you determine which ones are the freshest? Fill a bowl with water and add an egg. Fresher eggs will sink, and eggs closer to their best before date will float. This is because as the egg ages, there is an air cell at the top of the egg that gets larger because eggs are porous, therefore causing it to float. Eggs that are closer to their code date are better to hard boil because they will peel easier. If you happen to have eggs that are past date, you can still use them. We recommend you cook them thoroughly and they are better for baking, hard boiling or scrambling. Learn more about what the best before date on eggs means at www.eggs.ca/what-does-the-best-before-date-mean .

Tip #4: Boil them

Hard-boiled eggs have an excellent shelf life. They can be stored in the fridge for up to seven days. Hard-boiled eggs make a great mid-day snack on their own or as an appetizer (such as these Jalapeno egg poppers ) and are perfect in chopped egg salad sandwiches . For the ultimate in nutrition and convenience, try our EGGS2go! hard-boiled eggs – they’re, cooked, peeled and ready to use in your favourite recipes. Try this Greek egg and lemon baked chicken or Caprese scramble stuffed grilled mushrooms .

Tip #5: Freeze them

Ever wondered if you can freeze eggs? The answer is yes…but not in their shells. Here’s what to do: crack them into a bowl and whisk until blended, as if you were making scrambled eggs. Pour into freezer-safe containers with lids, and label them with the date. They can stay safely frozen for about four months. To use frozen eggs, thaw them overnight in the fridge or under cold running water. For an even more convenient and delicious frozen egg solution, try our EGG Creations! and Simply Egg Whites . If you freeze them before their expiry date, they can be frozen for up to 3 months. My family likes to take them frozen on camping trips instead of ice packs, it's one less thing to pack in your cooler!

Margaret Hudson

President and CEO, Burnbrae Farms