The Only Way to Store Eggs, According to Eggland's Best

Figuring out the best way to store eggs is essential to ensuring food safety—and avoiding the dangers of rotten eggs and food poisoning. (Hint: Keep them in the fridge!) We turned to Bart Slaugh, director of quality assurance at Eggland’s Best, for a quick overview of the ideal way to store your eggs, so you don't have to do the legwork yourself.

Why Do You Need to Store Eggs in the Refrigerator?

You've probably heard that European eggs can be stored unrefrigerated, and wondered why U.S. eggs from the store cannot. That's because of the way that the eggs are processed. "In the U.S., it is considered safest to clean and sanitize eggs, even though the natural cuticle covering is partially removed in the process," Slaugh says. Without that natural cuticle to protect it, the egg needs to be refrigerated to reduce the chances of bacterial contamination.

Washing the eggs during processing means that they need to be kept refrigerated, but it does have a few side benefits:

1. It extends the shelf life of the eggs. (Eggs have a two to three week store shelf life unrefrigerated in Europe, while they can last four to six weeks in the fridge in the U.S.)
2. It reduces the risk of cross contamination from the shells when you use those eggs in your cooking.

Should You Store Eggs in the Original Container?

Those super-aesthetic fridge organization hacks always make us swoon, but for food safety's sake, you may want to skip transferring your eggs to a fancy container in your fridge setup.

For instance, the original carton will feature the sell-by date, so you are quickly able to assess whether the eggs you have are still good. (Slaugh says eggs are still good for a couple of weeks past the sell-by date.)

The original egg cartons are designed to keep your eggs safe and uncracked. "Cartons enclose eggs securely in a micro-environment to minimize temperature changes when the refrigerator door is closed, reduce the chance of picking up off-flavors from strong-smelling items, and reduce the chance of anything getting spilled on them or cracked eggs leaking onto something else," Slaugh says.

And egg cartons can actually do a better job protecting your eggs than a rigid plastic version, as they "hug" more of the surface area to reduce the risk of breakage.

So in other words, invest in other fridge storage solutions, not the egg cartons.

Where Should You Store Eggs in the Fridge?

The short answer: Pick the lowest shelf possible inside your fridge—and not on the refrigerator door. "The refrigerator door is subjected to more jolting than the shelves, as well as to greater temperature changes," Slaugh says. "Lower shelves stay just a little cooler, which could be better for product safety."

How Long Can You Keep Eggs Safely Outside of the Fridge?

You may find that some baking recipes call for using room temperature eggs. Room temperature eggs can help the egg incorporate more consistently within the batter, which can help your baked goods rise evenly.

If your recipe calls for a room temperature egg, you can safely keep the eggs outside the fridge for up to two hours, or just one hour at 90-degree temperatures.

How Long Can You Store Hard-Boiled Eggs?

It may seem like cooking the eggs would actually extend their shelf life, but hard-boiled eggs actually need to be eaten much more quickly than their raw counterparts. "Hard-cooked eggs can only be stored for a maximum of five to seven days, because hard-cooking more completely opens the shell pores and makes the interior contents more vulnerable to contamination," Slaugh says. "Cooking also inactivates some of the natural antibacterial properties that protect raw eggs."

How Should Eggs Be Cooked?

No matter how closely you follow our egg storage suggestions, you shouldn't eat raw or undercooked eggs. Ensure that the egg whites are set, and the yolks have begun to thicken to ensure your eggs are safe to eat.