bvlenci

Big Russ, your explanation doesn't explain anything. If you put one egg in the refrigerator for two days and one on the counter, then remove the refrigerated egg, why would the egg that's been sitting on the counter for two days spoil more slowly? The salmonella would have had a head start, wouldn't it? I don't think refrigeration kick starts salmonella growth.

The power washing may explain it, but then the problem is not refrigeration per se.

When I was a child, we used to "candle" eggs that we collected from free range hens, because we couldn't tell how long ago they'd been laid. This means holding them up to a light (once upon a time, necessarily a candle) to see how big the air bubble was; it would be the equivalent of seeing whether they sink or float.

annhig

bvl - are you sure that's why you candled them? we do it to fertilised eggs that have been incubating for a week or so to see if there is an embryo. if there is, it shows up as a darker patch in the middle of the egg so those stay in the incubator [or under the hen]; if not, there's nothing there and we chuck them away.

but I agree with you about whether taking an egg out of the fridge would kick-start salmonella - that makes no sense.

bilboburgler

I always wondered why fridges came with those wee plastic boards with 6 holes in. Eggs in fridges, you'll be getting us to make solid water next.

jaja

I knew there was a reason that I don't eat eggs.

astein12

Eggs is the US are powerwashed, which does remove the protective coating. But then, they're coated with a substance (oil based, I believe) to protect them.

Which is why, in the US, raw eggs keep much longer than hard boiled eggs (the boiling removes the coating).

As for pork in the US, once it became illegal for pork producers to stop feeding raw garage to pigs, the disease risk went way down. It's reasonably common to see pork cooked to 'medium' in the US now (especially in restaurants that know their suppliers particularly well).

NewbE

<We don't refrigerate them either in France or here at home in the USA.>
Unless you know that the hens laying the eggs have been vaccinated against salmonella, AND that the farmer does NOT wash them after they are laid, this is not wise.

http://io9.com/americans-why-do-you-...ggs-1465309529

This article also explains why eggs should be held at a constant temperature:

<European Union laws again note that – like washing – refrigeration could actually wind up posing a risk to consumers. Again according to European egg marketing regulations, eggs that are stored cold and later left out at room temperatures could become covered in condensation, "facilitating the growth of bacteria on the shell and probably their ingression into the egg." EU guidelines therefore stipulate that eggs should be transported and stored at as constant a temperature as possible...>

bvlenci

Now there's an explanation that makes some sense from the scientific point of view, although I don't think the condensation would remain on the egg long enough to pose a serious risk of bacterial growth. You could get rid of the condensation, also, and that should obviate the risk.

NewbE

<I don't think the condensation would remain on the egg long enough to pose a serious risk of bacterial growth. >
Not to belabor a point, but here in Florida, the ambient humidity is such that I think the condensation would remain for some time--although I haven't tried it.

Is it too general to say that if you buy your eggs in a store in the US, you should refrigerate them no matter how cage free/hormone free/ antibiotic free/earth-and-chicken-friendly they are?

bvlenci

It's been quite a while since I was a child, so I don't like to swear to anything, but I'm pretty sure we were trying to see how old the eggs were.

annhig

Everything that you every wanted to know about egg candling, but were afraid to ask:

http://www.wikihow.com/Candle-an-Egg

It doesn't mention candling in order to estimate the age of an egg but who's to say it wouldn't work/