Rotten eggs
 

Please can someone tell me why eggs are not refrigerated in the U.K. Found on shelves in the grocery stores and left on counters or in cupboards in the home. Maybe there is a secret I don't know but I always avoid egg dishes when traveling in England or Ireland. I just do not get it.

Hi <BR> <BR>I am English and live in the UK - I am bemused by your interest in the way we keep our eggs! <BR> <BR>There was some controversy several years back about keeping eggs in the fridge, that rather than keeping the eggs fresh it would deteriorate them! However, I always keep mine in the fridge, but if I have to make room for something else, I won't hestiate to take them out. <BR> <BR>How do you manage to avoid eating egg dishes whilst here? Have you not tried Yorkshire Pudding, or Fish and Chips (they use egg in the batter). Trust me, it causes no digestive problems to eat eggs that have not been kept in the fridge. <BR> <BR>We have the strictest environmental health experts and there is no way any supermarket would be allowed to leave them on the shelves if it were unhealthy.

Yikes, I would never knowingly eat eggs that were left out of the fridge. The U.S. FDA says this on their website: <BR> <BR>"Temperature fluctuation is critical to safety. With the concern about Salmonella, eggs gathered from laying hens should be refrigerated as soon as possible. After eggs are refrigerated, they need to stay that way. A cold egg left out at room temperature can sweat, facilitating the growth of bacteria. Refrigerated eggs should not be left out more than 2 hours." <BR> <BR>Since I hopefully won't be eating any raw eggs on my upcoming trip to England, I doubt I will have a problem. But I'm bringing immodium just in case!

Thank you Rusty. I'll take your word for it but Canadian and USA grocery stores and restaurants would never leave eggs unrefrigerated. Didn't mean to insult just wondered why and you are correct I do eat fish and chips and Yorkshire pudding. <BR>

Actually, unrefrigerated eggs are a health hazard 2-3 days after having being laid, but only if you intend to eat them raw. <BR> <BR>You can safely keep eggs at (reasonable) room temperature for up to 10 days if you cook them afterwards.

I lived in the Czech Republic for almost 7 years and found that supermarkets didn't refridgerate their eggs. A few comments: (1) I didn't notice any problems; (2) I put them in my fridge when I got home; (3) the eggs sold in stores were fresher (so I was told by a US chef living there too) than eggs in the US. <BR> <BR>After the initial shock, I stopped worrying about it.

An aquaintance who raises chickens told me that in Canada eggs on the grocery shelf are already about 30 days old. Eggs bought from her were collected today, hence they are still warm. Maybe the British have a better food distribution network than we do. The eggs we were served certainly looked and tasted more like 'free range' eggs than like Safeway eggs.

You mean eggs are not refrigerated even in summer? I am really astounded. No more english breakfasts for me! And we so enjoyed those breakfasts at Leather Lane.

Based on the responses to this question I must guess that you are all very young puppies. I'm not all that old at 60 but remember very well that eggs were not routinly refridgerated back in the 40's and 50's. I also remember keeping our Easter eggs out for several days and enjoying them very much. Of course nobody got sick from eating eggs in those days - times do change and now we do keep them in the fridge. I for one would not hesitate to eat any egg dish in the UK. <BR>Cheers!! <BR>

The fact is that eggs are better if they are NOT refrigerated, according to the top chefs and cooks here. Delia Smith is an icon in the kitchen and has lots of t v series and spin-off books behind her, and she says never to refrigerate them.

What you're missing is that eggs eaten RAW -- whether refrigerated or unrefrigerated -- are the eggs that can cause problems -- salmonella, among other things. Once the egg is COOKED -- like scrambled for breakfast, or in batters, or whatever -- the bacteria causing the illness is also killed by the heat. <BR> <BR>"Fresh" eggs in America (and presumably in Canada) go through so many storage facitities before they actually end up in the cooler in the stores -- they are far from "fresh", anymore. <BR> <BR>I just would not eat RAW eggs. Once they're cooked, no problem. And of course once you crack open the egg, it's pretty clear whether it's spoiled or not -- just by the smell!

The only reason to refrigerate eggs is so you can sell old eggs.Those who make mayo will know the value of really fresh eggs. <BR> Raw eggs are a supposedly bit of a gamble salmonella-wise (I've never had probs) but this comes from the source -battery hens in cages who crap on the hens below are the real problem here. <BR>Buy fresh free-range!

As in England, the shops in Germany don't put the eggs in refrigerators. They sell them with two dates, one of them the day when they should be thrown away. The other date is the day when they should be refrigerated, a week or two before they can't be eaten anymore. Of course eggs shouldn't be stored in the heat but refrigerating fresh eggs obviously isn't necessary. <BR>

eggs are on the shelves in belgium as well... again with two days on it as hans just mentionned... - and we are not talking about rotten eggs here !! <BR> <BR>