Do you keep eggs in the fridge?

[Athena]

Now, about eggs. It depends on where you live. In the U.S. it is mandatory that they be refrigerated. However, in the U.K. people have a choice but take a risk if the eggs are imported. Salmonella is the problem. Read on......

http://www.medicaldaily.com/do-eggs-need-be-refrigerated-or-can-you-store-them-room-temperature-256872

That's interesting. We don't have that problem with our own chicken (to my knowledge), but it makes sense for store-bought eggs if salmonella is a problem. We keep a lot of our eggs in the fridge, anyway, though.

[Nollaig]

In Ireland washed eggs can't be sold in shops, apparently. I always buy Irish free-range eggs. They sometimes still have tiny bits of feather stuck to them, so they're probably about as natural as you can get! I keep all fruit, veg and eggs in my cupboards generally. I might put something in the fridge if I need it to last a little longer than usual. Never gotten sick and everything tastes great!

 

What I've learned from reading about this is:

 

In America, most chicken farmers don't bother vaccinating their flocks against salmonella, therefore necessitating washing, which removes a natural pathogen-deterring coating on the egg, which results in people having to store their eggs in fridges in order to avoid getting sick. Japan also washes eggs, as do a couple other places - not sure if they vaccinate their animals.

 

Everywhere else, the vast majority of farmers vaccinate their chickens and make sure they're laying cleanly, and the egg goes as-is from chicken to shop to kitchen cupboard with no interference, resulting in little or no danger of illness.

[Athena]

That's good to know, Noll!

[Lau_Lou]

It is funny because eggs in supermarkets are not in the fridge but many people do keep them in the fridge once at home.

We don't keep eggs in the fridge now they are homemade.

[Nollaig]

It is funny because eggs in supermarkets are not in the fridge but many people do keep them in the fridge once at home.

We don't keep eggs in the fridge now they are homemade.

 

I do that with other stuff - mayo and ketchup is on the shelves, but I put them unopened into the fridge. Same for jams, or really anything in a jar or plastic bottle. But not sweet and sour sauce... funny isn't it?

[Madeleine]

In the fridge, as the kitchen can get very warm.

 

I read that about tomatoes too, my own ones spend most of their time on the windowsill ripening up, and don't spend very long in the fridge, but we put shop bought ones in the fridge - doesn't seem to make much difference to the flavour either way.

[Talisman]

I always keep mine in the fridge, but I must admit I have never really thought about why that is. I suppose it's because my Mum did when I was growing up and it's what the professional chefs I have worked with also do. When you stop and think about it though, they are not refrigerated when you pick them off the supermarket shelves, although they probably have such a high turnover that to them it isn't necessary.

[Autumn]

We don't usually buy eggs from the supermarket, we get ours from our own chicken.

 

So jealous that you have your own chickens!!

 

We keep eggs in the fridge too, just because that's what we've always done and what my folks always did too.

[pontalba]

The eggs in the store here are in a refrigerated section.....open, but always cold. Fridge at home also.

 

Re mayonnaise, you can keep in in the cabinet until it's been opened, once opened, it must be kept in the fridge. Same with ketchup and mustard.

Once I cut a tomato, it goes in the fridge also.

 

I know some people even keep peanut butter in the fridge, but I never have.

[Autumn]

I do not keep ketchup or mustard in the fridge.

 

To be honest if you kept every food item that says 'keep refrigerated after opening' in the fridge then you would need one hell of a big fridge because pretty much everything has it on these days!

[Madeleine]

We've never kept ketchup in the fridge - peanut butter yes as it can get very runny.

[Athena]

To be honest if you kept every food item that says 'keep refrigerated after opening' in the fridge then you would need one hell of a big fridge because pretty much everything has it on these days!

We have a small fridge due to lack of space and we're usually running out of space! Though I do keep everything in the fridge that says it needs to be in the fridge (including ketchup and mayonaise and such). We have the unspoken rule we can't open up too many things at once. Usually when we've done our weekly shopping, the fridge is quite full and it's a bit of a squeeze to make space. In the worst case scenario we could put stuff in my parents' fridge (which is a lot bigger than ours), but I'd really rather keep everything here rather than having to walk to their house every time I need something that's mine.

 

Some people say tomatoes shouldn't be in the fridge, and they taste better at room temperature than at 4 °C (fridge temperature) though if you let them warm up then not much difference imo, but my experience is that if you leave tomatoes out of the fridge, they go off a lot quicker and I don't tend to eat the ones we buy (when we buy them) all quick enough to really safely leave them out of the fridge (since you usually can't just buy one or two tomatoes here but you have to get a whole lot of them).

[Lau_Lou]

Wasn't there a time when people didn't have fridges or freezers at all? I think my Gran born 1945 never had one and even when my mum and aunties were growing up. They had a pantry which I assume would in a way work the same. My Gran has a fridge now but only in the last couple of years got a big one where for a lot of my childhood she had a smaller one with no freezer.

[Madeleine]

Yes my mum used to have a larder/pantry, and in the "old" days richer folk had an ice house, I can just remember our old pantry but we had a fridge as well.  But of course we didn't have central heating like we have now, so the house wouldn't have been so warm.

[chaliepud]

 

Raw eggs are kept in a wooden egg box on the counter here, I may occasionally put them in the fridge if it gets very hot but as poppyshake says, it is rather rare! We get through a lot of eggs so I don't even bother to look at the best before dates. Steve would like us to have chickens but with Jojo it wouldn't be a good idea!   I agree re tomatoes, they are kept in a bowl on the window sill where they look nice and are to hand as I use them quite a lot for breakfast especially.