eggs

[les1]

Hi, is it safe to buy and eat eggs that are sold on the side of the road,I see eggs that are left out in the sun that are not chilled and I wondered if they would be ok to eat.

[Ethel]

I never keep eggs in the fridge. They are not refrigerated in the supermarket.

Nor are they transported in refrigerated lorries.

Furthermore, Delia Smith says eggs should not be kept in the fridge.

So the problem with buying eggs at the roadside is knowing how old they are and if they are salmonella free.

If I can be certain the eggs are fresh I would buy and eat them.

[naz_nomad]

If eggs are chilled in the fridge, it means that hey are not usually cooked enough to kill salmonella ..(75 degrees celcius for more than 12 minutes).

this temperature / time combination is more easily achieved from 'room temperature' eggs ...

[TheMan]

So, if you wish to keep your eggs in the fridge, either take them out 1/2 before u wish to use them, or failing that put them in lukewarm water to bring them to room temp.

We have been doing this for countless years with no problems whatsoever.

[nickmo]

Nothing really wrong with using an egg straight from the fridge, but the main reason to take them out of the fridge first is to improve the results as the enzymes and proteins in the egg are not meant to be chilled - think about where they come from and what they are meant to do . . . .

A hard boiled egg is less likely to crack if cooked from room temp. and one about a week old tends to give a better result than fresh. And don't add salt to the water in the pan as this draws out moisture from the egg while it is cooking.

Eggs, as the shell is porous, will also absorb odours from the fridge, so it is better to keep them in a cool, dark place - used to have larders one upon a time that were ideal . . .

Fresh eggs sink in a glass of water, older eggs float to the top - stale ones don't even begin to sink, so its an easy way to check the age of the egg.

[YvonneM]

Whjy should buying eggs from the side of the road be anymore unhealthy than buying eggs from the supermarket from hens treated with antibiotics etc

[janetsflower]

I would say they are probably a lot better than supermarket eggs. We have chickens that are all free range and by that i really do mean free range and organic and their egss are superb but at this time of year we have far too many for our own consumption and give them away to friends, colleagues and customers. So many people want to place regular orders cos they all say how much better they are than store bought eggs but we don't want that commitment. People that can supply eggs ie to supermarkets all year round keep their chickens in artificial conditions and even those they call free range often don't get out very much but are kept in sheds with the door open. I would definately recommend you try some of these roadside eggs and then make your own mind up. As others said eggs should not be refridgerated in any case

[missing~link]

Always buy farm/small holding eggs from the roadside, last at least 6 weeks, when you consider the shop ones are probably 3 weeks old at least and the stamp on them says 2-3 weeks ahead.

Not that I keep them that long anyway, but hey you won't get any fresher. Besides they always seem to have a darker yolk too.

[nickmo]

Darker yolk is the reflection of the diet and shows a more 'natural' diet high in plant material for the bird rather than a meal only feed. Battery hens sometimes get fed a (permitted) yellow dye to improve the loook of the yolk, but a natural diet is of course best.

Fresh eggs also have a better and more 'solid' white to them.

[nickmo]

Darker yolk is the reflection of the diet and shows a more 'natural' diet high in plant material for the bird rather than a meal only feed. Battery hens sometimes get fed a (permitted) yellow dye to improve the loook of the yolk, but a natural diet is of course best.

[nickmo]

Sorry - AB is playing up with the postings . . . . .

[Dee Sa]

A friend of mine used to sell eggs in her greengrocers shop and once a week I would help her to turn all the eggs over to keep them staying fresh, she always did this, has anyone else heard of this ? because of her I still do it to this day