left eggs out all day

bobsmith1492

Diamond Member
Feb 21, 2004
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After making a nice omelet for breakfast, I left the eggs out all day and just found them. That's ~14 hours and it's ~65 degrees in the house.

Should I toss 'em? :(
 
Mar 22, 2002
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No. People frequently leave eggs out for a few days, if they know they're going to eat them relatively soon. You're a-okay.
 

kalrith

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2005
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No. People frequently leave eggs out for a few days, if they know they're going to eat them relatively soon. You're a-okay.

I know people do that with fresh eggs from their own chickens, but isn't it different with eggs from the store?
 
Mar 22, 2002
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I know people do that with fresh eggs from their own chickens, but isn't it different with eggs from the store?

The USDA requires that eggs always be refrigerated by the provider. Therefore, there is very little bacteria proliferaton. Eggs will frequently remain "fresh" for up to a week without refrigeration. There shouldn't be more than a few days difference between fresh farm eggs and a carton of eggs you buy from the store. Why would they be any different? If they weren't refrigerated, I could understand the wariness, but there shouldn't be much variation between farm-fresh eggs and store-bought eggs.
 

kalrith

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2005
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The USDA requires that eggs always be refrigerated by the provider. Therefore, there is very little bacteria proliferaton. Eggs will frequently remain "fresh" for up to a week without refrigeration. There shouldn't be more than a few days difference between fresh farm eggs and a carton of eggs you buy from the store. Why would they be any different? If they weren't refrigerated, I could understand the wariness, but there shouldn't be much variation between farm-fresh eggs and store-bought eggs.

My thought was along the lines of this. Farm-fresh eggs are fine to leave out a few days right after being removed from the chickens and afterward need to be refrigerated. I thought that there might be something in the eggs when they were fresh that would keep them safe to be left out that wouldn't be present after being refrigerated for a month.

It was just a thought I had with no basis of research or anything like that. I just did some research, and it seems that the problem with unrefrigerated eggs is how quickly they age rather than an increase in unsafe bacteria. It's estimated that refrigerated eggs last 3-5 weeks, whereas unrefrigerated eggs would last 3-5 days.
 
Mar 22, 2002
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My thought was along the lines of this. Farm-fresh eggs are fine to leave out a few days right after being removed from the chickens and afterward need to be refrigerated. I thought that there might be something in the eggs when they were fresh that would keep them safe to be left out that wouldn't be present after being refrigerated for a month.

It was just a thought I had with no basis of research or anything like that. I just did some research, and it seems that the problem with unrefrigerated eggs is how quickly they age rather than an increase in unsafe bacteria. It's estimated that refrigerated eggs last 3-5 weeks, whereas unrefrigerated eggs would last 3-5 days.

How fast eggs degenerate is a function of bacteria as well. There's bacteria both in the egg and outside the egg. Three to five days is still fine since the OP only left his eggs out for half a day. I always refrigerate my eggs. I was just sayin' that you can still buy eggs and eat them, even if you don't have a refrigerator, just as long as you knock them off quickly.
 

mchammer187

Diamond Member
Nov 26, 2000
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I read somewhere that the french do not refrigerate their eggs at all and they still keep for at least a couple weeks.

Doing a google search seems to confirm that they do not refrigerate however I havent found anything about how long it takes for them to spoil.
 

SZLiao214

Diamond Member
Sep 9, 2003
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If you eat your eggs raw i might be a bit wary but if you cook them you should be good for a pretty long time :)
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
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I read somewhere that the french do not refrigerate their eggs at all and they still keep for at least a couple weeks.

Doing a google search seems to confirm that they do not refrigerate however I havent found anything about how long it takes for them to spoil.
The French would rather eat and make love with their faces than fight.
 

bobsmith1492

Diamond Member
Feb 21, 2004
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I read somewhere that the french do not refrigerate their eggs at all and they still keep for at least a couple weeks.

Doing a google search seems to confirm that they do not refrigerate however I havent found anything about how long it takes for them to spoil.

Yeah, and in Spain they don't refrigerate milk either. Of course they don't use very much, either. The family I stayed with had a 1/2 gallon carton and I think they just bought a new one every few days.

Anyway I ate some eggs this morning so I'll let you know if I die. ;)
 

fatpat268

Diamond Member
Jan 14, 2006
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My grandparents in germany never refrigerated eggs... they would last 1-2 weeks no problem.
 

dullard

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May 21, 2001
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Most of the world laughs at people in the US. We have all the expense of refrigerating eggs and they never refrigerate eggs (without problems). Go to a supermarket in most countries and you'll see the eggs are sitting out on the shelves. They last for weeks that way without any health issues. We just worry about nothing.

As an aside, only 1 out of 10,000 eggs have salmonella internally (source CDC). With rates that low, internal bacteria isn't something to really worry about, even if you let them sit out for days and even if you eat them raw.
 

bobsmith1492

Diamond Member
Feb 21, 2004
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Most of the world laughs at people in the US. We have all the expense of refrigerating eggs and they never refrigerate eggs (without problems). Go to a supermarket in most countries and you'll see the eggs are sitting out on the shelves. They last for weeks that way without any health issues. We just worry about nothing.

As an aside, only 1 out of 10,000 eggs have salmonella internally (source CDC). With rates that low, internal bacteria isn't something to really worry about, even if you let them sit out for days and even if you eat them raw.

Who cares, it's not like my fridge is too full or anything.
 

dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
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Who cares, it's not like my fridge is too full or anything.
You asked if it is okay to leave out eggs. I gave concrete examples of why it is okay to leave out eggs. And your response is "who cares"? If you didn't care, then why bother to create the thread?
 

bobsmith1492

Diamond Member
Feb 21, 2004
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You asked if it is okay to leave out eggs. I gave concrete examples of why it is okay to leave out eggs. And your response is "who cares"? If you didn't care, then why bother to create the thread?

Technically I asked if the eggs would be ok after being out for one day only. The answer is yes. I suppose if you can leave them out for a week then one day is included within that data set.

Also... 1/10000 eggs may have salmonella. I think that's a good enough reason to not eat them raw. Let's say you eat an egg a day on average; that gives you 365/10,000 = 3.7% chance of eating one with salmonella in any given year. So, you've a pretty good chance of getting a "bad egg" within a few years. Reason enough to cook 'em, I'd say.
 
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glurf

Junior Member
Nov 6, 2011
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Technically I asked if the eggs would be ok after being out for one day only. The answer is yes. I suppose if you can leave them out for a week then one day is included within that data set.

Also... 1/10000 eggs may have salmonella. I think that's a good enough reason to not eat them raw. Let's say you eat an egg a day on average; that gives you 365/10,000 = 3.7% chance of eating one with salmonella in any given year. So, you've a pretty good chance of getting a "bad egg" within a few years. Reason enough to cook 'em, I'd say.

I stumbled across this thread because I as well have left my eggs out and was curious. Although I noticed you math is incorrect. If 1 in 10k eggs has salmonella and you ate one a day, it would be 10000/365= ~27 years. You would only stumble across one egg with salmonella every 27.4 years
 

Exodist

Senior member
Dec 1, 2009
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The USDA requires that eggs always be refrigerated by the provider. Therefore, there is very little bacteria proliferaton. Eggs will frequently remain "fresh" for up to a week without refrigeration. There shouldn't be more than a few days difference between fresh farm eggs and a carton of eggs you buy from the store. Why would they be any different? If they weren't refrigerated, I could understand the wariness, but there shouldn't be much variation between farm-fresh eggs and store-bought eggs.

SC is correct..

The thin skin like membrain just under the shell is designed to keep out bacteria and prevent spoilage. Many times boiling them damages this membrain and thats the reason boiled eggs dont last as long as raw eggs. But the eggs are fine, I have often went and got them out of the chicken houses after they have been setting in there for 2 days in 98F heat then bring them in the house and leave em out until the next morning when we use them for breakfast..

I have ran across rotten eggs before, but I believe those had been out for like a month or longer in high summer heat. My Dad raises chickens for his own eggs and has said they are easily good for 2 or 3 weeks un-refrigerated. Also they basicly last around a year in the fridge.
 
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Mike Gayner

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Jan 5, 2007
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Am I to understand that in America eggs are all refrigerated at the store? And this is done to comply with the law? That's idiotic, and it's no wonder that America is the largest user of energy per capita by far. What a complete and total waste of energy. Eggs last weeks at room temperature - I refrigerate mine at home because I want them to last even longer, but they're sold from store shelves unrefrigerated.

That someone would be worried about leaving an egg out for a day is laughable.
 
Mar 22, 2002
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Am I to understand that in America eggs are all refrigerated at the store? And this is done to comply with the law? That's idiotic, and it's no wonder that America is the largest user of energy per capita by far. What a complete and total waste of energy. Eggs last weeks at room temperature - I refrigerate mine at home because I want them to last even longer, but they're sold from store shelves unrefrigerated.

That someone would be worried about leaving an egg out for a day is laughable.

Yep, they're even refrigerated in transportation, most of the time. It's very silly, but the public is very adamant about it for some reason. Research shows salmonella to exist at such low rates that it's not even a worry... Even still, stores refrigerate them.
 

Megatomic

Lifer
Nov 9, 2000
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Am I to understand that in America eggs are all refrigerated at the store? And this is done to comply with the law? That's idiotic, and it's no wonder that America is the largest user of energy per capita by far. What a complete and total waste of energy. Eggs last weeks at room temperature - I refrigerate mine at home because I want them to last even longer, but they're sold from store shelves unrefrigerated.

That someone would be worried about leaving an egg out for a day is laughable.
While I understand your stance, your tone is a bit harsh. Look at it from our (average consumer) POV - the vast majority of us have never raised chickens. Our entire lives we've gotten eggs from the grocery store where they are always refrigerated.