Egg Safety

October 27, 2012 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

It always pays to get advice from people who are really qualified to give it. As the former President of FREPA (Free Range Egg and Poultry Australia), Meg Parkinson is an extremely reliable source!

Meg left the following comment on my Speedy Mayo post, and I’m sharing it with you, with her permission. If you recall, Annabel Langbein’s mayonnaise recipe came with a recommended keeping time of two weeks in the fridge, which troubled Meg. When she remarked on it, I mentioned that some chefs suggest refrigerator storage times for unshelled eggs of up to a week.

This was Meg’s reply:

Hi Celia

I understand your confusion.

I have been on the committees which drew up the egg food safety codes in Victoria and then Australia. I assure you that around 24 hours is the microbiologically correct advice for yolk and whole egg – especially if some of that time has been spent at ambient temperatures. Salmonella grows fastest at 32C and above but still grows at other temperatures. When it has started growing and then is put in the fridge, the growth slows down but does not stop. Salmonella can get into egg by bad handling such as dropping shell in the egg after it has been handled – especially if hands have not been well washed. It also can get in by contact with hands, bowls, utensils etc which have not been properly washed.

Egg white has anti-bacterial properties which does mean that it can be stored for a little longer. Household fridges usually run at around 8C not the 4-5C most people think they do.

Cooking kills salmonella quickly, as does hot water and soap. People get sick when raw or undercooked eggs are eaten under trigger conditions. These are, for example, when there is a combination of incorrect temperature, poor handling and made more likely if the eggs have been stored on the bench or stored in second hand cartons which have had broken eggs in them.

I make mayonnaise from our own eggs, laid that day, just before I am going to use it. If it is not eaten in 24 hours, I throw it out. I know it is easier for me, as we have a lot of eggs, but since mayonnaise is so easy to make this way I think it is better to stick to the 24 hour limit.

Regards

Meg Parkinson

. . . . .

Some additional advice from Meg on keeping and freezing egg whites:

I would still keep egg whites for around 24 hours but 2 days is probably fine. In Canada they say 2-4 days, but we say 2 days as our ambient temperature is higher (ie every time the fridge is opened warmer air moves into it). At home, egg white is easy to freeze, just put in ice block trays. When de-frosted they should be used immediately.

Meg also recommended the website of the Alberta Egg Board, with the caveat above regarding our warmer climate. Thanks so much, Meg!

Posted in Food & Friends, Frugal Living | Tagged egg safety | 45 Comments

45 Responses

on October 27, 2012 at 12:19 am heidiannie

Beautiful eggs- and good advice. Thanks, Celia!
on October 27, 2012 at 1:07 am Emilie@TheCleverCarrot

Very informative Celia. Thank you for taking the time to share this info with us!
on October 27, 2012 at 2:31 am ChopinandMysaucepan

Dear Celia,

I have not had this dilemma as I never had to store self-made mayo. I just wonder how long can raw eggs (unopened) be refrigerated for.
on October 27, 2012 at 3:03 am ChgoJohn

Thank you, Celia, for this informative post. I agree with Meg that it is better to err on the side of caution. I don’t take chances with eggs, buying those with pasteurized shells whenever a recipe calls for raw egg. Still, I am fortunate that I can get these eggs easily. Many cannot and this post will prove invaluable.
on October 27, 2012 at 3:09 am Platanos, Mangoes and Me!

Another winning post from you Celia…thanks for the info…
on October 27, 2012 at 4:30 am Debra Kolkka

I guess the key is to make your mayonaise in small quantities and gobble it up as quickly as possible
on October 27, 2012 at 5:16 am grannysmiff

I have often wondered about how best to keep eggs whole or otherwise. This makes for very interesting reading and I shall keep a copy for my own records. Thanks Celia and Meg.
on October 27, 2012 at 6:31 am Meaghan

Hey Celia, thanks for posting that recipe the other day – much easier way to make mayo. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that there is no way I’d chuck out homemade mayo after 24 hours. I’ve been breeding and keeping chickens for a number of years now and while I believe we should adhere to certain levels of cleanliness, I also believe that we can go a little too far in an effort to maintain an unnecessary level of sterility in our environment.

I do understand that shop bought eggs have a shorter shelf life and this should be taken into account for those that can’t get their hands on fresh free range. Cheers.
- on October 27, 2012 at 6:41 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Meaghan. I posted this comment from Meg because it’s good to hear from someone who has worked so closely in the area and seen the scientific studies into the subject. When we have an understanding of what the standards and recommendations are, we can then make our own decisions about what level of risk we choose to take with our own food. And you’re right, of course, the standards are written for all types of eggs – from the ones you and I get from our girls, to old, shop bought cage eggs – and folks who might not handle them as carefully as you and I.
  
  I have far less angst about eggs since we’ve had our own chooks, and will happily eat and serve raw egg products. I think what Meg’s advice has changed for me is how I would store them from now on – I will freeze my egg whites rather than sticking them in the fridge, and I won’t store yolks – guess I’ll be making a lot of custard and shortbread! :)
on October 27, 2012 at 6:35 am EllaDee

Thanks for sharing this Celia. Best to err the side of caution I say, and a good excuse to eat that little extra mayo so it doesn’t have to be thrown out ;)
on October 27, 2012 at 6:41 am hotlyspiced

That’s great information. I didn’t know you could only keep mayo for a couple of days. How have I survived this long and not poisoned everyone in my family! I live miracles every day xx
- on October 27, 2012 at 6:42 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Charlie, clearly the fact you’re alive means you can. :) But the risk increases the longer you store it – and everyone makes their own decision on what the acceptable risk level for them is.
on October 27, 2012 at 6:44 am Lizzy (Good Things)

Very useful information. Thanks Celia.
on October 27, 2012 at 7:13 am lindawoodrow

Wasting food is a really interesting topic. On one hand I’m totally with the 1 Million Women campaign to reduce food wastage. Like wasting electricity, it’s a way of having a huge effect with no real cost. On the other hand, with a garden, chooks and worms, nothing organic in my household is ever wasted. I only ever make mayo in small quantities for a particular recipe, and always just throw out any extra. It’s not something we’d eat every day (the waistline couldn’t stand it!) so it wouldn’t get used up anyhow. If you really want to keep it though, another idea is to cook it, really briefly. I don’t know what you would call this – it’s kind of like a Hollandaise – but it works.
on October 27, 2012 at 8:37 am lambsearsandhoney

Some very useful advice here, thanks Celia & Meg. We have a lot of eggs and often end up with cracked or damaged shell – those eggs go to the very grateful dogs!
on October 27, 2012 at 9:41 am Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella

Oh wow, I keep my egg whites for a lot longer (I read that somewhere that I could). I should be much more careful! Nobody wants food poisoning :S
on October 27, 2012 at 11:19 am The Melbourne Food Snob

Many macaron recipes I’ve seen recommend leaving egg whites out at room temperature for 24 hours or more… is that a health risk? The practice seems to be quite common.
- on October 27, 2012 at 11:30 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  I wondered that too this morning! I’ve certainly never been game to do it! :)
on October 27, 2012 at 12:30 pm Glenda

Hi Celia, I never have egg yolks left over but I always seem to have up to 12 egg whites in the freezer (Do you know how long they last in the freezer). I read somewhere that frozen egg whites make better meringues than fresh. Is this true? If anyone has any recipes for egg whites apart from meringues and almond bread I would love to hear from you. I do get a bit sick of both. I also would like to know what the best thing to do with eggs from ‘friends’ which have poo on them. I was once told you shouldn’t wash eggs so I just wipe them over with a damp cloth. Is this right? I would also like to now how long eggs in their shells should be stored for. So many question.
on October 27, 2012 at 2:49 pm Meg

Hi Celia

Just a couple of comments:

1. Linda Woodrow: When I read this post, I remembered cooked mayonnaise too. I have recipes for this in my old 1930’2 CWA cookbooks. It doesn’t taste as good as fresh mayonnaise though.

2. The Melbourne Food Snob: re leaving egg whites on the bench for macarons. I think the recipes are trying to increase the volume of white when beaten. If eggs are more than a week old, they will beat up to a larger volume. If you are buying eggs from the supermarket, they will be. Eggs are required to have a best before date of 35 days from the day of lay, so it is easy to work out how old they are. If using your own eggs, it is best to write on the date of lay in pencil or have some other way of identifying how old they are- unless of course you use them all quickly!

The reason for older egg whites beating to a larger volume is that as eggs age, the air cell at the top of the egg increases. So when you break the egg, you get more air in the white.

3. Glenda: Frozen egg whites can last up to 4 months in a good freezer. I don’t know if they beat up better, as I use our own eggs, but it will depend on the amount of air.

Re: dirty eggs: you should not wash them or wipe over with a damp cloth. We send all such eggs to processing or pet food, if fairly dirty. If really dirty, we dispose of them.

Eggs have porous shells. They are protected by a bloom that the hen puts on just before she lays the egg. Washing or contact with dampness removes the bloom and allows more air into the egg. This is why eggs which have had the bloom removed, age more quickly. If eggs are washed commercially, they are oiled to protect the egg. (The major retailers require eggs to be washed). We do not wash our eggs but dry clean any small marks off the shell. We do this by using a ‘fine’ sandpaper block. Since we only do it for small marks, most of the bloom remains.

Re: storage time: Eggs have a best before date of 35 days from the day of lay. They last somewhat longer than this but the quality drops ie the white breaks down and becomes runny. I have kept eggs for 6 or more weeks at times.

The easiest way to see if an egg is fresh is to break it on a plate. A fresh egg will ‘sit up and beg’ ie the yolk will be high and the white will form a circle and there will be a clear line between it and the plate. Once the white starts to run a little, they will make good meringues, marshmallows, angel cake etc.
on October 27, 2012 at 4:05 pm Christine

Great information, thanks Celia.
on October 27, 2012 at 4:07 pm Sally

Really useful info especially for egg whites as for meringue, macarons etc. they are best when a bit stale. Not TOO stale eh?!
on October 27, 2012 at 5:33 pm jcosmonewbery

Meg: “The reason for older egg whites beating to a larger volume is that as eggs age, the air cell at the top of the egg increases. So when you break the egg, you get more air in the white.” That doesn’t make sense. Sorry.
on October 27, 2012 at 5:38 pm Claire @ Claire K Creations

Thanks for sharing Celia and Meg. Very interesting. I’ve been guilty of leaving egg whites or yolks in the fridge longer than that. I guess it’s lucky I haven’t made myself sick!
on October 27, 2012 at 6:11 pm pinkpolkadotfood

Thanks for this very helpful information, Celia! As I understand salmonella is really dangerous and I have left egg whites and yolks for much longer times in my fridge – I will definitely not do it again!
on October 27, 2012 at 8:24 pm Tandy

This is very interesting. I use eggs laid by my friend’s hens and keep my mayo for at least two weeks with no health issues :)
on October 27, 2012 at 8:51 pm somersetkennels

Hi Jcosmonewbery. Eggs have an air cell at the top of the egg. It is there to provide air to the chick while it is developing in a fertilised egg. When an egg is not fertilised, the air cell still grows by air coming in through the fine pores in the shell in the place of the moisture which evaporates through the shell and carbon dioxide which is removed. Therefore the air cell gets larger. If you hardboil an egg you will see the flattened end. That is where the air cell was.

When an egg is cracked, the membrane is broken, allowing air to mix in with the white. Beating the egg allows different parts of the white to mix together and break down (de-nature). Comtinuing to beat allows more air to be incorporated and beat up into soft peaks etc. So eggs which are a little bit older, and therefore easier to de-nature, can incorporate more air into the mix.

Egg whites are fascinating. Egg white contains all essential amino acids: Arginine, Isoleucine, Histidine, Leucine, Methionine, Lysine, Phenylalanine, Tryptophan, Threonine and Valine. They have many medical uses as well as making light chocolate mousse!
on October 28, 2012 at 12:22 am frugalfeeding

Very interesting, though one bit did seem slightly misleading – as far as I know salmonella isn’t killed by water at the sort of temperature you wash up at. It’s purely the soap that does the damage.
on October 28, 2012 at 3:39 am Choclette

I know egg yolks shouldn’t be kept for too long, but I thought once mayonnaise was made other ingredients such as lemon would help to keep it a bit longer. Still, it’s definitely better to be safe than sorry when it comes to salmonella.
on October 28, 2012 at 10:05 am Adel

Here’s my version of a cooked mayonnaise. Yes, I know it’s really a version of a hollandaise sauce but it has all the right flavours, is relatively low fat and will keep in the fridge. You can double the quantities but I prefer to make it fresh as I need it.

1 good egg (yolk and white)
1 tab lemon juice
1 tab white wine or cider vinegar
1 tab water
1 tab EV olive oil
1 teas mustard powder
half teas salt
” ” sugar
Whizz all together in a microwave-proof jug, then microwave on low and stirring every few seconds until thick. Pour into a sterilized small jar and refrigerate.
- on October 28, 2012 at 11:25 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Adel! That sounds great!
on October 28, 2012 at 1:47 pm Barbara Bamber | justasmidgen

I thought I’d made a guest sick two summers ago and have never forgotten that awful feeling.. I think now he had the flu, but now I think “when in doubt, chuck it out”.. there’s no sense in getting sick. This is so informative, thank you for posting it for us. I have a lot to learn about eggs, it seems. xx
on October 28, 2012 at 7:33 pm Jo Smith

Thanks Celia and Meg for this info. I’ve especially taken note of the bit about salmonella from dropping in bits of broken shell which I’ve done before. Celia, the aptness of your posts in my life is uncanny. I was discussing macaroons and egg whites with a friend this afternoon and she made the comment about leaving egg whites out for 24 hours. The alternative solution was to use egg whites that had been frozen and defrosted.
on October 28, 2012 at 9:53 pm Karen

Thanks for the post…very important to be safe when handling eggs.
on October 28, 2012 at 11:34 pm Spoon Feast

Keep the temperature danger zone in mind 41F (5C) to 135F (60C). Keep all protein items, foods the grow on or in the ground out of those temperatures, unless it is being cooked, out of this range.
When cooling foods, pass them quickly through this temperature zone, when re-heating, do the same.
Never leave proteins at room temperature, keep them hot or cold, nothing in between.
I leave egg whites for macarons in the fridge for 24 hours and they work just fine. There is no need to leave them out and risk an illness.
on October 29, 2012 at 7:42 am Vivien

Only eggs that have been power washed (all of Canada and the USA) are targets for salmonella infection and need refrigeration. So check to see if your eggs have been power washed and then act according. USA and by default Canadian food problems are not necessarily world wide food problems and should be treated accordingly.
on October 29, 2012 at 8:32 am somersetkennels

Vivien: It is my understanding that all commercial eggs in USA and Canada are washed. In the EU, none are washed. Both have salmonella issues.

In Australia, it is a decision of the person/company packing the eggs – often the farmer. We don’t wash our eggs as we want to keep the bloom on the eggs.

Some would say that unwashed eggs are more likely to have salmonella on the shell; some say the opposite. I have not seen any data which backs up either theory. Salmonella can be transferred to the shells at any time both before and after the grading floor. It is all about hand washing and temperature.
on October 29, 2012 at 2:11 pm cityhippyfarmgirl

Celia so interesting! Thanks for this post to you and and to Meg.
…raw egg still gives me the heebie jeebies though ;-)
on October 29, 2012 at 6:38 pm Maureen | Orgasmic Chef

I did shudder at the homemade mayonnaise in the fridge for longer than a day or so but I figured I was just a worrywart. I just love eggs. I was in Canberra over the weekend and one of the places we visited had a flock of Australorps and I was in serious envy. That’s what I used to have and they are so easy to keep. I want chickens again. :)

Great post, Celia and I feel much better about the mayo.
on October 30, 2012 at 7:44 am Joy Wagner

I am wondering how long I can keep hard boiled eggs safely in the fridge? My eggs are fresh from our chookies and almost always clean. Any dirty, cracked or dodgy looking eggs go to the dogs and the shells go to the worms. A good post, thanks Celia. Joy
on October 31, 2012 at 7:30 am e / dig in hobart

lots of great info here, from your post and everyone’s comments. eggs really are a fascinating food! i could not do without them.
on October 31, 2012 at 11:33 am theintolerantchef

Thanks for sharing Celia, our Australian heat is certainly a concern. I’ll just have to make less at a time- at least that’s less calories too :)
on November 1, 2012 at 2:18 am rozmacallan

Celia I have not yet stored egg whites in freezer but intend to, interesting that Meg says put in ice cube trays, I was thinking of sml container with cover but with iceblock trays they are open. Wonder if they should be exposed like this.
- on November 1, 2012 at 5:37 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Roz, I’d be inclined to freeze them individually in trays then transfer the frozen blocks to a closed container. I think the aim of the trays is to have single whites frozen?
on November 1, 2012 at 8:15 am somersetkennelsMrg

Hi Celia, That is right. The ice cube tray is to be able to know how many egg whites to include in a recipe. They should be put in a closed container when frozen.