The Best Way To Store Eggs For Maximum Freshness

Along with milk and bread, eggs are one of those household items you probably try to always have on hand. Eggs are one of the most versatile food items around, so it’s no wonder so many kitchens would be lost without them. Whether you’re whipping up a quick omelet for dinner in a hurry, baking a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies, or making silky scrambled eggs, you’re going to need eggs. 

We consulted with Kenneth Anderson, a professor at North Carolina State University’s Prestage Department of Poultry Science for the dos and don’ts of storing eggs for maximum freshness.

The Best Way To Store Eggs For Maximum Freshness

1. Keep the eggs in the carton. Anderson says closed cartons are better than open-top containers—or your fridge’s special egg holder. “The carton stabilizes temperature fluctuations when the fridge door is opened and closed along with protecting the eggs from odiferous foods,” says Anderson, who notes that “eggs can readily pick up flavors.”
2. Set the right temperature. Anderson says 41 degrees Fahrenheit is best (most fridges are set between 38-40 degrees Fahrenheit), but the egg safety expert says humidity should be considered too. Relative humidity should be between 70-80%, a range that Anderson says is “relatively easy to accomplish” because cold air (as in your fridge) doesn’t hold a lot of moisture and “as temperatures decreases, humidity goes up.” Anderson explains that humidity is higher in refrigerators due to their low temperature. “In an egg carton, the eggs create their own micro environment with temperature and humidity,” he says.  

Is It Ever Ok To Leave Eggs On The Kitchen Counter?  

Generally speaking, no. Outside of times when you're following a recipe that says to bring eggs to room temperature before using, you don’t really want to trust your open kitchen environment to keep eggs fresh. Anderson says that higher temperatures are bad for egg quality in the long term, so no, you shouldn’t be leaving eggs on the kitchen counter—unless it’s for the short term.

This holds true for regular eggs, organic eggs, eggs from a duck and eggs from a chicken.

What’s The Shelf-Life Of A Carton Of Eggs? 

3-5 weeks is the USDA recommendation for consuming eggs after they are brought home and put in the fridge, says Anderson.

What Do The Dates On Egg Cartons Mean?

Eggs purchased from the supermarket will typically have two dates:

• The earlier date indicates when the eggs were placed in the carton.
• The second date (if there are two) is the sell by date or sometimes the use by date, both of which Anderson says are up to the retailer.

What are the Differences Between the Dates

Sell-by date will be 30 days post-pack date, while use-by date is 45 days post-pack date, explains Anderson, who adds that his research has found eggs 12 weeks past their pack date were “fine as long as bacteria has not gotten to the egg.”

As for eggs that have been separated for a recipe calling for egg whites or egg yolks and not the whole egg, you have less time to consume the remaining part of the egg, about 7 days, explains Anderson.