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When Refrigeration Was Controversial
- baby 10y agoEggs are rarely sold refrigerated in France, so I don't see why they're taking eggs as an example. Definitely not a seasonal thing in France :D
- raarts 10y agoRefrigerating eggs is not 'ubiquitous' as mentioned in the article, the US is more then exception than the norm[1] here. http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/09/11/336330502/why-the-u-s-chills-its-eggs-and-most-of-the-world-doesnt http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/09/11/336330502/why...
- nicolas_t 10y agoYes, was going to mention this... Using eggs was probably the worst example they could come up with. I mean looking at the hatchery photo, most people across the world would see anything strange with it.
- Ericson2314 10y agoBut since this predates modern breeds, it sounds like they were keeping eggs for up to a year. Surely unrefrigerated eggs don't last that long.
- nicolas_t 10y agoTrue, unrefrigerated eggs only last for 3 weeks. But if I remember correctly, even with refrigeration, eggs cannot last more than 6 weeks and still be safe to consume. So, I'm a bit skeptical about keeping the eggs up to a year like this.. Of course, there's always preserved eggs which are quite delicious :-)
- ratacat 10y agoDo you have any thing to back up this claim? I've kept chickens for 15+ years. I don't wash, nor refrigerate my eggs. I regularly keep eggs longer than three weeks. There was a whole box i consumed once that was at least 6 months old. Not one egg was bad, although they were "drier" then usual. Bad eggs are incredibly easy to detect. They don't smell right.
- mercer 10y agoYou can also dunk eggs in some water. If they float, they're bad. If they sink, you're good to go. It's so easy to do that I always check before I eat an egg.
- nicolas_t 10y agoNope, I based myself only on the guidelines given in EU for unrefrigerated eggs... Good to know that I was wrong and thanks for the clarification.
- toomanybeersies 10y agoHere in New Zealand it's abut 50/50 whether a household refrigerates eggs. I don't think it's a requirement for restaurants to do so either. Apparently all eggs in Australia and New Zealand are pasteurised [0]. <edit> looks like I need to work on my critical reading, only egg _products_ like egg whites need to be pasteurised, eggs don't. Personally, I don't refigerate my eggs, but I tend to go them pretty quickly. I've had them out in the kitchen for over a month before, and they've been fine (it was the middle of winter and a very cold kitchen). [0]: http://www.foodsafety.govt.nz/industry/sectors/poultry-eggs/eggs/food-standards-code-requirements.htm http://www.foodsafety.govt.nz/industry/sectors/poultry-eggs/...
- sitharus 10y agoDefinitely no requirement to refridgrate eggs in NZ, they're sold unrefrigrated. After laying eggs are lightly brushed clean, date stamped and packaged, there is no other treatment. Shelf life is around 3 months, normally about a month beyond the best before date.
- aussiegeek 10y agoDunno why but Australia has moved to selling them refrigerated, but maybe 10 years ago they used to be sold at room temperature
- JoeAltmaier 10y agoIts all about the washing apparently. In USA they are required to be washed, so their sanitary sealed shell is compromised, so refrigeration.
- hx87 10y agoYeah, if you don't remove the membrane from the egg during processing, they are fine at room temperature for a very long time.
- 13of40 10y agoSame for Russia, Italy, and Spain from what I've seen. Though (anecdotally), I remember my sister leaving some throwin' eggs to funk up next to our house in order to pursue a feud with the local paper boy, so they're not totally indestructable.
- metafunctor 10y agoFrom what I've read, in the US eggs are washed and sprayed with sanitizer, to reduce risk of salmonella infection. Unfortunately, this increases the chances of bacteria seeping into the egg through the shell, as the shell's outside layers are damaged during washing. In most European countries, salmonella is controlled in place of production, and egg production at least in the Nordics is salmonella free. There are strict controls and regulations in place to keep it that way. In this environment, the risks associated with egg washing outweigh the advantages.
- kakarot 10y agoYou can actually dip your eggs in mineral oil to recoat them! Then you can leave them out refrigerated just fine.
- askvictor 10y agoAnd turn the carton upside down every week or so, and you can keep them for 6 months or so ( I have heard)
- metafunctor 10y agoThis is interesting, because I don't understand why turning eggs would increase their shelf life. Does anyone know if this is actually works, and why?
- askvictor 10y agoI haven't tried, but supposedly the yolk slowly moves to the bottom. Soon after it touches the inside of the shell, it's game over. Inverting the eggs regularly keeps the yolks in the middle.
- brianwawok 10y agoThis is cool. I go through about 30 eggs a week though, so normal shelf life is pretty good for me.
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- Sharlin 10y agoFun fact: EU eggs would be illegal to sell in the US (because they aren't washed) and US eggs would be illegal to sell in the EU (because they are washed) :)
- Theodores 10y agoCorrect. Americans wash them for the same reasons that Europeans do not - to keep them free from salmonella. Obviously the E.U. way is much better and in keeping with nature (as if there is nature in any food production). Hopefully some egg historian can chime in and shed some light on how the Chicken Tax relates to this, however, battery farming started in the U.S. and exports almost put European chicken farmers out of business. Before that happened, chicken was something that people ate once or twice a year, on special occasions rather than several times a day. What I found fascinating about the article was the idea that eggs were once seasonal, this I never knew. However, now I know this, the Easter 'egg' thing (which has nothing to do with the Baby Jesus) seems to make sense as yet another Pagan tradition co-opted by the holy ones. I do like it when I have such a new insight to explore.
- brianwawok 10y agoWithout the trip, same thing with US eggs and Mexico eggs. You can go a mile across the border and get different style eggs.
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- jon-wood 10y agoIf anything refrigerating eggs is a negative thing, as they'll slowly take on hints of flavour from the other things in your fridge.
- philovivero 10y agoDo non-refrigerated eggs somehow and magically not take hints of flavour from other things nearby? Or is there something about not refrigerating eggs that allows you to place them away from anything else that has an odour? I find this comment thoroughly confusing.
- anexprogrammer 10y agoFridges are tightly enclosed small spaces that will allow the odours of last night's left over Vindaloo to reach appreciable density and stay there all night. Fridges often contain leftovers and high odour items, sometimes for extended periods. On an open shelf in the kitchen this is far less likely - odours dissipate and are only around for the hour or whatever that you're cooking meals.
- jon-wood 10y agoIf anything refrigerating eggs is a negative thing, as they'll slowly take on hints of flavour from the other things in your fridge.
- allendoerfer 10y agoTo add another egg-anecdote from another country: In German facilities like retirement homes eggs are not allowed inside the kitchen. They have to be prepared at a separate location like the basement, transported into the kitchen inside a cooking pot and put directly on the stove.
- eveningcoffee 10y agoBetter safe than sorry? Are the handlers required to wear the rubber cloves during the operation?
- allendoerfer 10y agoI think so, but I am not sure. I worked as a janitor during civil service and there were lots of these rules, some very sensible, some not so much: I had to wear a white coat over my regular clothes, when entering the kitchen. That my private clothes were washed more regularly or that I sometimes had to move around garbage wearing the exact same coat (sent by other people) did not matter. You cannot imagine an environment more regulated. The nurses were trained to tick boxes to a ridiculous level: I still remember how a nurse answered a question like "You come in, the patient is not breathing. What do you do?" during a first aid course with: "Measure blood pressure."
- madgar 10y agoRefrigation also put good, hardworking ice dealers out of business in NYC. Of course, the ice business was controlled by the mafia, but that's just market forces at work.
- hx87 10y agoIf that had happened in 2016, MA would be taxing GE to pay off the ice mafia.
- swiley 10y agoMy grandparents have chickens and they don't need "artificial light" to be tricked in to laying eggs.
- ars 10y agoYou don't need to refrigerate eggs. They will last for months unrefrigerated. I'm in the US and I haven't refrigerated eggs in years. Yes, you can buy them refrigerated from the store and just leave them out - absolutely nothing bad will happen. The only risk is salmonella and that is solved by buying a brand that vaccinates their chickens. (About 50% of US chickens are vaccinated against salmonella so it's not hard to find a good brand.)
- swiley 10y agoI didn't know there was a vaccine for that! If we vaccinated all the chickens would it kill off salmonella the way human diseases have been eradicated?
- ars 10y agoSalmonella can infect all animals, so you can not eradicate it this way. But you can stop it being a problem in human food. Which happened in Europe already and would happen in the US if consumers would demand only vaccinated eggs.
- Ericson2314 10y agoSMH To think with our agriculture we use too many antibiotics and not enough vaccines. How backwards is that...
- InclinedPlane 10y agoMost antibiotic use in animals is not for treating disease, it's for weight gain.
- JoeAltmaier 10y agoIn fact, when they first came out the salesmen would use them and get fatter, then have a weigh-in at annual sales meetings! What a vivid demonstration of the benefits of antibiotics. Imagine trying that today.
- mpbm 10y agoIt's fun to be reminded of controversy that happened outside of modern memory.
- cloudjacker 10y agoMan time travel would really suck when you find out about 'the controversy' of the day
- LoSboccacc 10y agoHere in Europe we still keep them eggs at room temperature, which is a bit of an interesting cultural trivia itself http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-heres-why-we-need-to-refrigerate-eggs-20140714-story.html http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-heres-why-we-nee...
- Findeton 10y agoWell, I live in Spain and we put the eggs in the fridge.
- LoSboccacc 10y agoare them sold in supermarket from cold storage, or do you put them in fridge after going home?
- vog 10y agoEurope? Really? Here in Germany, all people I know put their eggs into the fridge.
- curiousfab 10y agoEgg cartons in Germany usually have two dates printed on them, one of them being the date after which it is recommended to put them into the fridge (18 days after they were stolen from the hen).
- eveningcoffee 10y agoIf you bring them home. In the supermarket eggs are not refrigerated normally where I live.
- vog 10y agoIndeed, they are in the fridge only at home, not in the supermarket.