What happens if I leave eggs out overnight?

In this brief guide, we will answer the question, “What happens if I leave eggs out overnight?”. We will further elaborate on if it is safe to eat eggs that are out of the fridge, for how long we can keep the eggs out of the fridge.

What happens if I leave eggs out overnight?

If you leave eggs out overnight, they could sweat which can promote the growth of bacteria in the eggs. 

That’s why it is recommended not to place the eggs more than two hours outside of the refrigerator. 

Although refrigeration doesn’t destroy bacteria, it decreases the risk of infection by limiting the number of bacteria. It even inhibits bacteria from entering into the eggshell.

How long can we leave the eggs unrefrigerated?

Unrefrigerated eggs should not be left out of the fridge for more than two hours.

If you have placed the eggs in the refrigerator, then it’s compulsory to keep them in the fridge until you have to cook. 

Because, if the temperature of the eggs fluctuates, it might cause sweating in the eggs which will favor the growth of Salmonella bacteria.

Can you leave the eggs in the car overnight?

Leaving eggs in a car is a totally different scenario. That is because the temperature of the car fluctuates quickly as compared to a kitchen or pantry store. The temperature will change dramatically from afternoon to evening, the whole night, and again in the morning, which will cause the eggs to go bad. 

How are eggs treated in different countries?

Eggs are being refrigerated in some countries. However, all the countries do not follow the directions to refrigerate the eggs properly such as in the United States, Salmonella is mostly treated externally. Before selling the eggs, they pass them through a complete cycle of sterilization. 

In sterilization, firstly they wash the eggs properly with soapy, hot water and spray them with a disinfectant. This process kills all the bacteria in the outer shell.

Some other countries such as Australia, Scandinavian, and Japan follow the same steps for sterilizing eggs. This is a quite effective method to kill external bacteria but the bacteria which are present inside the shell still may cause people to become sick.

The cuticle is an outer layer on the eggshell that is also removed by washing. This is one of the significant steps in removing bacteria from the shell of the egg.

What happens if you eat bad eggs?

Salmonella is a species of bacteria that normally resides in the intestinal tract of warm-blooded animals. It is considered completely safe when present in the intestine but as it moves outside into the food products such as meat, eggs, or milk, it becomes harmful to health. 

The consumption of Salmonella might cause serious illnesses such as diarrhea and vomiting that could persist for a few hours to many days. Salmonella is highly harmful- maybe even life-threatening- for those children or adults who have weakened immune systems.

Salmonella can cause contamination in the eggs either externally, by entering through the eggshell, or internally- if the hen already had Salmonella, and the bacteria entered into the egg before the formation of the eggshell.

Salmonella is highly dangerous for human health. So, the only way to reduce the effects of Salmonella is to cook and store the eggs properly.

How to store eggs in the fridge?

If you bought eggs from a place where they were stored in the fridge at a low temperature, then you must try to reach home as soon as possible and store them again in the refrigerator until cooking them. 

In some publications, it is also recommended that you should store them without washing. It is claimed that washing eggs eliminates the natural protection materials of the egg’s shell. 

You should store the eggs properly by placing them in a container. Some people store eggs in the door of the fridge which is not ideal, in some cases, because the temperature of the door might fluctuate from high to low.

Most of the egg packaging is available in markets with a best-by-date label. But you can use the eggs for 4 to 5 weeks after storing them in a constantly cold place.

How to store eggs without refrigeration? 

If you are living in a country where you do not wash the eggs and bring eggs from your vaccinated backyard chicken, then refrigeration is not mandatory. If you are storing the eggs in the cupboard, then the best option is to use a device that is specifically designed for holding eggs.

Other FAQs about Eggs that you may be interested in.

How to boil brown eggs?

What do eggs taste like

What do rotten eggs smell like?

Conclusion 

In this brief guide, we answered the question “What happens if I leave eggs out overnight?” We have further elaborated on whether it is safe to eat eggs that are out of the fridge, for how long we can keep the eggs out of the fridge.

References

https://foodsguy.com/left-eggs-out-overnight/

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