Arsthbt

How long would eggs last out of the refrigerator and out of the shell?

This may be a strange question, but I'm planning on baking them afterwards. And I'll leave them out only around 6 hours at room temperature.

The thought makes me shiver; but would you reckon this to be fine?

Eggs in their shell, uncracked

One day on the counter at room temperature is approximately equivalent to a week in the refrigerator. When I used eggs at a rapid rate, baking every day, I always kept them on the counter, since they would not have to be brought to room temperature to beat easily to the ribbon or whatever.

They should be good in the refrigerator for several weeks past their sell by date, or on the counter for several days.

6 hours is fine, (but thats in shell, not cracked)

Eggs OUT of their shell

Out of the shell, eggs are highly perishable--what the health codes call a "potentially hazardous" food. Don't hold them for any length of time at room temperature. I would say no more than 30 minutes to an hour, less if you can.

Lots of egg facts, but they do insist that the eggs are refrigerated.

Fresh, healthy eggs are protected by natural antibacterial enzymes and will stay good for at least three weeks without refrigeration. Chickens are brooded for about three weeks before they hatch and it should be obvious, that it would be at least inconvenient if the egg goes stale before the chicken is out.

In Germany, eggs are not refrigerated in the supermarket. The recommended shelf life (best before date) is 28 days if kept refrigerated after 18 days, since the natural protection starts to deteriorate after appr. 21 days.

Fresh eggs will last several weeks on the counter. A month in oatmeal. if not washed. This is farm fresh eggs. Eggs have a wax on them. It seals them. Oatmeal also keeps them from getting broke. A fridge is a dehydrator. Less time there. Baked eggs set out. 2 hours in the tropics. Like baked in a egg bowl for breakfast. A fresh cracked egg. A short time. before cooked. Maybe 2 hours. They sell for 1 Piso 2 cents U.S. each at the market to move them fast. You take a chance on a cracked egg.

The reason eggs can be left at room temperature in Germany or if you have access to laying hens is that there's a protective coating on the egg that prevents spoilage. However, in the germ phobic United States, eggs are washed in an antibacterial chemical solution of some kind that strips the protective layer away. For this reason, eggs commercially available in the United States MUST be refrigerated. If one has access to a farm that produces eggs (regardless of whether or not it's organic), ask the farmer about whether or not the eggs have been washed in a solution that strips the protective layer away. In my personal experience, farmers tend to be a hardier group of folks than most of us and far less wasteful so keep food past the point many would dispose of it with no apparent ill effects (though I can't speak to the hardiness of the entirety of the group). I tend to err on the side of caution.

One must also take into account that food handling is not always the best during the ego's journey from the hen to the table. Shipments sometimes are delayed in being moved from the shipping dock to the storage fridge, cartons are taken out of refrigerators and then abandoned in random aisles only to be put back in the refrigerated section again (it absolutely happens, although it shouldn't), and customers walk around for hours shopping with eggs in their carts and then drive home and there can be a delay before they are refrigerated again. Optimal food handling and what actually happens are sometimes quite different things.

I have a personal policy that I am much more careful about food safety when the food will be served to guests, taken to potlucks, etc. When it's just me and my immediate family I don't stress out if things are left a room temperature a little longer than the food safety experts say is safe. But then, I always cook everything very well and don't eat partially cooked food or leave leftovers out for very long...

I eat eggs only raw and never refrigerate them (organic, local, grass fed). I have done it for many years it is extremely safe and healthy. In Europe (not just Germany) they are not refrigerated in the stores and people do not usually refrigerate them. American are bacteria phobic. When not cooled the eggs are more pre-digested and easier to assimilate.

But, when already out of the shell, I do not know how long they last on the counter. No one answered that main question. Guessing is nice but I would say if you want to know, you leave some on the counter and check their smell and colors every half hour and publish your conclusion.