The Kitchen

With fall and winter fast approaching, the price of eggs will soon go back up as egg production falls after the days grow short. For families looking to save money on whole foods. For me it is important that I feed my family quality food that can help keep them healthy as well as filling the bottomless pits of children I have with easy-to-grab snacks like hard-boiled eggs. One great way to do this is to feed them a lot of eggs for protein. When eggs go on sale I stock up and store eggs for water when the prices are much higher. How to store eggs How you store your eggs is dependent on where you are getting your eggs. Many people are surprised to discover that eggs do not always need to be stored in the refrigerator or how long eggs can really last. For the proper egg, storage consider where your eggs came from. How to store farm fresh eggs Farm-fresh eggs are the easiest to store. Unwashed farm-fresh eggs still have the bloom on them. The bloom is a special coating that protects the egg from bacteria that can cause the eggs to spoil. Unwashed eggs in a cute dispenser make a great addition to your country kitchen decor. Because of this bloom, you can store unwashed fresh eggs on the counter saving valuable refrigerator space. Fresh unwashed eggs can stay on the counter at room temperature for up to a month before they must be moved to the refrigerator. Eggs can last several months in the refrigerator. How to store eggs from the supermarket Supermarket eggs need a little more care. This is because they have been washed. People tend to not be happy to find a dirty egg at the supermarket so they are washed before being packaged. These eggs must go directly into the refrigerator as soon as you get home but will last a couple more months before they go bad. If you are unsure about your eggs you can check if eggs are still good fairly easily. Ways to preserve eggs for long-term storage Freezing eggs for long term storage You can freeze eggs quickly and easily for use at a later date. To freeze eggs separate them or beet them together to help preserve their texture. Store in an airtight container to prevent them from getting a rubbery texture from the freezer. Pickling eggs for storage Pickled eggs have been a common part of food preparation and storage for generations. While this may not appeal to most of us it was a great way to ensure this staple ingredient was available during off-seasons when chickens were not laying fresh eggs daily. Salting eggs Another traditional egg storage method that has gone out of style is salted eggs. These easy to make eggs are inexpensive and last a long time making them great for winter snacking. Salted egg yolks are the most common way to find eggs salted. Precook eggs to store them When it comes to storing eggs one of the most convenient ways to do it is to cook up the dish you plan to use them in and preserving that dish. Check our list of easy egg recipes to get you started. Oil your eggs to preserve them If you need an easy pantry stable option for storing you can use shortening to preserve them. This replaces the bloom on the eggs preventing bacteria from getting inside the small holes in the shell and making the eggs spoil. Learning how to preserve eggs for long-term storage is a great skill if you are trying to prep or to take advantage of a really good sale.