Monday, June 24, 2013

Egg Storage...

I have read about several different methods of storing fresh eggs on the internet.  I have tried a few of them and mostly, the results were less than stellar.  I have found a method that works very well for me.  This would be an excellent way to save some money on your grocery bill.  You can take advantage of good sales on eggs, and if you happen to have chickens, when they are laying more than you can use, you could save some of them!

On February 20th of this year, I bought some eggs at a very low price and here is what I did:

Dip each egg into mineral oil.  Place it back in the egg carton.  Set the carton(s) on a shelf in a cool room.  My storage room never gets above 70 degrees or below 40 degrees F.  Mark the date on your calendar, and each month, turn the egg cartons over.

It has been 4 months now.  The eggs are fine and taste delicious!

Here are two eggs that I cracked into a bowl this morning:


I heated my nice Griswold cast iron skillet until it was fairly hot, added a pat of butter, spread that around, sprinkled in salt and pepper and then carefully poured in the eggs:




When they were at least half done, I flipped them upside-down with a metal spatula:



When the top was done as I like it, they went onto a plate:


Very yummy.  I will keep checking them each month.  So far, so good, and this will really make it easy for me to save eggs.  It's very cheap to do, too.  Mineral oil can be purchased at any pharmacy.

Please let me know if you try this and what you think!

6 comments:

  1. It's good to know that there is a method that actually works!

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  2. Does this work better than dipping them in paraffin and then storing them in salt? I don't have a cold storage area yet, and when I get chickens I was wondering if there would be a way for me to safely and effectively store eggs. I think the answer is that I NEEEEEEEEEED a root cellar. :)

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    1. Yes, you do neeeeeeeeeeeeed a root cellar! I tried the salt thing last year (which we had done successfully at the other house) and it was a disaster! Don't know why. But this is working very well and I suspect you could just put them in the coolest part of your house and they would keep for a few months, anyway.

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  3. I've heard that when the chicken lays the egg it has a natural coating on it & can last at room temp for extended periods as long as you DO NOT wash them. Is there any truths to this? Our chickens have stopped laying and they aren't molting. Not sure why? Our duck gives us a beautiful egg every day though! ��

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    1. Yes, eggs have what they call a "bloom " on them and it is best not to wash them. My stored eggs lasted 4 months but not 5. They were not rotten but after 5 months the yolks were no longer holding together. How old are your hens? Hot weather will affect them. If it is hot give them ice water and shade. It will take a while to recover.

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