The best place to store eggs in your kitchen has long been a topic of debate.
The question of whether eggs stay fresher for longer on the countertop or inside the fridge continues to divide opinion. In Britain, it's common to keep eggs on the countertop, while Americans typically store them in the fridge. However, British vet Dr Bolueso suggests that it's not "necessarily" essential to refrigerate eggs, but his experience working with food inspectors during his doctorate studies has given him a unique insight into this food storage debate.
In an online video, Dr Bolueso said: "Part of being a vet is part of being responsible for animals from the farm right onto the dinner plate right? Part of my course was actually food standards, and actually food hygiene." He added: "In my last year of university, I actually had to go around inspecting restaurants with a food hygiene inspector telling him what is wrong and what is right with the way in which they're processing food but also the way in which they're storing food."
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So where does he recommend storing eggs? Dr Bolueso advocates for keeping eggs in the fridge due to the consistent temperature, which extends their shelf life. He explained: "You don't need to store your eggs inside the fridge, but you can leave it in the fridge to last longer. Also, I bet you didn't know this, [but] if you leave your eggs in the fridge, they'll probably last a lot longer than if you leave them out."
Dr Bolueso has shed light on why supermarkets don't chill their eggs, explaining that the temperature shift would cause condensation, heightening the risk of salmonella poisoning when consumed. He advised: "There'd be some condensation on there, [and] that would increase the risk of you getting salmonella poisoning later on when you eat the egg."
For the best quality eggs, Dr Bolueso suggests seeking out the British Lion mark, a red lion with a crown, signifying vaccinated chickens against salmonella. "That shows that the chickens have actually been vaccinated against salmonella so that's something to look out for. Either it's inside the box or it's on the egg itself." British Lion Eggs recommends keeping eggs at a consistent cool temperature, which can be on the countertop or in the fridge, provided they're not exposed to extreme temperatures.
They do last longer in the fridge, but avoid the door due to temperature fluctuations that could spoil them. British Lion Eggs also weighed in on the age-old question. On their website, they advise: "To the million dollar question: should you store your eggs in the fridge or keep them in the cupboard? For optimum quality and safety, you want to make sure your eggs are kept at a steady temperature below 20'C, so try to avoid moving them too often between very cold and very warm temperatures such as between a hot car and fridge, or fridge and hot kitchen.
"Best practice is to store eggs in the fridge; that way the temperature is always at a constant and your eggs will be fresher! When you do get around to using them, try to leave the eggs out of the fridge for around 30 minutes to bring them up to room temperature, otherwise cooking times could change depending on how you're using them."
Dr Bolueso offered another pointer, saying: "Another way to keep your eggs [fresh], make sure you keep them in the carton, that way you have no hygiene issues."
