Finally got stuff transferred over to the new fridge, and my Philco is defrosting. The Philco will be repatriated into my studio as art storage. I have no idea what the deal is with current fridges, and why they have all dispensed with egg trays. My Philco has two of them. Hmmmpf.
Shiny.
I need to defrost my freezer.
I’ve been wondering about the that no-egg-tray thing too. And if I may whinge some, there’s an egg-scandal brewing in Europe, Millions of eggs removed from European shelves over toxicity fears:
For feck’s sake…!
I myself buy organic eggs from two reliable vendors — a local organic farmer(? co-op?)† — and a market stall that specialises in eggs. Nothing else, just eggs. (Yes, apparently you can make a living doing that in France!)‡ I presume the organic side of their businesses will now boom some, which is a good thing, even if it means I myself may have a harder time getting non-penguin eggs…
† Who also sells his eggs quite cheaply. They are a bargain, especially as they are often apparently laid the same day.
‡ And just chicken eggs at that! No duck, or quail, or goose, or phoenix, or…
I have seen articles that say that the egg racks on the doors of refrigerators are the worst place to store the eggs. The reason is that the door is subject to the warmer air every time it is opened, so the eggs will not stay as fresh. I keep my eggs in the carton on one of the shelves. And I go through eggs pretty quickly anyway -- I have three every morning.
Johnson catman:
Oh ffs, what a load of fucking bullshit. Most people wouldn’t know a plucked from the arse fresh egg if their life depended on it, and eggs you buy at a market have been stored, through transit, yada, yada, yada. This is idiocy in action. Unless you’re keeping your fucking fridge open for a half hour, it’s not a major deal. Even then, it doesn’t matter much.
Fine, so idiots prevail with the wail of “not fresh!”. Why in the fuck can’t egg racks be placed somewhere else in the godsdamn fridge? It’s inconvenient as fuck. I’m about ready to go back to my Philco. The double egg racks in that are not solid, there are holes in the racks where you place the eggs, it keeps them beautifully. I loathe keeping egg cartons in the fridge. I have an old fridge wire rack/container for eggs. I’ll have to find the damn thing.
I didn’t say I believed the articles, just that I had seen such. I guess it just doesn’t bother me to not have racks.
When I was growing up, my mom got our eggs from a guy who owned chickens (lots of chickens!). He made a pretty good living delivering eggs all around town. My mom never kept the eggs in the refrigerator but in a drawer in a cabinet by the fridge.
What was sad about the guy who delivered the eggs (who, as I said, made a pretty good living doing it) was he had a son who refused to continue the business because he felt it was “beneath” his status.
Some people don’t store eggs in the fridge.
If I had more counter-space, I’d probably keep them there.
Chigau:
Yeah, I know. Did that when I was growing up. You are, ideally, not supposed to cook cold eggs, they are supposed to be room temp. If anything, the egg racks in my Philco kept eggs too cold; I always had to take them out to sit for a while before cooking.
Johnson catman:
I know! I wasn’t yelling at you, just idiots in general who cause such stupid shifts in how things are done.
Well, learn something new: It’s apparently common practice in much of Europe to not refrigerate eggs. (This is news to me, but entirely possible; they are certainly sold unrefrigerated.)
IMPORTANT: Not refrigerating eggs is absolutely NOT recommended in the States and Japan (at least). In the States & Japan, refrigerate!
The reason it’s Ok in Europe but not in the States has to do with how the risk of Salmonella is dealt with. In Europe, the chickens are vaccinated, and the eggs left mostly alone. In the States, chickens are often not vaccinated, and the FDA apparently requires eggs to be throughly washed. That through washing removes the egg’s natural seal (the cuticle), making the egg much more likely to spoil — hence the need for refrigeration.
Sources: Here’s why you have to refrigerate eggs in the U.S. but not in Europe (LA Times); Why The U.S. Chills Its Eggs And Most Of The World Doesn’t (NPR); and ‘Why Do Americans Refrigerate Their Eggs?’ (NY Times).
We often get eggs local, they’re fine if left out.
Small producers apparently tend not to have Salmonella problems. As at least one of the sources noted, in the States it’s only producers with more than 3000 egg-layers which are mandated to do the through washing. I presume most eggs in the States are from megaproducers, hence throughly washed, hence the warning in @9 — but some producers apparently coat the washed eggs with an artificial cuticle.
I can confirm eggs I get, both from the local vendors and from big markets, are obviously not washed; small flecks of shite or other gunk are common. Yawn. Brush it off (I also do a quick rinse before using), done.
(Then there’s the whole shell-colour silliness thing…)
Yay for a new fridge, all shining white inside.
Eggs:
Live and learn. I just thought that Americans were silly to keep eggs refrigerated. Here eggs are not refrigerated at shops, the egg shelves stand between the milk, cream and buttermilk cabinet and the yoghurt, viili, smetana (+ other sour creams), quark and skyr cabinet in the shop I frequent but unlike the dairy product cabinets, it isn’t refrigerated.
I wonder how much those fipronil-contaminated eggs have gone into industrial use (egg pasta, baked goods).
Not only is fipronil toxic for humans, but it’s also very hazardous to fish and bees according to the Pfft.
The fipronil concern in Europe (see @2) is growing. Several other countries, including the UK and France, have been warned there is a possibility they imported contaminated eggs, and now the Dutch are also — albeit just as a precaution at the moment — testing chicken meat, Dutch test chicken meat following contaminated egg recall.
I don’t feel like eating (store-bought) mayonnaise now.