Scientifically and according to GOST: is it possible to store washed eggs in the refrigerator

The older generation never tires of repeating that washed eggs cannot be stored in the refrigerator - they say they will quickly spoil. Is it true? Partly yes.

At poultry farms, thorough cleaning is not organized precisely because it shortens the shelf life. But washing under the tap does not turn a fresh egg into a rotten one: it will take a long time before it becomes unfit for food.

The most important thing about expiration date

The shelf life of chicken eggs depends on three circumstances:

• storage temperatures;
• method of use;
• cleaning.

For example, an egg received 10 days ago cannot be eaten raw, but it can be eaten boiled, fried, or used to make dough.

Doctors and technologists divide eggs into three categories:

• Dietary – those that were stored at room temperature for no more than a week. They are suitable for baby food and for consumption raw (provided they are thoroughly cleaned right before eating).
• Dining rooms – stored at room temperature for no more than a month. They can be fried, soft-boiled and hard-boiled, and used for baking.
• Refrigerated tableware – stored for more than 30 days at a temperature of about 0°C. Can only be used for preparing dough before long-term baking.

In general, the rule is this: if you are not a fan of raw eggs, then you can keep the purchased dozen in the refrigerator for up to 5 weeks (we count the time not from the date of purchase, but from the date of production).

But if you wash the eggs, the shelf life is significantly reduced:

• they can be kept at room temperature for no more than a day;
• in the refrigerator - no more than 5 days.

Why is washing dangerous?

When the egg is just forming inside the hen, a thin protective film, the cuticle, forms on the surface of the shell. It is air and moisture permeable, consists of proteins, pigments and a bactericidal substance - lysozyme. If everything went as nature intended, the shell membrane would serve as protection against infections as the chick develops inside the egg.

Even if the egg is not intended to be hatched by a laying hen, the protective film still works great, keeping it fresh for a month or more. But when washed, the cuticle dissolves and is washed off the surface of the shell. Now the egg needs to be cooked and eaten soon, otherwise it will spoil.

Do you know why raw eggs last longer than boiled eggs? Because during cooking the protective film is destroyed 100%. Even to the touch, the shell of a boiled egg is completely different - rougher and more porous, bacteria can easily penetrate through it.

So, the conclusion is simple: you need to wash chicken eggs immediately before cooking. If you just want to send the dozen you just bought to the “egg compartment” of the refrigerator clean, then you can wash it, but such a food supply will have to be used in the next 4 days.