Eggs - off topic or what?
Not how to cook them, but how to keep them.

They're sold from the shelf at room temperatures; but the customer has to keep them in the fridge.

Why?
(chocmonster Failed to come up with a witty signature by, Wed 6 Aug 2008, 6:00, 8 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

You shouldn't keep them in the fridge.
They keep better being at room temperature.
( Cawl, Wed 6 Aug 2008, 6:02, Reply)

Also if you try to boil an egg after it's been in the fridge, it will crack.
.
( girlinthehole, Wed 6 Aug 2008, 9:07, Reply)

My uncle used to be a researcher in Greenland
and he had to get eggs to keep for months on end as they had so little supplies. The secret, apparently, is to turn the egg once a day, this keeps the yolk moving and fresh.

But still, he couldn't nip to Tesco - and as that's a valid option for me, I'll keep doing it!
( Devil_In_Tights the *real* DiT!, Wed 6 Aug 2008, 10:04, Reply)

...
I'm not a big user of eggs, so they'll sit quite happily on the worktop for ages. I've never had a problem.

Once they get to a couple of months old, I feed them to the cat - he loves raw egg - but I suspect they're still OK to use. The main reason I get rid is that they clutter up the kitchen.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 6 Aug 2008, 13:05, Reply)

Just realised how obvious my above statement is.
*embarresses*
( girlinthehole, Wed 6 Aug 2008, 14:33, Reply)

I suspect keeping them in the fridge
is a throwback to the days when people bought eggs from the farm gate and most farms had a cockerel.

As everyone knows, chickens produce eggs regardless of cockerel intervention in just the same way that women have periods regardless of men (or in spite of...some may say).

However, if there happens to be a cockerel around then there is a likelihood that some of your eggs will be fertile. If they are subsequently kept in a warm kitchen then there is the possibility that the cells will begin to divide and a chick will begin to develop.

There have been cases in the recent past where pet chicken owners have purchased free-range eggs from a supermarket, placed them under their broody hen and lo and behold a few weeks later a chick has popped out.

After being laid an egg remains in something like suspended animation until a certain temperature is reached and maintained - that's how birds can lay an egg a day, end up with a nest full of a dozen of them over a couple of weeks or so and then they all hatch at the same time.

Chickenlady.
( chickenlady b3ta's very own Elizabeth Taylor, Wed 6 Aug 2008, 16:12, Reply)

More eggs
Wow, I feel enlightened.

Also liking the thought of thousands of chicks bursting out of the boxes on the shelf in a very warm Tesco…
(chocmonster Failed to come up with a witty signature by, Thu 7 Aug 2008, 8:02, Reply)

very enlightening
thanks guys!
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Thu 7 Aug 2008, 9:30, Reply)