This is Why Europeans Don't Refrigerate Eggs

Eggs Around the World

If you've ever ventured into a grocery store outside of North America (or Japan and Scandinavia), you might have noticed that the eggs weren't kept next to the milk. In fact, they probably weren't in the refrigerator at all! 

In the United States and Canada, we've been taught that eggs shouldn't be left unrefrigerated for more than two hours, but in Europe and most other places in the world, this rule doesn't apply. 

It has everything to do with how we process eggs.  

Egg Processing

In America, the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires eggs to be machine-washed with hot and soapy water. While this process removes salmonella and other bacteria from the surface, it also removes the protective natural outer layer from the egg, leaving the semi-permeable shells susceptible to other bacteria entering the membrane. To reduce this risk, washed eggs are coated in an imperceptible layer of  oil, and must be refrigerated at 45 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. 

Once you refrigerate eggs, they need to stay in the fridge, because fluctuations in temperature make them more likely to get infected by bacteria. 

In European countries, this process does not exist. Instead, many farmers vaccinate their chickens against salmonella, and eggs are not washed. Though you may be shocked if you find eggs with feathers or small debris attached to the shell, the protective layer is still intact and the eggs are perfectly safe to eat! Room temperature eggs are also better for baking.

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