Refrigerate or no?

[George K]

@89th said in Refrigerate or no?:

Eggs, yes... but I know fresh eggs can remain at room temperature for... weeks?

Yes, but only if you purchase them in Europe, or from another location that doesn't wash them. The washing removes the natural bactericidal coating of the shell, and the eggs can go bad if not refrigerated.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/should-you-refrigerate-eggs

In the United States, Salmonella is mostly treated externally.

Before eggs are sold, they undergo a sterilization process. They’re washed in hot, soapy water and sprayed with a disinfectant, which kills any bacteria on the shell.

A handful of other nations, including Australia, Japan, and Scandinavian countries, treat eggs the same way.

This method is highly effective at killing the bacteria found on eggshells. However, it does nothing to kill bacteria that may already be present inside the egg — which is often what makes people sick .

The washing process may also remove the cuticle of the egg, which is a thin layer on the eggshell that helps protect it.

If the cuticle is removed, any bacteria that come into contact with the egg after sterilization will more easily be able to penetrate the shell and contaminate the contents of the egg (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source).

While refrigeration does not kill bacteria, it reduces your risk of sickness by limiting the number of bacteria. It also impedes bacteria from penetrating the eggshell (10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).

Nonetheless, there’s another important reason that eggs must be refrigerated in the United States.

To keep bacteria to a minimum, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires commercially sold eggs to be stored and transported below 45°F (7°C).

Once eggs have been refrigerated, they must be kept refrigerated to prevent condensation from forming on the shell if they warm up. This moisture makes it easier for bacteria to penetrate the shell.

Thus, any commercially produced eggs in the United States should be kept in your fridge.

[jon-nyc]

I use a sharp knife to cut thin slices of butter and they melt really fast in warm toast.

[LuFins Dad]

I’ve always had 1 stick of butter out and the rest in the fridge. Cold butter sucks and there’s no need…

[George K]

@jon-nyc said in Refrigerate or no?:

I use a sharp knife to cut thin slices of butter and they melt really fast in warm toast.

Jacques Pépin... uses a vegetable peeler to shave off slices (from refrigerated butter).

[Axtremus]

Bought an Oxo buttter dish once to experiment with leaving leaving a stick of butter in room temperature. It's nice for a while, but my household simply does not consume butter fast enough to finish the stick before it gets moldy. I have been refreshing butter since, like I used to before I bought the butter dish.

[George K]

@Axtremus we don't go through a lot either. However, the Butter Bell that @jolly recommended worked really well for a couple of weeks. I just kept forgetting/neglecting to fill it

.

[Axtremus]

@George-K , thanks. Leaving butter in room temperature for a couple of weeks is not a problem. It didn't get moldy until quite a few more weeks later. As I recall, the mold started from the bottom of the butter stick. Casually looking at it from outside the butter dish one would not spot the mold at first.

[jon-nyc]

I suspect the biggest predictor of whether or not one refrigerates butter is whether or not your mom did when you were growing up.

Mine refrigerated butter and ketchup and eggs, did not refrigerate bread. I do the same.

[jon-nyc]

When I’m on vacation in Europe or South America and buy non-refrigerated eggs, I still refrigerate them, even knowing they’ll be fine for the week or so I’m there. It’s just habit.

[Mik]

I do refrigerate bread. It lasts a lot longer.

[Axtremus]

@jon-nyc said in Refrigerate or no?:

I suspect the biggest predictor of whether or not one refrigerates butter is whether or not your mom did when you were growing up.

It's a reasonable hypothesis. Though that predictor may not exist for those growing up in households that did not regularly keep any butter.

There may be a parallel to this, like, "do you refrigerate soy sauce."

[George K]

@Mik said in Refrigerate or no?:

I do refrigerate bread. It lasts a lot longer.

I was going to ask about that...

Not unusual for a loaf to go moldy here. I frequently buy a loaf and, after vacuum-sealing, freeze it.

[Aqua Letifer]

@jon-nyc said in Refrigerate or no?:

I suspect the biggest predictor of whether or not one refrigerates butter is whether or not your mom did when you were growing up.

Mine refrigerated butter and ketchup and eggs, did not refrigerate bread. I do the same.

WRONG, Sampson!

At least sort of. My mom always refrigerates. As does my wife's mom. Always has.

But our grandmothers, on the other hand...

We kick it old-school and don't refrigerate.

[Mik]

@George-K said in Refrigerate or no?:

@Mik said in Refrigerate or no?:

I do refrigerate bread. It lasts a lot longer.

I was going to ask about that...

Not unusual for a loaf to go moldy here. I frequently buy a loaf and, after vacuum-sealing, freeze it.

Yep. I buy several loaves of Whole Foods sourdough and freeze them. Pricey, but great stuff. When I keep them in the fridge, no mold.

[Aqua Letifer]

@Mik said in Refrigerate or no?:

@George-K said in Refrigerate or no?:

@Mik said in Refrigerate or no?:

I do refrigerate bread. It lasts a lot longer.

I was going to ask about that...

Not unusual for a loaf to go moldy here. I frequently buy a loaf and, after vacuum-sealing, freeze it.

Yep. I buy several loaves of Whole Foods sourdough and freeze them. Pricey, but great stuff. When I keep them in the fridge, no mold.

We don't freeze or refrigerate ours, just because we buy weekly and burn through it that fast.

[George K]

@Mik said in Refrigerate or no?:

loaves of Whole Foods sourdough and freeze them

No freezer burn?

[Mik]

Not if it's only in there a few weeks, no.

[George K]

Interesting. Googling around, it seems that bread storage is quite controversial.

• It's fine to freeze!
• It's fine to freeze, but it might taste stale!
• Use a breadbox on the counter
• NEVER wrap in plastic
• Refrigeration makes it taste stale
• Refrigeration is great

Wow.

[jon-nyc]

I freeze fresh bread for a week or so no problem.

I’ll buy a fresh baguette and cut it in quarters and use it for sandwiches. Frozen right after cutting and thaw each section out the morning I’m going to use it.

[mark]

We routinely leave butter out of the refrigerator. After a few weeks, if it has not been consumed, and it starts to turn color, we toss it.

Refrigerate and freeze bread, buns, bagels. But also have a breadbox. When we get more bread then we will consume within a few days, into the refrigerator or freezer.

Eggs are purchased at the grocery store so they stay refrigerated.