Brits and Americans have been playing a long game of chicken over the best way to store eggs, but The Great British Bake Off star Mary Berry is here to settle the debate.
Americans and Brits have a history of quibbling over many everyday matters, like the letter ‘u’, driving on the wrong side of the road and whether pizza is, in fact, a vegetable – but it seems there’s one debate our US neighbours might be winning. And it’s over how they store eggs.
In the UK, eggs are typically kept at room temperature and aren’t washed straight after being laid, which allows them to retain their anti-bacterial protective outer coating. Meanwhile, Americans wash and sanitise their eggs straight after they’re laid. This strips their outer protective layer and means that they need to be stored in the fridge in order to preserve their freshness.
This has long been a cause for argument, with one side claiming that storing eggs in the fridge will keep them fresher for longer, while the other insists that due to eggs’ porosity fridge-storage puts them at risk of picking up unwanted flavours.
However, one popular UK celebrity chef Mary Berry has decided to settle the great schism once and for all.
As a seasoned baker and beloved host of the TV sensation, The Great British Bake Off, Mary knows her way around a pantry – and she says that Americans have the edge when it comes to storing eggs.
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Mary Berry settles the debate
In her bestselling cookbook, Mary Berry’s Complete Cookbook, Mary appears to forsake her British roots by siding with the Americans over poultry preservation.
She advises: “Store eggs in their box in the refrigerator (away from strong foods so that they do not absorb flavours and odours through their shells).
To optimise their storage even more, she notes: “If you place them pointed end down, the yolk will remain centred in the white. Always use them by their use-by date.”
This is because a temperature of 4 C or less allows eggs to stay fresh for longer.
However, you do need to be careful about where in the fridge you are storing them, as placing them in the side shelves can allow them to build up condensation on the shell, which will actually cause them to go off faster.
Instead, place them in the main part of the fridge to keep them dry.
Mary also advises that eggs can be stored in the freezer for about six months.
Although she says for optimal freshness, they should be consumed within four.
She stated in the same cookbook, “Shelled raw eggs freeze very successfully, and can be stored for up to six months.”