Storing Eggs Without Refrigeration

 Source: Wikimedia

One of my concerns with food storage is storing eggs because of the number of food items that use eggs in their preparation. However, this article at Family Survival Planning indicates that eggs can be stored for extended periods of time without refrigeration, as long as they are coated with mineral oil and stored in a cool location.

Egg producing companies are required by the USDA to wash the eggs, therefore washing off the bloom. So when you buy eggs from the store you will know the bloom has been washed off. Coating them lightly (but completely) with mineral oil is like replacing the bloom.

Here's how to prepare eggs for storage:
Put on some food handling gloves (because mineral oil is a petroleum product and you don't want to absorb it into your body). Slightly warm about 1/4 cup of mineral oil. Take all the eggs out of the carton (or you won't be able to get them out with oily hands). Rub each egg with mineral oil and put them back into the carton small pointed side down.

Store egg cartons in a cool place (68 degrees or less is fine) and they will last for months. If stored at room temperature, only store them for a couple of weeks.

Write yourself a note to remember to flip the cartons (gently) about once a month to maintain the integrity of the yolks.

You may get a bad egg now and then but don't worry about eating bad eggs. You will know when an egg is bad - it will have a sulfur smell that your nose will not miss.

Another way to tell if your eggs are bad is to float them in water. The older the egg, the more it will float - about half way out of the water.

Be sure to date the stored cartons of eggs and rotate them to use the oldest first.

The article notes that eggs, cheese and butter are commonly stored without refrigeration in other countries.