# Long Term Eggs



## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Anybody tried the mineral oil coatin on eggs fer long term storage? Supposedly they gonna store 7 ta 9 months ifin ya coat em with mineral oil an keep em in a cool place.

Don't wanna waste a bunch a eggs ifin it be bull hockey.


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

Friends tried this method a couple years ago with eggs they got from me, fresh. Can't say I would scramble one after that long in oil... but they used them baking. The bread tasted fine to me.


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## Seasoned-prepper (Aug 27, 2013)

*Eggs*

I was just checking this very subject out yesterday. Came across an old collection compiled by someone. I will post the link ,I will try to 
http://www.oldandsold.com/articles11/miscellaneous-recipes-13.shtml
Very interesting read, who knows. I would assume they would have had tried and true results. Hope this may help. IDK just found this interesting.


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## Jewel (Sep 6, 2014)

I also know someone who tried it and I tasted pancakes made with the year old oil eggs. they tasted fine to me. They also only used them for baking but I can't remember why.

Fresh eggs that haven't had their natural coating washed off will stay good at least 4 months stored in a cool, dark place, with low humidity and plenty of airflow. I've tested this several times and it's held true every time. The temperature got as low as 40's but never higher than 73 deg F. The longest was 4 months but they may stay longer. I tried between 2 and 4 doz eggs each time and none went bad. I'm a very picky eater and I was hesitant to taste them even though i knew they were still good. They tasted perfect, scrambled, fried, or used in baking.

Fertile eggs are still viable after being stored for weeks. the viability does drop over time but I hatched out 9 out of 12 4 week old duck eggs stored the same as above.


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

I found this poem years ago somewhere on the net. A float test for an egg... As an egg ages oxygen inside gets replaced by hydrogen (sulfur smell). The more hydrogen the lighter the egg becomes. When it floats… toss it out, it’s bad. The time line here obviously doesn’t apply to preservation methods but the float test does.

Can you eat that egg?
By Scott Matthews

If not sure you ought-ter, 
then place it in water. 
If it lies on its side, 
then it's fresh; eat with pride.

After three or four days, 
at an angle it lays. 
But, it still is a treat, 
so go on and eat.

Ten days, stands on end, 
in your baking 'twill blend. 
'Cause it's definitely edible, 
in your baking, incredible.

But, if it floats on the surface, 
that egg serves no purpose. 
'Cause a floater's a stinker! 
Out the back door best fling 'er!

Edit... I've used this test many times... when I find a new place the hens have been laying etc and I'm not sure about the eggs in a nest or even for eggs that have been the fridge for a while.


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## Jewel (Sep 6, 2014)

I also use the floater test, learned it from me gran. In all my years I've only had 2 floaters and they were earlier this year and from a some eggs I bought from someone else.

The other egg floater test is in making wood ash lye.

And on Ostara (i think it is) an egg will stand on end! There's actually science behind it but I can't remember what it is.


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## Jim1590 (Jul 11, 2012)

We went through a season where everyone and their mothers were throwing dozens of eggs our way. Well, not really throwing... you get the idea.

We dehydrated them using wet dry method found here: http://tacticalintelligence.net/blog/how-to-make-powdered-eggs.htm

Tastes pretty good but can only be used for baking or scrambled.


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## bbrider (Sep 27, 2013)

We have eggs stored with mineral oil. We put them in our store room where the temp stays pretty close to 45 deg f. We do float test them before use, but have only had one this year float. We use them for baking and other recipes as well as fried and scrambled for breakfast. Ours are currently about 4 months old and still good. If you have large swings in temps, go to the feed store and buy some wood shavings to use as insulation. Good luck!


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## Webster (Nov 17, 2014)

My 2cts for what it is worth. Worked for a chick hatchery for a number of years and here is a little bit of info. Short term storage of fertile eggs(for hatching) kept at about 64 degrees in open racks. Longer term storage in open racks up to about 9 days at 56 degrees. Long term storage packed in egg fills and boxes up to max of 21 days at 56 degrees. 5 day storage no loss of hatchibility...9 days small loss...15 going down quite a bit..longer large loss.

Eggs intended for the table stored at 40 degrees. Following grading and packaging stamped with a shelf life of 6 weeks out.

Yes washing dirty eggs and thus damaging their natural coating does shorten the life of the egg. But then not cleaning the dirt off the shell allows bacteria to grow more redially. Lightly sanding the dry dirt vs washing the entire egg is often a method used. A quick rinse under running water and quick drying for small quantities of eggs is probably the way I would go.

Webster


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Jim1590 said:


> We went through a season where everyone and their mothers were throwing dozens of eggs our way. Well, not really throwing... you get the idea.
> 
> We dehydrated them using wet dry method found here: http://tacticalintelligence.net/blog/how-to-make-powdered-eggs.htm
> 
> Tastes pretty good but can only be used for baking or scrambled.


For those interested in dehydrating eggs, I have found a way that takes less time in the dehydrator and gives you a better result than the usual methods like the above link.

Most people just whip up the eggs and pour them onto dehydrator trays and let them go until dry, drying times could be up to 24 hours which could allow plenty of plenty of time for microbes to reproduce. If the drying temp is too high the eggs can be "gritty" when cooked, even if ground into a fine powder, this is caused by parts of the mixture "cooking" before drying.

If you separate the eggs and dry the whites and yolks separately, for some reason they dry in much faster individually. You can then powder them and remix for storage/use or store them separately to be used in items like "egg-white omelets" or "marange" and the yolks can even be used to make "mayonnasie".


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Anybody tried the mineral oil coatin on eggs fer long term storage? Supposedly they gonna store 7 ta 9 months ifin ya coat em with mineral oil an keep em in a cool place.
> 
> Don't wanna waste a bunch a eggs ifin it be bull hockey.


Coot, dont know if you recall but a couple years ago a thread was done on preserving eggs that had a "Mother Earth News" article in it, I dont remember who started the thread, could have been me but a link to the article is below.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/how-to-store-fresh-eggs-zmaz77ndzgoe.aspx

They didn't test a batch coated in oil but did have one with each egg coated in lard.


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## machinist (Jul 4, 2012)

We never tried the oil method, but we have dehydrated a lot of eggs. Still have a bunch of them in the freezer, because they do degrade over time, even though we vacuum sealed them with a Foodsaver rig. 

We simply did the whipping and drying thing with a good quality dehydrator. They DO NOT stay whipped. The mixture just liquefies again in a few minutes. Had some problems because the dehydrator "fruit leather" trays we got for the purpose warped to fit the slightly conical shape of the dehydrator trays. That allowed all the egg mixture to drift to the outside edges and not stay spread out thin. Major PITA. I made spacer rings of 3/16" stainless wire to level the fruit leather trays and hoped they would warp back to flat again when heated, but not so. We gave it up and gave away the dehydrator as a piece of crap.

We were not able to choke down ANY dehydrated food of any sort. It all tasted like cardboard. Our food will be either fresh, frozen, or canned, in that order of preference. At 68 years old I would rather go ahead and die of starvation than to eat that crap.

The eggs we suffered through drying are barely edible. Being whipped, all they are fit for is baking (works okay) or scrambled eggs. Fried as scrambled, they are tough and very chewy. Wife will use them for baking, but nothing else. Not fit to eat, IMHO. 

Fresh eggs are fit to eat. The rest? Eat 'em if you want to, but I won't.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

I'd like to do some experimenting...

Can anyone suggest any type of added herbs that might prolong the life of dehydrated eggs , or at least add to their "quality" - or also things to avoid?

I was wondering if adding onion powder or garlic powder to the egg liquid would help preserve flavor or help with long term storage when dehydrated. 

I suppose other types of herbs with "anti-oxidant" properties may be helpful?


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Salt Peter, no no we hadn't better do that.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Salt Peter, no no we hadn't better do that.


I have a MUCH better use for that! (Potassium nitrate)


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

They say that be what they gave ta them prisoners ta well you get the idear.

Yes it be nice for other thins to!


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

Herbs for dehydrated eggs... this is interesting. I'll run this by some herbalist friends, don't know that this has ever come up.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

While I could see the need (well, kind of), I find fresh is best. I have 15 hens that keep me in eggs year round. (even in the winter) 

I even have extra eggs for the dogs ... 

I guess my question would be why long term ?


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

*Andi said:


> While I could see the need (well, kind of), I find fresh is best. I have 15 hens that keep me in eggs year round. (even in the winter)
> 
> I even have extra eggs for the dogs ...
> 
> I guess my question would be why long term ?


Funny, I came up with 14 hens as the perfect number for my family... Always a numbers game... loss... older hens versus young.  The number of eggs they lay in a 24 hour period.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I've heard that adding sliced truffles to the container you store your eggs in will greatly enhance the flavor, But......

If you can afford truffles, you're probably not going to be too interested in storing eggs.


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