Keeping eggs cool?

[serpentspiral]

Hey there!

I'm curious, since I don't usually refrigerate my eggs, would I need to keep them cool on the playa?

[BBadger]

That depends on whether your eggs need to be refrigerated.

I know that response sounds ridiculous, but what I mean is: if your eggs come from sources (hens) that are vaccinated against salmonella and the eggs have a protective coating on them to prevent outside infection (cuticle or something artificial), then you can keep them at room temperature. If your eggs are washed -- losing that protective layer -- and don't come from sources that are vaccinated, then they're supposed to be refrigerated. In Europe, they're the former. In the US, they're generally the latter. I doubt you're importing eggs, but maybe you have a special source for eggs that don't require refrigeration? If you're also not bothering to refrigerate them already, it might be okay, but it depends on how quickly you consume the eggs too.

I'd say it'd be good to keep the eggs cool at least. Keep them on ice if you can. Don't keep them close to dry ice though; they'll freeze.

[lucky420]

Oh and don't ever keep them all in one basket...

[FlyingMonkey]

Oh and don't ever keep them all in one basket...

And avoid counting them before they hatch. You will probably be disapointed if you do.

[MikeVDS]

Careful or you'll end up with egg on your face.

[GreyCoyote]

There is an old sailors trick (and this is not a joke), where you coat the outside of fresh eggs with a heavy mineral oil or film of vaseline. This keeps them fresher, longer, without refrigeration.

There is another trick that I have personally used, that involves dipping each egg into hot, boiling, salted water for 30 secs and then dunking them into ice water. This kills the bacteria on the outside of the egg and makes a thin, millimeter thick cooked film inside the egg. It works. Just keep them very dry after treating like this and you should be good for a week.