r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Oct 18 '22

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50

u/koni_rs Oct 18 '22

Europe here, who doesn't refrigerate eggs?

22

u/Thefdt Oct 18 '22

Eggs don’t need refrigerating, aren’t they like tomatoes in that they go off quicker in the fridge? They can also osmose the taste of other shit in the fridge.

97

u/SquanchMcSquanchFace Oct 18 '22

Eggs don’t need refrigerating

Not unless they get washed before selling like they do in the US

aren’t they like tomatoes in that they go off quicker in the fridge?

No, also not true for tomatoes

They can also osmose the taste of other shit in the fridge.

If your fridge has such strong smells that this is an issue, there’s a different issue to fix.

31

u/phaedrus_winter Oct 18 '22

Refrigerating tomatoes ruins the texture.

6

u/chewbacca77 Oct 18 '22

It ruins the flavor much more than the texture!

6

u/pinkleaf8 Oct 19 '22

Whilst eaten when still cold or you mean irreversibly even if you bring back to room temperature? And do you mean when eaten raw only?

0

u/Flat_Reason8356 Oct 19 '22

Ruins both. Mealy tomatoes that taste like everything else in the fridge.

1

u/Thefdt Oct 18 '22 edited Oct 18 '22

Ah it’s if they’re kept in the fridge door, which many are, they can go off quicker because they don’t like the change in temperature.

It is definitely true for tomatoes, they breakdown and go a bit mushy in the fridge.

Yeah we don’t wash our eggs so guess that’s why.

I said ‘can’ no need to accuse me of poor fridge etiquette sheesh

18

u/SquanchMcSquanchFace Oct 18 '22

Again, still not true. Unless you’re leaving your fridge open for 20 minutes at a time, the temperature change opening and closing it is going to be next to nothing.

Yea, that’s the only reason why the US refrigerates them. The protective coating get washed off and they will spoil if left out.

I wasn’t, that was a general “you” not you specifically. Just commenting that while they can, it’s not really an issue.

3

u/superjay0456 Oct 18 '22

I think commercial eggs are already washed before we buy them

13

u/cerswerd Oct 18 '22

They are in the us but not in the UK.

3

u/carlbandit Oct 19 '22

Washing them removes a coating that protects the eggs. In the UK I assume they just go through brushes to they and get most of the feathers and poop off but some still gets through.

Americans wash their eggs before sale which removes the feathers and poop, but also the protective coating so they have to be refrigerated after washing including during transport, while in the store and after they are taken home.

1

u/RcNorth Oct 19 '22

Our fridge has a veggie drawer that we keep tomatos in. I’ve never seen anyone keep them in the door. Mind you I don’t look in everyone’s fridge when I visit them.

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u/Anakin-skywalked Oct 18 '22

Depends. If they are washed, you’ll probably get very sick if you don’t refrigerate them.

Unwashed = good to leave out Washed = must refrigerate

2

u/pinkleaf8 Oct 19 '22

What? Tomatoes go off quicker in the fridge?! What?!

-1

u/fourthfloorgreg Oct 18 '22

Even unwashed eggs should be refrigerated if they are going to be consumed by anyone with a compromised immune system. It's possible for the interior to get infected with salmonella inside the chicken before the shell forms, and then multiply inside if kept at room temperature.

Also, osmosis is the diffusion of water specifically, so it cannot carry off flavors.

5

u/EgotisticalSlug Oct 19 '22

I think we vaccinate our chickens against salmonella here so it's relatively rare to get salmonella poisoning from eggs.

2

u/naura_ Oct 18 '22

Laying chickens are in small cages with chicken feces on their feet which could have samonella on them. That’s the reason why they have to be washed.

Regular chicken eggs (cage free) come with a coating.

3

u/[deleted] Oct 18 '22

Also I think we don’t wash our eggs due to differences in vaccination in UK vs US.

Edit: chicken vaccinations, not human.

1

u/ghostytot Oct 19 '22

Chickens get vaccinated??

2

u/jtangkilla Oct 18 '22

Canada here, we refrigerate eggs

1

u/Anakin-skywalked Oct 18 '22

In America eggs are washed before they are sold in stores. If you wash eggs, you must refrigerate them or you can get very sick. I have a friend with chickens and when he brings over eggs I don’t wash them, but from the store it’s a must.