Whether eggs should be chilled in a refrigerator or at room temperature on a kitchen bench has always divided families.
You rarely see eggs in fridges when picking them up at the supermarket - and contrary to popular belief, neither method of storage will help your eggs last longer.
But celebrity chef James Martin has explained why he never chooses to chill his eggs - urging others to also refrain for the purposes of a better taste.
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The Daily Express reports that speaking to Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on This Morning, he explained that the porous texture of eggs is the reason to keep them at room temperature. After baking two Victoria Sponge cakes with different types of eggs, James delved into the differences between hen and duck eggs.
He told the presenters that the quality of eggs is "key" for a good bake. While the presenters tried to identify which eggs were used in each sponge, James noted that where you store eggs can also impact how they taste in other dishes.
He said that whether you use eggs from hens or ducks, "all eggs are porous", which is "why you never put eggs in the fridge".
The chef also noted that the texture of the shell means that "they absorb all the flavours from the fridge" and can end up tasting more like other ingredients. Though it may sound unpleasant to have 'flavoured' eggs, James noted that their porous texture can be used to your advantage.
He said: "If you have truffle for instance - in the restaurant we put that in a bowl with rice and put the eggs on the top and cling film it and leave it overnight. When you break the eggs in the morning for breakfast for customers, [you get] truffle scrambled eggs but there’s no truffle in it.
"The truffle flavour has gone through the egg and into the egg itself."
It's not just the smell or taste of other foods that can seep into egg shells. In fact, according to an expert at British Lion eggs, bacteria and unpleasant odours can also emanate through the tiny pores. The egg experts said: "It’s tempting to store eggs in something that’s either more practical or pleasing on the eye than a basic box.
"You may have a lovely looking spiral egg holder or handy egg shelf in your fridge but the truth is nothing can beat the original carton. Not only does the box protect the eggs, but it also shows the best before date which you can refer back to anytime you’re unsure."
The expert suggested keeping eggs in the carton if you do choose to store them in the fridge, in order to stop the transfer of bacteria and odours through the eggshells. The experts noted that for "optimum quality and safety", eggs need to be kept at a steady temperature below 20C.
To achieve this, you should try to avoid moving them too often between very cold and very warm temperatures such as between a hot car and fridge, or fridge and hot kitchen.
The British Lion eggs team said: "If you have a cool pantry that doesn’t heat up when the kitchen temperature rises, that’s fine for storing eggs but whilst a regular kitchen cupboard may seem a relatively constant environment, temperatures can still fluctuate when you're cooking things that produce a lot of heat or steam."
If you can't provide a consistent temperature in your kitchen, they suggested keeping them in the fridge instead.
While this is 'best practice' to ensure a constant temperature, the experts warned against cooking eggs straight from the fridge. Instead, when you do get around to using the eggs, you should remove them from the fridge around 30 minutes prior to cooking them in order to bring them back up to temperature.
If you have raw eggs leftover without their shell, you can store them in the fridge as long as you consume them within a few days.
The egg expert, added: "Keep the whites and yolks separated - both should be stored in the fridge in air-tight containers to save them from spoiling. A simple trick to keep your yolk nice and soft is adding a very thin layer of milk to it – don’t drown it!"
In terms of timings, whites can be kept for around two days, whilst the yolks can be kept for up to four.
Where do you keep your eggs? Are you team fridge or team cupboard?
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