If you were searching on the internet and found this article, you were probably asking this question – “Can I freeze my eggs to make them last longer?”.
Now, if this is the question going through your mind, Heck yes! You can.
I’d often wondered how I could store up eggs for later since there were times I had more than enough for my scheduled meals in a day. The first mode of preservation that popped into my head was freezing. So I did a little research and I’d be sharing with you exactly how you can preserve your eggs using a freezer in the comfort of your home. It’s pretty easy and effective.
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How Do You Freeze Eggs?
How to Effectively Freeze Your Eggs
In very few steps, I’ll briefly explain how to effectively freeze your eggs.
1. Select your eggs. You’ll want to pick only fresh and clean eggs so they can last longer.
2. Decide if you want to separate the content of the eggs and freeze them separately (i.e freeze the egg yolk and the egg white in two separate containers. You can also decide to freeze your eggs whole).
If you need the preserved eggs for future baking endeavors, I’d suggest you freeze the egg yolk and egg white separately.
3. Pick a freezer-safe bag/container to freeze them in. Don’t use containers made of ceramic or glass. Tupperware-style plastic containers are highly recommended. You can also use an ice cube tray if you’d like to save space in your freezer.
4. Crack the eggs you wish to preserve into a bowl and gently stir the yolks and whites of the eggs together. Don’t beat the eggs to avoid adding extra air into the mixture.
If you’d like to store your egg yolk and egg white separately, this is the part where you separate them. Do not stir the eggs at all. Just carefully separate them into different bowls and then you can stir them.
5. This is optional but after stirring your mixture, you could add a bit of salt to it just to make sure your egg stabilizes after it’s done thawing. If you’re using this mixture for future baking purposes, I’d advice you not to, so you don’t upset your recipe.
6. Label your containers so you know their contents.
7. Pour your egg into your container(s) or your ice tray.
8. Seal or cover your container tightly and then place in your freezer to freeze.
In the case of an ice tray, once your eggs are frozen, make sure to remove the egg cubes from the tray and put them in a freezer bag. Freezing eggs in an ice tray is relatively easier because the cubes thaw quickly and can be used in times of haste.
A quick guide for recipes to keep in mind;
- 1 egg cube = almost 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons of frozen thawed egg = 1 egg
- 2 table spoon of thawed egg white = 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon thawed yolk = 1 egg yolk
According to research, eggs preserved by freezing can last up to 6 months. But if you’d like to push it a bit farther, I’m guessing you could go on freezing for about a year. Keep in mind that the taste of the egg might come off very unpleasant.
Allow your eggs to thaw properly (to melt and settle for a warmer temperature) before you use them.
Are There Any Other Ways I Can Preserve My Eggs?
This is definitely another question people ask. The answer is yes. And to back that up, I’d be sharing about with you other cost-effective ways you can preserve your eggs.
Simply Keeping Them Dry
Eggs are food products with semi-permeable membranes as shells. This means that over time, eggs would gradually start to absorb air and moisture. Take for example, if an egg is left to soak in water. On the long run, it’d end up absorbing some of the water molecules which would cause it to swell and look bigger than its normal size.
The trick is to keep the eggs dry in a cool place. Eggs have a natural coating on their outsides that prevents them from spoiling. If it’s washed off, then you must refrigerate your eggs to preserve them. So keep in mind to never wash your eggs if you plan on keeping them for a longer period of time. Instead, wipe them with a clean cloth.
Store them in a cool closet or a back room that has a temperature below 50 degrees.
Waterglassing
Waterglassing is undoubtedly one of the most effective ways to store and preserve your eggs. Waterglass is a mixture of potassium and sodium silicate. It is chemically approved for the storage of eggs and is easy to get. I’d briefly explain to you how to waterglass your eggs in the steps below;
1. Boil a considerable amount of water.
2. Allow the water to cool until it is warm and dissolve your sodium silicate mixture in a ratio of 1:7. That is, one cup of sodium silicate to seven cups of warm water.
3. Mix properly and pour into a large, stone crock.
4. Clean the eggs with a clean cloth and place them carefully into the solution.
5. Cover it tightly with a lid and store in a cool dry place.
Preserving Eggs with Lime
This is another great way to store your eggs. It has been proven effective throughout history and is very easy to carry out. Did I mention you could do this in the comfort of your home? Easy Peazy! I’d show you how to do this in less than 7 steps below;
1. Begin by selecting your eggs and setting them aside.
2. Create your saturated limewater solution by mixing half a pound of lime with a gallon of clean water. Use a bit of water to slack the lime and stir the milk of lime that has formed.
3. After it has been stirred for a few hours, allow the mixture to settle.
4. Scoop up the water of the saturated lime and pour it over the eggs sufficiently.
5. Close the crook/watertight barrel tightly so as to make sure the limewater isn’t exposed to air. Exposure to air tends to weaken the solution by precipitating the lime as carbonate.
6. Include a covering of sweet oil to enforce the principle above. Also make sure to replace the limewater with a fresh one if it begins to show any noticeable sign of precipitation.
Preserving Eggs in Wood Ash
Yes, you read that right. Wood ash, the kind you get from cleaning out your wood stove can be used to store eggs pretty well. Loss rate research shows 20% when kept past 6 months and 40% when kept past 8 months. Note that some of the eggs that had been stored this way came out tasting a bit off.
How then do you store your egg using this method?
1. You prepare a mixture of clay, wood ash, tea, salt and lime. Make sure to mix well until its smooth and pasty.
2. Coat the eggs with the mixture.
3. Separate the eggs with rice straws so they don’t stick together.
4. Bury them or store them in a very cool dry place.
Preserving Eggs With Paraffin Wax
The whole principle behind this method is to seal the egg’s pores in order to prevent spoilage. Wax is more thorough and effective at doing the job than all other oil-based substances but you have to put in the work. Let me show you how.
1. Select your eggs. Make sure they are fresh (I explained the reason why above)
2. Melt your paraffin or bees wax.
3. Begin to dip your eggs in the hot, melted wax one after the other. Dip them in such a way that you coat the entire egg with the wax. Use a wire tong to quickly take them out, wait for the paraffin to cool and harden.
4. Turn the egg the other way and then dip again. Allow to cool.
5. Wrap the eggs very carefully in wax or paraffin paper and be sure not to scratch or break the coating made by the wax.
6. Load them up in tin fruit cans and seal with paraffin wax so as to lock out the air.
7. Store in a cool dry place. Eggs that are sealed properly and are airtight can last for several months.
Preserving Eggs With Salt
This method is almost as effective as the wood ash method. Make sure to surround the egg with a bed of salt and they’d be sure to stay longer than the eggs you left on the counter. The disadvantage of this particular method is that the quality of the egg is degraded. And the egg can also lose moisture due to evaporation, thereby causing spoilage. See this as more of a last resort kind of method.
Tips To Keep At The Back Of Your Mind While You Engage in Storing Your Eggs
- Make sure the eggs you pick for storage are fresh eggs
- DON’T WASH YOUR EGGS. If their surfaces are dirty due to their surroundings, using a cloth to wipe them is advised.
- Try not to shake your container after adding your eggs in it so your eggs won’t get cracks in them.
- Cover your containers tightly to prevent your solution from evaporating.
- Label your containers and date them so you know when you started preserving them. Also, so you avoid future mix-ups.
- When you notice a white crust in your lime water, there is no need to panic. It just means that the lime was exposed to air.
- Crack your eggs in a bowl before use, to make sure none of them are bad.
- The average duration for storing up your eggs is 7 months.
- If you spot any mold, make sure to throw out all the eggs to avoid poisoning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to store eggs?
Definitely the freezing method. Other methods are good for storage too. Don’t get me wrong. But research shows that the eggs that have been stored by freezing, last longer and come out tasting better.
Can I freeze raw eggs in the shell?
No, you can’t. This is because when a shell egg is placed in a freezer to freeze, it will crack open and its yolk will become thick and syrupy. Not a great sight. If you happen to have frozen a shell egg and it cracked open, please make sure to dispose it.
Can you eat hard boiled eggs that have been frozen?
Yes you can. But keep in mind that they definitely won’t taste great. This is because their egg white would be all rubbery and hard. The eggs also release excess water when they are thawed.
Thank you for reading. I really hope you found this article helpful.