James Martin warns against ever keeping eggs in the fridge
TV chef James Martin has warned people not to store eggs in the fridge.
During a segment on This Morning, the chef shared the reasoning behind his tip with Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby - and it’s all to do with the shells, apparently.
The issue of where you store your eggs isn’t as straightforward as you’d think, with some people adamant they belong in a cupboard and others insisting they go in the fridge.
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And Martin has nailed his colours to the ‘never in the fridge mast’.
After baking two Victoria sponge cakes using different types of eggs, the chef started to talk about the difference between hen and duck eggs, with Martin saying that it was the ‘quality’ of the eggs that mattered most.
He then went on to tell viewers how to store them and explained that as ‘all eggs are porous’ they should ‘never be kept in the fridge’ because they will end up 'absorbing all the flavours from the fridge' through their shells.
Not ideal, especially if your fridge is known to be a bit of wasteland for opened, half-eaten food items.
Aside from that, cold eggs aren’t the best to cook with and they should be used at room temperature.
However, the definitively named egginfo.co.uk disagrees.
The site claims: “Best practice is to store eggs in the fridge; that way the temperature is always at a constant and your eggs will be fresher!
"When you do get around to using them, try to leave the eggs out of the fridge for around 30 minutes to bring them up to room temperature, otherwise cooking times could change depending on how you’re using them.”
The site does say that storing in a ‘cool pantry that doesn’t heat up when the kitchen temperature rises’ is fine, but stresses that keeping eggs at a consistent temperature below 20C is key.
It also recommends that eggs are stored in their original box, which will help to prevent the problems Martin mentioned, as well as allow you to easily check the use-by date.
“Perhaps the best reason to keep eggs in their carton is so they stay as fresh as can be,” the site explains. “Why? Eggshells have tiny pores which bacteria from other foods and smells such as food odour and flavouring can seep through over time. Our tip – keep the carton!”
Looks like there's some fierce debate to be had in the world of eggs, eh?
Topics: Food And Drink, ITV
Claire Reid