Friday 2 April 2010

How to keep eggs without refrigeration on a boat!

I found the following on ehow.com and I thought it was timely for Easter:

Instructions.Step 1. Realize that you can keep eggs without refrigeration. For many years people lived without refrigeration and kept fresh eggs handy for cooking.
If you are going camping or you live on a boat that lacks refrigeration you can still take eggs along and keep them fresh for several days if you follow these steps.
Step 2 Get a jar of Vaseline and dab some on a paper towel. Lightly coat each egg with the Vaseline, so that each is shiny and no spots have been missed. You can also use shortening such as Crisco.
Step 3 Store the eggs back in the egg container and wrap the egg container with a couple of sections of newspaper and secure it with a couple large rubber bands to protect it from shock.
Store them in a cool, dry place.
In cool weather conditions you may be able to keep eggs this way for up to a month but do not use any eggs that have a funny smell or color.

I know it is serious, but the thought of someone sitting coating eggs in Vaseline tickled me!!!!

6 comments:

  1. I haven't put my eggs in the fridge for years. One day when it was full up I realised that I had brought them off a non-refrigerated shelf in the shop so haven't put them in there since.

    Just keep them in a cool place. Have never cracked a bad one that Im aware.

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  2. Storing in isinglass: When I was a child we used to store eggs in isinglass, which can be bought from a good pharmacist. The eggs are layered point down in an earthenware crock or glass jar. You pour over the cooled liquid, ensuring the top layer of eggs is completely submerged, and then cover to keep out bugs and dirt and to prevent evaporation. Eggs stored like this will keep from six months to a year, but they should be used for baking or made dishes as they have a slight taste if boiled or poached and the shells will crack if boiled. After six months the whites go a little thin so they are not really suitable for whipping.

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  3. I have heard about storing in isinglass (is that 'heavy water'?) before, but eggs do not last long enough in our house to warrant the necessity to keep them for long periods. My Mum taught me that eggs should not be kept in the fridge as they can pick up the taste/smell of other things in there. At the moment we are chicken-sitting for some friends and have so many eggs that we are giving them out to everyone! Happy Easter.

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  4. Great tip! I think that as long as eggs are kept cool, they'll keep quite a long time anyway, but nice to know they will last even longer with this method!

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  5. I, too, remember isinglass being used when I was a child. On my house-boat, I was wondering about keeping them, and vegetables under the floor as my boat either sits on the mud or floats, so the iron on the bottom will always be cool! I just need to get some of those little brass inset handles to lift the board up easily.

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  6. On the yacht we keep fruit and vegetables, as well as the white wine and beer in the bilges (or wine cellar as we like to call it!). They all keep well down there. But you are right, you do need to be able to get to them fairly easily.

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