How long can eggs be unrefrigerated before becoming unsafe to eat?

Question

A friend of mine accidentally left a carton of eggs on her counter, unrefrigerated, for three days. The eggs had been previously refrigerated both at the store and at home. Now she's planning to do some more cooking which requires eggs, and is wondering if it's still safe to use them for baking. I believe she is planning on baking cookies with them, so they would be baked at fairly high temperatures for probably at least 10 minutes. Would this be safe, or are eggs left unrefrigerated for that long not safe for consumption?

Asked by nhinkle

Answer

The FDA, generally on the very safe but a bit paranoid end of the spectrum, says:

After eggs are refrigerated, they need to stay that way. A cold egg left out at room temperature can sweat, facilitating the movement of bacteria into the egg and increasing the growth of bacteria. Refrigerated eggs should not be left out more than 2 hours.

(They also say some very sad things about Easter egg hunts.)

So if you're being strict, three days would be way too long. In reality, you'd probably be okay. The chances of getting salmonella are definitely higher, but are presumably still small (though I can't say exactly how small, of course). Personally, given the price of a dozen eggs, I'd probably play it safe.

Another answer mentions that in the UK eggs are stored at room temperature. That's true in quite a lot of places, but I'm guessing that they've avoided the large temperature swing issue mentioned by the FDA, so if your friend's eggs were refrigerated in the store, the situation's not quite the same as in the UK.

Answered by Jefromi

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