Eggs are hard to beat for a quick dose of protein or for breakfast. To save time on busy mornings, many people boil several eggs at once. If one or two are left after the family has eaten, the question arises: can they be eaten later, or do boiled eggs spoil quickly? Stored properly, boiled eggs need not be thrown away. But they cannot be left out at will like raw eggs; cooked eggs must be cooled quickly and kept in the fridge at the right temperature.

It is not safe to leave boiled eggs at room temperature for long after cooking. As a rule, cooked eggs should be refrigerated within two hours. If the surrounding temperature is above 90F (about 32C), that time falls to one hour, because foodborne germs including Salmonella can multiply quickly in warm conditions.

So it is not right to boil eggs in the morning, leave them on the kitchen table for a few hours and then put them in the fridge. If they have been out for more than two hours, it is better not to eat them.

After boiling, cool the eggs quickly, put them in a clean, covered container and refrigerate. The fridge should be below 40F (about 4C).

If possible, store the eggs without peeling them. With the shell on, the inside is relatively protected from the outside environment. According to FDA and USDA guidance, boiled eggs, peeled or unpeeled, can be kept in the fridge for up to seven days.

It is better to keep them on an inner shelf, where the cold is steady, rather than in the door, where temperature swings more because it is opened often.

It is best not to freeze boiled eggs. Freezing can change their structure, especially the taste and texture of the white. FDA food safety guidance also gives a one-week limit for refrigerated boiled eggs and advises against freezing them.

A grey or greenish ring around the yolk of a boiled egg does not always mean it has gone bad. It usually forms when eggs are boiled too long or at too high a heat.

But if a refrigerated egg has a strong bad smell, unusual sliminess or visible changes, throw it away rather than eat it.

If one or two are left over after boiling seven or eight eggs, there is no need to worry. Refrigerate them within two hours of boiling and eat them within seven days. That way, eggs boiled in advance can be eaten safely even in a busy life.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.