20 ways you’re probably shortening the lifespan of common foods – Insider – INSIDER

Store eggs in the fridge in their original carton. iStock

Though you may see cute bowls of exposed eggs or open cartons on Instagram, it's best to keep eggs in their original containers if you want them to have a long shelf life, according to Clare Langan, San Francisco-based chef and culinary consultant.

If you live in the US, it's also important to store eggs in the fridge, according to Janilyn Hutchings, a certified food-safety professional at State Food Safety.

"If you let eggs stay out, condensation could form on the shells and make them more vulnerable to bacteria," Hutchings told Insider.

According to the New York Times, most US egg producers are required to wash their eggs with soaps and enzymes that weaken the shell's protective cuticle. This makes the egg more susceptible to bacteria, so it's necessary to keep it refrigerated.

However, in other places around the world, like the UK, it isn't as common or necessary to keep eggs in the fridge.

In countries like the UK, such egg washing is prohibited, making refrigeration unnecessary. But once an egg is stored in the fridge, whether at the store or in your home, it should stay there.

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20 ways you're probably shortening the lifespan of common foods - Insider - INSIDER