Scrambled eggs is the breakfast of champions. If you scrambled an egg too many, here’s how to store the mixture and how long it will keep.
It’s the A.M. hours. The alarm woke you up. You got out of bed and did your morning routine.
Hungry before work, you hurried to the fridge, opened the door wide, took a close look at the carton of eggs, and thought to yourself, “Hmm… I wouldn’t mind scrambled eggs for breakfast!”
In your excitement over the scrambled eggs you just decided on, you took the egg carton out of the fridge, put it on the countertop, and got a nice big bowl out of that squeaky drawer in the bottom cabinet.
And so, you got down to cracking. Crack, crack, crack, crack… “Whoa, buddy,” your monologue resumed all of a sudden, “you cracked an egg or two too many there! What are you supposed to do with these now?”
So you unlocked your phone, googled the matter, and landed on this article at Home Cook World. Welcome! And let’s get to the question you want answered here.
Can I Keep Raw Scrambled Eggs in the Fridge?
To cut a long story short: Yes, you absolutely can. You just have to make sure you’re refrigerating them properly.
If, in preparing scrambled eggs, you cracked more eggs than you and your household can eat in a single meal, put them in a jar or food storage container with a closed lid and store them in the fridge.
Let’s talk about fridge compartments because we have to. I know the first place that comes to mind for storing the raw eggs is the fridge door—but resist the temptation to put them there.
The temperature on the fridge door fluctuates every time the refrigerator is opened and closed, so this isn’t a good place to store uncooked scrambled eggs. Instead, put them on the lowest shelf where it’s coldest. (Flashback to high-school physics: Warm air rises and cool air sinks.)
How Long Will Raw Scrambled Eggs Last in the Fridge?
Now that you know how to store the scrambled egg mixture, the next logical question is by when to use it up.
According to Get Cracking, an informational website from Egg Farmers of Canada, leftover raw eggs should be refrigerated immediately, and they will keep for 2 to 4 days.
Better yet, err on the side of caution and use up refrigerated uncooked scrambled eggs within no longer than 1-2 days. Food poisoning is a serious issue for 48 million Americans every year.
I know what some of you are thinking… “What’s with all of these food safety rules, anyway?!”
Basically, it comes down to two things: (a) the fact that disease-causing bacteria (you know, the kind that causes food poisoning) continue to grow in the refrigerator and (b) raw eggs may have plenty of them.
First, refrigerating food slows the growth of bacteria on it, but it doesn’t stop it like freezing does. So your fridge can extend the shelf life of many foods, but not indefinitely.
Second, and just as important, raw eggs can contain disease-causing bacteria, such as Salmonella, that can make you sick. Cooking kills these bacteria, but it doesn’t inactivate the heat-resistant toxins they leave behind in the egg mixture.
In other words, you want to avoid keeping that uncooked scrambled egg mixture in the fridge too long, or bacteria can grow to dangerous levels inside it and make it unsafe for you to eat (even after cooking).
Can You Freeze Raw Scrambled Eggs?
Yes, you can freeze raw scrambled eggs. Just pour the mixture into a shallow container, close the lid tightly, label with the date, and freeze.
Freezing puts spoilage and disease-causing bacteria into hibernation. So, technically, as long as your freezer maintains a temperature of 0°F (-18°C) as it should, frozen eggs will stay safe to eat forever.
But don’t take this too literally. The eggs will eventually dry out and lose flavor. For the best quality, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that you use up the frozen raw eggs within 12 months.
How Long Can Raw Scrambled Eggs Sit Out?
As a general rule of thumb, raw scrambled eggs should never be kept at room temperature for more than 2 hours. In summer, when the outside temperature is 90°F (32°C) and above, this time is reduced to only 1 hour.
What we call room temperature, food safety experts have dubbed the danger zone.
Wondering why?
Because pathogens multiply most rapidly in the temperature range of 40°F (4.4°C) to 140°F (60°C). So keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot, but don’t let them sit out on the kitchen countertop or dining table for too long, or you might be in trouble.
As American culinary author Harold McGee puts it in his 2009 book Keys to Good Cooking, “A few bacteria are seldom enough to cause illness, but a few thousand can be plenty.”
The Bottom Line
Uncooked scrambled eggs will keep for 2 to 4 days in the fridge and up to 12 months in the freezer. Refrigerate them immediately or freeze them. The sooner you use them up, the fresher and safer they are.
