新鲜鸡蛋可以保存多久?

新鲜鸡蛋可以保存多久?

Fresh eggs last from two hours to a year, depending on where you buy them and how you store them.

新鲜鸡蛋的保鲜时间从两个小时到一年不等，这取决于你在哪里购买和怎样储存。

Eggs should be stored in their original carton in the refrigerator. Rootx/Shutterstock

Eggs from the grocery store or the farmers market can last for weeks in the refrigerator. That's often much longer than the expiration dates marked on the cartons. If you break them down and freeze the whites and yolks, they can last so much longer. The key is to store them correctly.

从杂货店或农贸市场买来的鸡蛋可以在冰箱里保存数周。这通常比纸盒上标明的有效期长得多。如果你把它们分解，把蛋白和蛋黄冷冻起来，它们可以保存更长时间。关键是正确地存储它们。

These guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) show how long you can store eggs before they go bad or lose flavor:

这些来自美国农业部(USDA)的指导方针显示了鸡蛋在变质或失去味道之前可以储存多久:

How long eggs can be stored before safety and quality suffer. USDA

Do fresh eggs have to be refrigerated?

新鲜鸡蛋必须冷藏吗?

A freshly laid egg has a natural moist coating called bloom that helps seal it and protect it from bacteria. If an egg is washed, that membrane disappears and the egg becomes porous and vulnerable.

刚下的蛋有一层天然的湿润的涂层，叫做“花苞”，它可以帮助包裹鸡蛋，防止细菌感染。如果鸡蛋被清洗，膜就会消失，鸡蛋就会变得多孔脆弱。

Some backyard farmers and many European countries don't refrigerate their eggs. Darina Saukh/Shutterstock

Fresh eggs can carry the bacteria salmonella on their shells. Salmonella can cause a foodborne illness characterized by nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea and fever. People often get sick by eating raw or undercooked eggs or egg products that are contaminated with the bacteria.

新鲜鸡蛋的外壳可能携带沙门氏菌。沙门氏菌可引起一种食源性疾病，症状为恶心、呕吐、胃痛、腹泻和发烧。人们经常因食用生的或未煮熟的鸡蛋或被细菌污染的蛋制品而生病。

Researchers looked at 5,400 eggs and found that the ones washed and stored in the fridge were still Grade A (very high quality) eggs after 15 weeks on average. The ones stored at room temperature degraded from Grade AA (highest quality) to Grade B (lowest quality) in just a week. The eggs also lost 15% of their weight over the 15 weeks.

研究人员观察了5400个鸡蛋，发现那些洗过并储存在冰箱里的鸡蛋平均15周后仍然是A级(非常高质量)的鸡蛋。常温保存的在一周内从AA级(最高品质)降至B级(最低品质)。在15周的时间里，这些卵的体重也减少了15%。

How to store fresh eggs

如何储存新鲜鸡蛋

When buying eggs at the store, first check to make sure none of them are cracked. Broken shells can let in bacteria. If any eggs break on the way home, the USDA says break them into a clean container and cover it tightly. Refrigerate and use within two days.

在商店买鸡蛋的时候，首先要检查鸡蛋是否有裂缝。破碎的外壳可以让细菌进入。美国农业部说，如果鸡蛋在回家的路上破了，把它们打碎在一个干净的容器里，然后盖紧。冷藏两天内使用。

It might be tempting to use the handy built-in egg tray in your refrigerator, but eggs should always be kept in their cartons. The carton is designed to protect eggs from cracking and from absorbing odors from other foods in your refrigerator.

你可能很想用冰箱里现成的鸡蛋托盘，但鸡蛋应该一直放在纸盒里。盒子的设计是为了防止鸡蛋破裂和吸收冰箱里其他食物的气味。

How to tell if an egg is good or bad

如何分辨一个鸡蛋是好是坏

You can tell if an egg is fresh by whether it smells or whether it floats. pancha.me/Shutterstock

You want to make an omelet or some brownies, but you're not sure if the eggs in your refrigerator have been sitting there too long. Eggs might lose a little quality over time, but they are still safe to use for many weeks. Here are several ways to test if an egg is good or bad.

你想做煎蛋卷或者巧克力蛋糕，但是你不确定鸡蛋在冰箱里放的时间是否太长了。随着时间的推移，鸡蛋的质量可能会有所下降，但它们仍然可以安全使用数周。这里有几种测试鸡蛋好坏的方法。

Checking egg expiration dates

检查鸡蛋的保质期

Always check the expiration date or "sell by" date on the carton before bringing eggs home from the store. Expiration dates can be no more than 30 days from the day the eggs were packed into the carton, according to the USDA. But eggs can last much longer than that.

在把鸡蛋从商店带回家之前，一定要检查鸡蛋的过期日期或包装盒上的“截止销售”日期。根据美国农业部的规定，鸡蛋的保质期不能超过30天。但鸡蛋的寿命可以比这长得多。

Checking the pack date

检查包装日期

You can translate the pack dates on your egg carton with this guide. USDA [public domain]/Flickr

Near the expiration date, you'll also notice a three-digit code on the carton. This is the pack date and it's typically right around the plant number, which starts with the letter "P."

在过期日期附近，你还会注意到包装盒上有一个三位数的代码。这是包装日期，通常就在植物编号附近，植物编号以字母“p”开头。

Doing a sniff test

做嗅探测试

You might be able to tell if your eggs have gone bad just by that rank smell that's coming from your refrigerator. But the best way to do a sniff test it to crack an egg into a bowl and look at it for an unusual appearance or a bad odor, suggests the USDA. A spoiled egg will smell bad whether it's raw or cooked. If it looks and smells normal, it's OK to use.

你可以通过冰箱里的臭味来判断你的鸡蛋是不是坏了。但美国农业部建议，最好的嗅探方法是将鸡蛋敲入碗中，观察它是否有异常的外观或难闻的气味。无论是生的还是熟的，变质的鸡蛋闻起来都很难闻。如果外观和气味正常，就可以使用。