Why You Should Never Keep Eggs in This One Part of the Fridge

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Here in the Great White North, storing your eggs in the fridge is about as Canadian as hockey and maple syrup. But depending on where you place them in the fridge, you could be harming your health, a storage expert reveals. By the way, have you ever wondered why North Americans refrigerate eggs and Europeans don’t?

According to Vlatka Lake, a marketing manager at the storage company Space Station, you should never store these breakfast staples in the plastic egg rack that comes built-in—or as a separate insert with—fridges.

“When it comes to eggs, there is a huge debate on where they should be kept, with some saying in the fridge and others saying on the counter,” she told The Sun. “The general consensus is to store eggs in the fridge, but not in the egg racks commonly found on the fridge door.” (Here are 20 foods you’re spoiling by putting in the refrigerator.)

Why this little-known rule? Placing the eggs in the door of the fridge could expose them to fluctuating temperatures as you open and close the door throughout the day, Lake said. That, in turn, causes them to rot faster. You’d be better off storing the eggs on a shelf in the fridge, where the temps will remain fairly constant. There you have it!

Find out why you should never wash fresh eggs before cooking them.