Home cooks have long been divided over whether or not it's acceptable to keep eggs in the fridge and now TV chef James Martin has given his professional opinion on the matter.
During a recent appearance on This Morning, the former Saturday Kitchen host talked presenters Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield through the ins and outs of making a classic Victoria Sponge, leaving viewers' mouths watering with the result.
Among other tips, Martin advised amateur bakers to use 'beautiful' duck eggs rather than hen eggs if possible, demonstrating how this swap allowed for a lighter, better-risen cake.
Then the discussion turned to how exactly to store eggs ahead of baking sessions, as The Express reported.
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Martin explained that "all eggs are porous", meaning you should "never put eggs in the fridge. They absorb all the flavours from the fridge".
He continued: "So if you have truffle for instance, in the restaurant we use fresh truffle, you put that in a bowl with rice and put eggs on the top, cling film over the top and put in in the fridge overnight.
"When you break the eggs in the morning for breakfast for customers, truffle and scrambled eggs, there's no truffle in it. The flavours have gone into the egg itself".
Those watching at home were divided on this subject. While some heralded Martin's method 'amazing', others weren't too sure about it.
One person, who claimed to be a chicken keeper, tweeted: "I love James Martin but please ignore that info saying not to store eggs in fridge. If they’ve been washed they need storing in the fridge or you could risk getting salmonella".
Another agreed that they always keep their eggs in the fridge, explaining: "Just beat them for scrambled eggs and leave them covered in a bowl for about half an hour before I cook them."
As per the Food Standards Agency, whole eggs should be stored "in a cool dry place, ideally in the fridge, until you use them”, with the agency advising that "storing eggs at a constant cool temperature will help to keep them safe”.
The British Lion website also advises storing eggs at "a constant temperature below 20°C" to maintain "freshness and quality", all while making sure to "store away from strong-smelling food" and raw meat.
According to this site, eggs should be taken out of the fridge "half an hour before cooking for the best results, otherwise, the sudden change in temperature could crack the shell or lower its binding qualities in baking".
Do you keep your eggs in the fridge? Let us know.
