How Long Hard Boiled Eggs Last (And Why)?

Exact Answer: Up to 1 week

The shelf life of hard-boiled eggs would be around 7 days or less. The hard-boiled eggs are extremely nutritious but come with a very short shelf life. Everyone can prevent the contamination and spoiling process of hard-boiled eggs by putting them inside the fridge. If someone stores the hard Boiled egg at room temperature then it may host bacterial growth.

Put the hard-boiled eggs in the fridge within 1 to 2 hours after cooking. Use a sealed or air-tight container to store the hard-boiled eggs in the fridge. Avoid opening the fridge continuously as it would cause temperature fluctuation in the fridge.

How Long Hard Boiled Eggs Last?

The hard boiled egg’s shelf-life depends on how someone stores them. The person should prefer a cold temperature for storing the hard-boiled eggs. The fridge would be the best option for storing the hard-boiled eggs as the temperature of the fridge is extremely cold. Everybody may feel a different type of odor inside the fridge where the hard-boiled eggs are stored.

This is due to the production or formation of hydrogen sulfide that forms during the boiling process. The smell of hydrogen sulfide is not harmful and would not cause any problem with the other food stored in the fridge. The smell would vanish within a few hours.

Avoid putting the hard-boiled eggs in the freezer as it would make the eggs tougher. If someone wants to get the best hard-boiled eggs, then peeling them would work. Always wait to peel them before using hard-boiled eggs in any recipe. If the hard-boiled eggs are already peeled, then it’s better to keep them in a sealed container with a damp paper towel.

Keeping them with a damp paper towel is vital as the hard-boiled eggs may dry out very easily. Avoid storing the peeled hard-boiled egg at room temperature as it would go bad in two hours. It’s always recommended to not peel the hard-boiled eggs if someone is not going to use them in recipes.

Keep both peeled and unpeeled hard-boiled eggs on the shelf of the fridge, as the door may not be a good choice for proper cooling.

Why Hard Boiled Eggs Last This Long?

Peeled or unpeeled hard-boiled eggs in the fridge would not last for more than 7 days or 1 week. Nobody should eat the hard-boiled eggs after the eggs go bad. Once the quality of the hard-boiled eggs keeps on degrading, then it may cause health problems. Health problems such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea can happen due to hard-boiled eggs.

The yolk of the hard-boiled eggs may start turning green if the eggs are starting to get spoiled. Greenish yolk always doesn’t mean that the eggs are going bad. It’s always best to observe the color of the hard-boiled eggs after the boiling process is over. So that the person can mark the change easily. Sometimes, the color of the yolk will change depending on the boiling time.

Sometimes, the overcooking or boiling of eggs could make the yolk color change. This will happen due to a reaction between iron in the yolk and hydrogen sulfide. The shelf life of hard-boiled eggs may also change according to the boiling time. Some eggs may not live longer than 2 to 3 days if they’re not properly cooked. Therefore to save the freshness of the hard-boiled eggs, it’s pivotal to handle and cook them correctly.

Conclusion

The shelf life of the hard-boiled eggs would be around 1 week inside the refrigerator. It’s always recommended to store the hard-boiled eggs in an egg carton or in a sealed container. People should avoid storing the peeled eggs as they may not last for a long time. Storing the unpeeled eggs properly in the fridge would be a good choice.

As the eggs can create odor for some hours after the boiling process is over, so keep that in mind too. Hard-boiled eggs are a great source of vitamins, so having them would build health in various manners.

References

1. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2008.00776.x
2. https://www.jstor.org/stable/452216