How long do hard boiled eggs stay fresh peeled? Unpeeled?

skrishna
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3 Comments

pierino March 28, 2012
This is an interesting question. I travel a lot. Frequently one of the items on the hotel's "complimentary" breakfast turns out to be pre-peeled hard cooked eggs. Now I know nobody on site is going to be cooking and peeling 50 or 60 eggs each morning. So they come refrigerated from a supplier to the hotel chain. I agree with ChefOno that eggs are one of nature's miracles. I figure your own soul is shaped like an egg.
 
ChefOno March 28, 2012
Eggs are one of nature's miracles. They'll keep a lot longer than one might think.

USDA regulations state the "sell by" date may be up to 45 days from the pack date (some state regs may be less) and recommends using them (properly refrigerated) within 3-5 weeks of purchase.

Once out of the shell, all bets are off. The standard advice is to use shelled, hard-cooked eggs within 4-5 days.


 
SeaJambon March 28, 2012
Unpeeled and in the fridge - a week. I've never kept them peeled and would think they would dry out quickly (but maybe an airtight container? with some damp paper towels?). And if you decide to pickle them -- they should keep just about forever ...

And, despite the guidance above -- if you don't like how they look or smell, throw them out. Anything that doesn't 100% pass the sniff test needs to be discarded immediately.
 
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