Pickled eggs are usually hard-boiled eggs cured with brine or vinegar. Originally, the reason for curing eggs was mainly to preserve them for a longer time, but nowadays, we don’t need to do that because we have other ways to store food.
Since we still love pickled eggs simply for their taste, they’re still a very popular product, though. But because they were initially made so that the eggs can last longer, it may leave you wondering:
Do pickled eggs need to be refrigerated? Yes, pickled eggs need to be refrigerated, although they can last for a while, even at room temperature. But for long-term storing, putting your pickled eggs in the fridge is necessary. That way, they may last eatable even for a year in some cases!
So this is the answer! But, as you probably already know, this is just the brief one, and there’s much more to be told about refrigerating pickled eggs.
So what are we waiting for? Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
- Do pickled eggs need to be refrigerated after opening?
- What happens when you don’t refrigerate pickled eggs after opening?
- Why do pickled eggs need to be refrigerated?
- How long can you leave pickled eggs in the fridge?
- How long do pickled eggs last unrefrigerated?
- How to tell if pickled eggs are bad?
- Summary
- Resources
Do pickled eggs need to be refrigerated after opening?
Yes, pickled eggs need to be refrigerated after opening because otherwise, they would turn bad very quickly. That’s because although pickled eggs are meant to last for a bit on their own, they have to be still sealed to be able to do that.
Therefore, when you open your pickled eggs, you take away their natural ability to stay eatable for a while, and that has to be compensated by putting them into the fridge.
Do store-bought pickled eggs need to be refrigerated?
Although,initiallyy, pickled eggs were created in order to preserve eggs for some time, nowadays, it is recommended to put them into the fridge. So yes, store-bought pickled eggs need to be refrigerated.
Despite that, store-bought pickled eggs technically should last a while without refrigerating, but there’s no reason to risk, right?
Do Hannah’s pickled eggs need to be refrigerated?
Many kinds of pickled eggs are sold in every supermarket, but Hannah’s pickled eggs are indeed the most popular ones. Do you have to refrigerate them, though?
Yes, Hannah’s pickled eggs should be refrigerated to last long periods of time. With that being said, though, they should be able to last for some time, even on their own, since they’re pickled.
Do homemade pickled eggs need to be refrigerated?
Yes, homemade pickled eggs always need to be refrigerated because there’s an even higher chance that they’ll turn bad on their own than with the store-bought ones. Therefore, putting them into the fridge is simply the smartest thing to do.
What happens when you don’t refrigerate pickled eggs after opening?
As we have just mentioned in the last paragraphs, putting them into the fridge is recommended with every can of pickled eggs. And this especially goes for the cans that were already opened.
When you don’t refrigerate pickled eggs after opening, they start to turn rancid exceptionally quickly and will be uneatable in a matter of a week or two. On the contrary, they can last for months when in the fridge!
Why do pickled eggs need to be refrigerated?
But what is the reason we have to refrigerate pickled eggs? Well, simply to make them last longer. Although the vinegar used to cure them gives them an ability not to turn bad for a while, pickled eggs don’t stay eatable for centuries on their own.
How long can you leave pickled eggs in the fridge?
And that doesn’t happen in the fridge either, to be fair, but you can extend their lifespan by quite a bit – when refrigerated, pickled eggs can last even a year!
However, leaving them for that long in the fridge isn’t the wisest thing to do because many kinds of pickled eggs start to turn bad after three or four months, even when refrigerated. Therefore, you should always try to eat them as soon as possible.
How long do pickled eggs last unrefrigerated?
As we’ve explained in the previous answer, pickled eggs can last even a year in the fridge. How long do they last when unrefrigerated, though? Unrefrigerated pickled eggs can last for up to one month; they need to be put in a fairly cold and dark place, though.
Pickled eggs left at light and room temperature can still last a little bit, but they will usually turn bad in just a week.
How to tell if pickled eggs are bad?
Eating bad pickled eggs may come with many serious health problems, but, fortunately, it is pretty easy to tell the bad pickled eggs from the good ones.
The easiest way to do so is by taking a good sniff – if you notice something weird about their smell (usually, pickled eggs will smell like the cure used to make them), it’s time to throw them out.
Summary
Pickled eggs are a popular snack initially used to preserve eggs for longer periods of time. But nowadays, this is not why we still love them, because we have other options to store food like putting it in the fridge.
And, even with pickled eggs, it is recommended to use the refrigerator. However, they can last without refrigerating for a while (it was a common practice in many bars to have a jar with pickled eggs as a bar snack).
But if you want to store them for a longer time, putting them into the fridge is needed. That way, they can be eatable for even as long as one year!
Resources
Image credits – Canva
