How to Bring Eggs to Room Temperature Fast
When the urge to bake strikes, there's a trick you can rely on to get your eggs to room temperature quickly.
Simply Recipes / Ciara Kehoe
For many baking recipes, room temperature eggs especially are necessary to get your foot in the door. Luckily, there are a few easy tricks for warming them up quickly. So the next time sweet inspiration strikes at a moment’s notice, you’ll be ready.
What Does “Room Temperature” Mean?
Room temperature isn't a magic number. Sources give ranges between 68 and 74 degrees F (20 to 23 degrees C).
But there's no need to break out the thermometer. With eggs it's pretty straightforward. You’ll know they’ve reached room temperature when the shells are no longer cool to the touch.
How Long Does It Take for Eggs to Get to Room Temperature?
If you're doing it the old-fashioned way—by letting them sit out on the counter—it all depends on how cold your fridge is and the ambient temperature of your kitchen.
But in general, if you take them out of the fridge and place them on a towel or in a container on the counter, your eggs will reach room temperature in 30 minutes or so. Eggs left in the carton will take longer. After 2 hours, you're crossing over the USDA's recommended window of time for eggs to be out of the refrigerator.
Read More:How Long Can Eggs Be Out of the Fridge?
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How to Bring Eggs to Room Temperature Quickly
Fill a bowl with warm water from the tap (you don’t want this water to be hot, or else you risk partially cooking the eggs in their shells; warm-to-the-touch water is perfect). Now gently place your eggs in the bowl and let them sit for 5-10 minutes. When the eggs are no longer cool to the touch, you’re good to go. To further expedite this process, you can leave the bowl under gently running warm water.
Need to know how to get butter to room temperature quickly? We have the scoop on that, too!
Read More:How to Soften Butter Quickly
A version of this article originally appeared on MyRecipes.com
