How Long Will Leftover Egg Wash Last In The Fridge?

An egg wash is one of those simple ingredients that adds some serious crispiness and luster to plenty of recipes. It's the best way to get a perfect crust on your French toast, and it's necessary for getting that golden color on your oven-baked puff pastry. If you're not using it in everyday baking, you should be — and you can even make it in bulk, and keep it in your refrigerator to use for multiple recipes. A fresh batch of egg wash will last up to two days when properly refrigerated, per the American Egg Board, so if you're making several baked goods recipes one weekend, there's no need to make a new bowl of egg wash every time.

Egg wash is a blend of eggs and liquid (usually water or milk), that are whisked together to form a thick, sauce-like texture. Since it's made with raw eggs, you should follow regular food safety protocols when handling it, but you can easily pop it in a Tupperware container, seal it up, and just use it as needed.

Egg wash won't last too long in the refrigerator, so consider that when deciding how much you need to make. Raw eggs outside of their shells have a much shorter shelf life than those still within their shell or those that have been cooked. Make sure the refrigerator temperature is well outside of the "danger zone," meaning it should be less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Egg wash can be made in a variety of ways, but the whole egg plus milk (or cream) combination is the one you'll probably see the most. To make your own, just add one tablespoon of liquid for every egg you use, and whisk them together well. You can also use just yolks or just egg whites, but the shelf life remains the same. According to the Food and Drug Administration, eggs — especially raw eggs — can grow bacteria if kept too long or stored at too warm of a temperature. Specifically, salmonella is a risk. This bacterial disease can lead to vomiting and diarrhea. Most healthy people fully recover, however. If the eggs smell or look off, discard them right away.

Depending on what you're making, egg wash has two main purposes: to add shine and create a crispy crust. If you're making French toast, you'll need a large bowl of egg wash, because you'll fully submerge the bread in it. You can even add a little cinnamon and sugar to the wash to give the French toast extra flavor. For most other recipes, you'll need a silicone brush. You'll add some egg wash to the brush, then coat the top of the dough with it. When brushing the egg wash, it's best to use a silicone brush, because the bristles won't shed, meaning you won't risk getting small brush pieces in your baked goods.

As the recipe bakes, the heat hits the fat and protein within the eggs, and it reacts in such a way to give the dough that perfect golden color with a little sheen — it's the ultimate way to pretty up any baked good dish.