How long do egg rolls last (cooked and uncooked)?
The egg roll originates from Asia but has become stable in many homes throughout America. They are quick to eat, always tasty, and pair perfectly with dips. This super convenient appetizer has gained a lot of traction in the market, but there is a burning question, how long do they last when raw or cooked?
Are you confused between egg rolls and spring rolls? It’s easy. Egg rolls usually contain meat and veg, whereas spring rolls usually contain veg. That’s the difference.
With egg rolls becoming so popular, homemade, and store-bought, it is essential to know how they are stored.
This article will give you the low down on egg rolls, cooked and uncooked, so you know how long they can be stored and the best way to store them.
Let’s get into it.
Do egg rolls (cooked or uncooked) expire?
Yes, they do. Clearly, the uncooked egg rolls are more susceptible to expiry due to the raw ingredients.
Before passing judgment on the shelf life of uncooked egg rolls, it is worth noting that the ingredients and the wrapper are essentially raw.
If you look at the construction of an egg roll, you have the wrapper that can be just simple flour, egg, and water with a pinch of salt mixture rolled into thin circles.
The filling will likely be ground chicken, beef, or pork with added veggies such as cabbage. Carrot and bean sprouts It is a simple egg wrap.
The raw ingredients can be spooned into the wrapper and then molded in a sausage shape or in a piping bag that delivers a more uniform sausage shape.
The wrap is folded over and sealed with water or egg. It’s normal to make a big batch of maybe twenty or thirty at once and then store them.
If the filling is chicken-based, raw chicken has a shelf life of 2 days in the fridge. After that, it is not edible. If the egg roll is based on raw pork, the shelf life will be 1 day. If it’s ground beef, you may get four days.
The expiry date of uncooked egg rolls is directly linked to the shelf life of the filling.
Cooked egg rolls do not have a long shelf life in the fridge, but they can last up to four days if stored in an airtight container.
The above assumes the fridge temperature is 40℉ or below, and the egg rolls are placed in an airtight container for storage.
Do egg rolls (cooked or uncooked) need to be refrigerated?
Yes. For uncooked egg rolls, the shelf life will reduce to a couple of hours if they are not stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
The airtight container will do two things. First, it will prevent bacteria from the food from spreading throughout the refrigerator. According to the USDA, bacteria growth in uncooked foods can accelerate to levels that make the food inedible within two hours.
Second, it will prevent tainting foods with intense flavors like a chopped onion.
Cooked egg rolls should also be stored in the fridge. Despite their crunch exterior, the egg rolls are still susceptible to bacteria growth outside the fridge.
Placing cooked egg rolls in an airtight container will make them last longer. Your fridge is full of moisture. The door frequently opens, allowing moisture from the outside atmosphere to waft into the fridge. This then turns to condensation and then coalesces, forming water droplets.
Once the cooked egg roll wrapper becomes moist, the egg roll becomes dubious at best. It will lose the crispy exterior, become limp, and possibly be exposed to bacteria from the moisture in the air.
Do you have to cover egg rolls in the fridge/ Will it make a difference?
Covering the egg rolls makes a considerable difference when placing them in the fridge. Uncooked egg rolls will prevent strong smells from tainting other foods in the fridge and help control the bacteria level on the raw ingredients.
If you want to maximize the life of cooked egg rolls, it is essential to cover them, so they remain crispy and edible.
Can you put warm cooked egg rolls in the fridge?
It is not advisable. If you place several egg rolls in an airtight container that is warm in the fridge, you have introduced a heat supply into somewhere that is meant to be cool.
Placing warm egg rolls will elevate the interior temperature of the fridge and can bring the temperature above 40℉, which places the fridge’s contents in the food danger zone.
Once the food is in the danger zone, the bacteria in the food will accelerate growth rapidly, making the food inedible after two hours at above 40℉. The food should be considered garbage according to the USDA and should be thrown away.
Your fridge may not be as efficient as you think when it comes to cooling. It can take an hour or so for ht e fridge to reduce temperature to 40℉ and below.
How long can egg rolls sit out (cooked and uncooked)?
Uncooked egg rolls sitting out at room temperature are a ticking time bomb. The shelf life of uncooked food could be as low as twenty minutes. Still, if we stick to USDA guidelines, the maximum time will be two hours before the bacterial load is so high the food is deemed dangerous to consume.
But surely cooking in hot oil will kill the bacteria? Yes, it will. However, it does not kill the dangerous toxins left by the bacteria that could make you trip to the ER if you consume the food.
You may have guessed that the shelf life of cooked egg rolls can stay out for two hours, and you are perceptive to assume this. According to the USDA, perishable foods can only sit at room temperature for two hours until the bacterial load is so high that the food becomes potentially dangerous.
How long do egg rolls last in the fridge ( cooked or uncooked)?
Uncooked egg rolls will depend on the meat filling you have chosen. The shortest time will be close to hours and not a day, while beef, a more stable product, will be okay for a few days.
On the other hand, cooked egg rolls are stored correctly in an airtight container that will last for maybe four days, even five days, if the fridge is around 35℉.
Do frozen egg rolls (cooked or uncooked) go bad?
The positive news is that uncooked egg rolls can be frozen easily if stored correctly. They should be placed on a baking tray and left to chill for 40 minutes which will firm the egg roll. Then, place the egg rolls in a Ziploc bag and lay them flat, so they are not stuck together.
Gently remove as much of the air from the bag as possible before sealing. Place the egg rolls in the freezer. If you have a large batch, mark the freezing date on the bag.
Stored this way, the uncooked egg rolls will last for 4 months and still be perfect when they are cooked.
Cooked egg rolls need the same amount of care before freezing. Surprisingly, the time in the freeze is less than uncooked egg rolls. Cooked egg rolls will last for 2 months in the freezer.
Extended freezing will cause the egg rolls to become hard and brittle. If you push the limits of freezing egg rolls, you quickly discover that the wrapper’s texture will change, not making a great egg roll.
However, all is not lost. If the wrapper has not performed well in the freezer, you can remove the frozen inner meat and veg in the uncooked egg rolls and start again.
Do you thaw egg rolls (cooked or uncooked)?
You can cook uncooked egg rolls straight from the freezer. It actually gives a superior product to thawing. However, be careful not to overload the fryer, the Temperature of the hot cooking oil will drop significantly.
For cooked egg rolls, you can drop them in the fryer. Just wait for them to be cooked thoroughly before eating.
You can also place cooked egg rolls in an oven preheated to 350℉, they will take around 20 mins to cook through but they should be crunchy and delicious.
Are frozen egg rolls precooked?
No. Egg rolls bought from the grocery store freezer section are raw and need to be cooked, but these yummy rolls can be cooked frozen in a fryer. They can be placed in an oven for 20 minutes at 350℉ and even air fried.
Final thoughts
This yummy, versatile, convenient food is popular because it is easy to make at home, and you can make some delicious mixtures. There are no rules for the ingredients; some even use egg rolls for cooking sweet fillers like fruits and chocolate.
Traditional egg rolls have an uncooked filler. The shelf life in the fridge should not be pushed to the limits. They will only last a day or two before they spoil. Frozen uncooked egg rolls will last for four months and still be perfect when cooked.
Cooked egg rolls last for approximately five days in the fridge and for 2 months when frozen.
