This depends on where you live.
In the US and a few other countries, eggs are washed in hot water and treated with disinfectant, due to Salmonella, E.coli, listeria, and other bacteria.
This sterilisation process eliminates any bacteria that might be on the outer shell but also removes the surface cuticle, which actually protects the egg against contamination. Cold temperatures also degrade this protective film.
In most European countries, eggs are kept at a constant “room temperature” from production to the supermarket shelf, to avoid any thermal shock. This is to prevent any condensation from forming, which would allow bacteria to pass between the outer shell and the inside of the egg.
There are other good reasons.. the taste of eggs deteriorates when cold (like tomatoes), and cooking with eggs that are room at temperature is preferable.
But wherever you live here are a few recommendations:
– keep the temperature constant
– keep them in a clean environment, in spite of the protective cuticle, egg shells have millions of little holes that allow other odours to pass.
– keep them in their original carton and not in the refrigerator door where they are regularly bounced about, they don’t like this!
– Above all, buy them as fresh as possible.
And if you do become a “warm egger …just think of the extra space you’ll have in your fridge : )
