How to store oysters so they stay fresh for a long time

Oysters are best kept refrigerated. One of the more common ways to store oysters is refrigeration; the refrigeration temperature should be a constant 1-2°C. Higher temperatures breed bacteria and cause spoilage, while lower temperatures freeze and damage the oysters. Refrigerated oysters can be kept for at most three to five days. At 0°C, they can survive 5~10 days longer, but their plumpness decreases and the taste changes, so it is best not to store them; buy them and eat them fresh.

The scientific name of the oyster is Ostrea, and it is a common shellfish in the ocean, belonging to the family Ostreidae or the family Gryphaeidae; it is a bivalve mollusk distributed in the coastal waters of temperate and tropical oceans. Animals of the genus Spondylus and the genus Anomia are sometimes also called spiny oysters and saddle oysters respectively. Oysters were already farmed and eaten as early as 1000 BC; pearls can be produced in the mantle of pearl oysters. The two shells of an oyster differ in shape, with a rough, dark gray surface; the upper shell bulges in the middle; the lower shell attaches to other objects, is larger, rather flat, and has a relatively smooth edge; the inner surfaces of both shells are white and smooth. The two shells are connected at the narrower end by an elastic ligament. In the middle of the shell is a powerful adductor muscle, used to resist the pull of the ligament. When the shell is slightly open, the wavelike movement of cilia draws water into the shell (the volume of water flowing through can reach 2~3 gallons per hour), filtering plankton for food.