Would you wash your chicken eggs?

[BreezyCooking]

I raised chickens for eggs for quite a few years, & here's my take on it.

First off - eggs should be collected frequently - especially in warm weather - & refrigerated asap without washing. As posted previously, when eggs are laid they are covered with a protective bloom that prevents bacteria from permeating the porous shell, thus protecting the developing chick inside. Removing this bloom earlier than just before use removes this protection, thus allowing the egg to absorb odors & Lord knows what else. It also shortens shelf life.

As far as the refrigeration part, why oh why would you want to consume an egg that is quickly on it's way to becoming rotten, & how will you know that it's turned until you crack it into a pan? Yuck. Also - if you're purchasing your eggs from a local source that has one or more roosters in the flock, keep in mind that a "fertilized" room temperature egg will continue to develop for a few days. Again, yuck. My mom once had the interesting experience of cracking a locally produced (not one of ours) egg & having a partially developed chick drop into the pan. How delightful!! Refrigerating locally purchased eggs halts this development.

Right before using, I just gently rinsed my eggs under cool running water & dried them with paper towels. I don't bother washing regular supermarket eggs, as they've already been washed in an antibacterial solution.

Frankly, I would not want to eat anything containing eggs that hadn't been refrigerated, and I'm definitely not a germophobe. Refrigeration doesn't harm the quality of the egg at all, & for cooking purposes, you need only remove the egg ahead of time to bring it to room temp for merangues & such. No biggie.

 

[Constance]

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I'm assured I don't need to, but since moving here, I always wash these chicken eggs. They are not refrigerated (the only reason for chilling eggs is if they have already gone bad, locals tell me) and usually still have the feathers and (can I say this here... ) poop attached. Everything is VERY organic, very WHOLE food (of which I very much approve), but I thought this was a little extreme. So what if I have a broken egg here and there I have to toss out... wouldn't you wash your eggs too?


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I just talked to my friend who raises chickens.

First of all, discard any cracked (leakies) or broken eggs.

She says: DO NOT submerge fresh eggs in water, as the shell is very permeable.
If they have feathers and/or poop, just wipe them off with a damp rag that has been moistened in soapy water with a bit of Clorox in it. (We're talking just a few drops of soap & bleach). Only do that just before you break them.

We had scrambled eggs at her home this morning made from country eggs. They were accompanied by bacon and sausage form her own hogs, and they were awfully good!

 

[sparrowgrass]

I know a little about eggs--I worked briefly as a USDA poultry grader, and I now have my own chickens.

I wash mine in warm water with a drop or two of dish soap if they are so soiled that a wet paper towel doesn't work.

According to USDA regs, eggs should be washed in water a bit warmer than the eggs--cool water causes the shell to contract and draw bacteria into the egg. Commercially produced eggs are washed in a sanitizing solution.

If I want to boil my eggs, I wash them and let them "age" in the fridge for a week or two--fresh, unwashed eggs are nearly impossible to peel after boiling.

I do refrigerate my eggs--I like them over easy in the morning, and the yolks break easier if they are warm.

 

[-DEADLY SUSHI-]

In my life.... I have NEVER seen an egg with anything but white on them. Poop on an egg?!?!?!

 

[sparrowgrass]

Well, Deadly darlin', I guess you never have had eggs right out of a chicken's butt.

Commercial egg production facilities are set up so the egg does not stay in the nest for long--the floor of the nest box is slanted so as soon as the hen stands, the egg rolls down a chute to a collection area.

Those eggs are washed in sanitizer and sometimes lightly oiled before they are packed, so no chance of poo.

My girls lay their eggs in a straw lined nest box, and when they get up, there might be two or three other hens waiting in line to use the same box. Especially on rainy days, they have muddy, poopy feet that touch the eggs already in the box, so poo happens, in my henhouse.

Betcha never saw a 'tater with mud on it either. I think you need to come out to the country more often--come on over, I will let you gather the eggs for me, and dig the taters.

 

[CharlieD]

"Would you wash your chicken eggs?"

Well, if it was my chicken i wouldn't I'd trusat her to make sure to give me nice clean aggs. On the other hand if it was stranger's chicken the I would have to carefully exsamen them before.

 

[katluvscake]

I always wash my eggs and I buy them from the market I heard that if you are going to get food poisoning it comes from the outside of the egg.

 

[CharlieD]

I know this isn’t going to be funny for you, Americans (well some might consider vulgar, so forgive me), but I just can’t help my self but laugh. You know those things you call nuts, well, … we call them eggs... Sorry, I just have to laugh some more.

 

[sparrowgrass]

Katluvscake, that is not necessarily so--the salmonella comes from the hen, and can be inside the eggs.

Not usually a problem for healthy folks but tots and and immune deficient folks should probably avoid undercooked eggs.

Gimme mine over easy, however.