Cleaning Eggs

[MetallicBlue]

Hello, I'm not sure where is the correct place to post this question, so if it needs moved, please do.

My husband said he had heard that when I bring the eggs into the house that I should beach bath them first then keep them in dry storage for two weeks. Has anyone heard of this, is it correct?

I've had major stomach problems due to the chlorine in city water (that they tell you is harmless). I told him that I am willing to clean in vinegar water, but I don't want chlorine anywhere near my food after 30 years of excruciating stomach pain.

 

[Tamara119]

Personally, I never wash the eggs, not even the poopy ones. Do a search for "bloom" and you'll see that this is a natural, antibiotic coating on the eggs that keeps them sealed and clean. If you want to wash the eggs, do so with just cool water and only before using them. If you wash them before storing them, they will lose some of their water content and be at risk for contamination. You also don't need to wait any amount of time before eating them. Nothing like a still-warm egg going straight into the frying pan! The only reason you might want to wait before eating an egg is if you want it hard-boiled. An older egg (about a week old) will be easier to peel the eggshell from once hard-boiled.
Good luck, and enjoy the fresh eggs!

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

I must disagree with the above. Never wash eggs in cool water. When you wash eggs in water that is cooler than the egg, you force air into the pores of the egg-and that takes bacteria along with it. Always, always wash eggs in water that's hotter than the egg. That forces air out of the pores of the egg, and removes bacteria as well. Here's a fact sheet from the University of Nebraska. http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/live/g1724/build/g1724.pdf

I'm not sure where your husband came up with his ideas--I've never heard anything like them. Eggs are at their best when eaten as soon as possible. If you want to store them, storing them unwashed in the refrigerator is best. Eggs can be left out at room temperature, but they age faster. Here's an article from Mother Earth News: http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/fresh-eggs.aspx

Washing eggs or not is up to you. They might age faster if washed, but are not at increased risk of contamination (unless you wash them in cool water). If you do want to wash your eggs and don't want to use chlorinated egg washing soap, here is an enzyme based product that I think highly of: http://www.meyerhatchery.com/produc...plies&grd_prodone_filter=PRODUCT_ID = '94166'

For sale, we wash all eggs. For home consumption, we only wash eggs that are poopy. In your case, making sure that your nest boxes are clean and well-bedded and stopping hens from sleeping in the boxes will keep your eggs as clean as possible and you might not feel the need to wash them at all.

 

[Tamara119]

Oops, my bad. I got turned around on that. I do know about the temp gradient, and of course it is water warmer than the egg. As I never wash eggs I got confuzzled.
Cheers,
Tamara

 

[MetallicBlue]

Thanks. I appreciate the info.