Mineral oil for coating washed eggs...

Hi,

I know the general consensus is not to wash eggs unless absolutely necessary but it bothers me to put unwashed eggs in clean cartons and then put those same unwashed eggs in my refrigerator. I also sell a few eggs here and there and I don't think my customers would understand if they were dirty.

I'm not happy that I am removing the "bloom" from the eggs, which is supposed to keep them fresh. I looked on the eggcartons.com site and I noticed that they are selling mineral oil in a spray can for $12.95 plus shipping. I don't see anywhere that it states the size of the can. They claim that the eggs will keep for at least 6-8 months when sprayed with the mineral oil, but I don't think I would want to eat eggs quite that old, anyway!

I was browsing in my local Bed, Bath & Beyond store and came across TreeSpirit Food Safe Mineral Oil. A 12 ounce bottle was $6.99. They were selling the oil for the purpose of protecting wooden cutting boards, utensils, etc. from drying, splitting, and cracking.

I am now going to try this on the eggs that I am keeping for our own consumption. I would like to apply it to the eggs I sell but I am worried that some folks wouldn't understand why the eggs are shiny/oily looking. I just put some eggs in the fridge and I will check them tomorrow and see if they still have that shiny appearance. This is the product:



On the back label is written "Never use vegetable oil, which can turn rancid and cause an unpleasant odor or flavor." I assume this would apply to eggs, also (especially if they are 6 to 8 months old).

Just thought I would share this information! Genie

I just started using food grade mineral oil on my washed eggs. They don't stay shiny for long. After a day or two the oily appearance dulls and they look like all they other eggs. Just be sure you only apply a small amount to your hands when you start, it'll go a LONG way and the less you use on the eggs the quicker they'll look like all the others.

You may be interested in this product.

http://www.eggcartons.com/product-exec/product_id/283/nm/KePeg_Egg_Preserver_KEP

I would choose this over mineral oil. Mineral oil comes from petroleum and I believe the reason the eggs no longer look shiny after a day or two is because the oil absorbed into the shell. I wouldn't want to knowingly eat eggs that had absorbed a petroleum based product. The main reason most of us keep chickens is to have more control over the potentially harmful things our food is exposed to.

Quote:
Oops, I should've check first. I got my mineral oil from eggcartons.com and thought it was the same.... my bad.

so how did this turn out?

I am not understanding the purpose of the oil...? Is it too keep the eggs fresher longer?

Petroleum based = gasoline. It is not intended for use on food, is it? Mineral oil is poisonous. Ingested, it blocks absorption of all the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, K , E) Used to be approved for use as a laxative, it was toxic enough to make people sick with diarrhea, but that is no longer recommended.

There's good evidence that it is carcinogenic as well. I wouldn't use it near food.

Hmmm.... since when did petroleum become food?

I don't know about freshness, but it does make cleaning the egg easier. I squirted some into one of those nylon net bath ball thingies, and keep it at the sink. Under lukewarm water, I buff the egg with the scrubber. I never use a rag anymore for cleaning eggs. The scrubber maintains just enough oil in it all the time to make the eggs clean up easier. I think the oil takes off the dirt without completely removing the bloom.

Why not just use a commercial egg wash, they sell it by the gallon almost anywhere poultry supplies are sold, it's simple, safe and non toxic, why is this topic so hard to get past, it ain't rocket science my friends.

AL