Can't find info need help on soaking eggs.

[Chic CAN]

I have looked and looked on line and everyone says 'not' to soak you eggs in water to clean them. But I can't find a reason why. I have searched the web. Any specialists?

I soak mine in cool water with a light natural fruit and veggie wash because my ducks make a mud mess and the hens always like to put their feet in it. So I get muddy poo in my aggs.. and I have one hen that seems to dive bomb the favorite nesting box -_- so annoying.

I soak them so that they will clean off, but its now very long, plus the winter is the worst. I have had no problem with my eggs at all. I did, however, forget a batch in the water for a long time.

So what I want to know is why not to soak eggs? And I really don't want to throw out 3 dozen Organic eggs.

 

[1muttsfan]

Egg shells are porous, to allow oxygen in. This makes them susceptible to bacteria entering through the pores. When an egg is laid a thin layer, called the bloom, is the last thing added to the egg. The bloom seals the egg, and protects it from bacterial contamination. If you catch an egg that has just been layed, it is wet for a minute or two - this wet layer is the bloom.

When you wash eggs you wash off the bloom. If eggs are dirty and must be washed, than do so - but they must be refrigerated after, and will not stay as fresh for as long. Do not leave eggs soaking in liquid, as this may increase the risk of bacterial contamination. When you wash eggs use water slightly warmer than the egg temperature, to avoid forcing liquid in the pores. Dry eggs after washing and before storing.

 

[Chic CAN]

Egg shells are porous, to allow oxygen in. This makes them susceptible to bacteria entering through the pores. When an egg is laid a thin layer, called the bloom, is the last thing added to the egg. The bloom seals the egg, and protects it from bacterial contamination. If you catch an egg that has just been layed, it is wet for a minute or two - this wet layer is the bloom.

When you wash eggs you wash off the bloom. If eggs are dirty and must be washed, than do so - but they must be refrigerated after, and will not stay as fresh for as long. Do not leave eggs soaking in liquid, as this may increase the risk of bacterial contamination. When you wash eggs use water slightly warmer than the egg temperature, to avoid forcing liquid in the pores. Dry eggs after washing and before storing.

Thank you very much. I do know about the bloom, and only wash the dirty ones, but my mus loveing hens make it for most, an the barn is kept warm so is dries on it. Such dirty birds.



So "May increase the risk of Bactieria' is the reason one does not soak eggs. I just waned some sound info which does not seem to exist on the web. just people saying.. don't do it. but no actual reason why. Does anyone have so sources to point me to these facts? Thanks

Okay well the water is slightly warm and my wash is loaded with GSE so the bacteria should not be too bad as long as the egg is fully cooked. and I do refrigerate after washing.

Again I am just looking for why not to soak eggs in water.

 

[donrae]

I don't know this info first hand, but I've seen it on this board from folks I respect and who do quite a bit of research, so I'd believe it. I just can't back it up personally with links or anything. I think it has more to do with the temp of the water than the actual soaking.

Cool water helps "open" the pores on the egg, allowing bacteria to pass through easier. Warm water/temps "seals" them down, making the egg less permeable. I've read to make sure the wash water is at least 20 degrees warmer than the egg to decrease risk of bacterial contamination.

Again, I have no back up for this, I think it was Fred's Hens who posted it, you could search his posts if you want and see if he had a link for it. If it wasn't Fred, I apologize.

I'm with you on the ducks and mud. I picked 3 eggs up out of the mud today, from new layers who don't get the whole "where to lay your egg" thing. Since I'm immune compromised right now, I just feed them to my dog. He's pretty happy!

If I was healthy, I'd eat the ones you described. I'd be sure they were fully cooked, no raw egg smoothies or sunny side up, but I'd still eat them as long as they looked/smelled okay.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Everything I read generally is not to wash your eggs until you are about to eat them and when you do to always use water warmer than the egg. If you are going to refrigerate to try to dry wash them first if they have a little muck on them.

This is an interesting experiment where eggs are washed and stored in different ways and then tested for freshness over long period of time:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real...ggs-zmaz77ndzgoe.aspx?PageId=4#ArticleContent

"[1] Unwashed, fertile homestead eggs seem to store much better than washed, unfertile agribiz eggs. Why? Probably for the simple reason that they're unwashed . . . and not because they're fertile. Hen fruit, as it comes from the chicken, is coated with a light layer of a natural sealing agent called "bloom". And, while a good wash may make a batch of eggs look more attractive, it also removes this natural protective coating . . . leaving the eggs more subject to aging and attack by the air and bacteria in the air."

Also this article from My Pet Chicken:

http://www.mypetchicken.com/backyar...e-best-way-to-wash-and-store-my-eggs-H62.aspx

"If you do decide to wash your eggs, your solution should be slightly warmer than the egg you are washing to reduce the amount of bacteria you are driving in (as the egg cools, what is not the shell will be drawn inside, and if you have removed the bloom, the bacteria will enter)."

I am assuming based on this info that soaking for long enough for the water to cool is the issue. So, I think it really depends on what sort of soaking you are doing. Perhaps a rinse and gentle scrub would be better? If you are you not having an issues and you are happy with your set up then do what works for you.

 

[Chic CAN]

Thanks guys

LOL @ donrea yeah I am with you on that. My duck also decided it was more fun to lay in the muddle of their mud puddle than in the barn anymore. *sigh*

Yeah that massive batch soaked a while, but my solution is plant based oils, limepeel oil, GSE, and warm water. I had to step out and forgot about them. So at least the solution had anti-bacterial properties. I only eat fully cooked eggs so we wil see how it goes. I don't like to waste. And my poochie is actually sick of eggs lol.

 

[Chic CAN]

Yeah I was hoping to find like something with some experimental backup to know bacterial risk levels. SO far all I can find is.. 'egg shell gets heavier'.. yeah that was what I wanted 'not'.

oh well. But I did find that the heat swells the contents causing it to push bacteria out and assume that cold does the opposite.

 

[donrae]

Yeah I was hoping to find like something with some experimental backup to know bacterial risk levels. SO far all I can find is.. 'egg shell gets heavier'.. yeah that was what I wanted 'not'.

oh well. But I did find that the heat swells the contents causing it to push bacteria out and assume that cold does the opposite.

That really makes sense when you think of it from a reproductive standpoint--the hen starts setting on the eggs, and the increased temp pushes away potential bacterial contamination from the developing chick.

 

[Chic CAN]

Quote: Yes it does.

Well I just hope my solution was good enough to save the bacteria from getting in, and so far no one has been sick. And I have been doing this for almost 2 years, I just have never forgotten them to soak too long before. Next time the ducks get their own pen lol.

 

[donrae]

Just curious--how long were the eggs soaked?