Cleaning eggs

[Laurie Williams]

Hello,
This might be the wrong section to post this. What is the best way to clean eggs for consumption? I heard washing in cold water opens pores and can introduce bacteria. I also heard not to soak or scrub the eggs. Is placing them in the fridge prior to washing them better than leaving them on the counter?

 

[nuthatched]

Rinse in cold water so you don't wash the bloom of, then refrigerate.
An egg ages more in a day on the counter than fridged eggs in a week.

 

[Ridgerunner]

This might be the wrong section to post this.

This is a great section to put this.

What is the best way to clean eggs for consumption? I heard washing in cold water opens pores and can introduce bacteria. I also heard not to soak or scrub the eggs.

I assume you are talking about storage, not immediately before you open them to cook them. If it is just before you open them rinsing them under tap water is as good as any other method. The temperature of that water does not matter. It does for storage.

About the last thing a hen does when laying an egg is to put a liquid layer we call bloom on it. That's why it looks wet when first laid. That liquid immediately dries and creates a great protection form bacteria getting into the inside of the egg where it will multiply and ruin the egg. As long as that layer stays intact the egg can stay in the nest for a couple of weeks or longer and go through several weeks of incubation and then hatch without bacteria getting inside. The bloom can be very protective.

If the bloom is compromised then bacteria can get inside and ruin the egg. In the coop, if an egg gets a glob of wet mud or poop on it the bloom can be compromised. If you rub the egg with your thumb or fingers or sandpaper the egg to clean it you compromise the bloom. Washing it can remove the bloom, regardless of water temperature. If an egg has a blob of mud or poop on it or if you wash it or otherwise clean it, it needs to be refrigerated at a temperature low enough that bacteria cannot multiply. If the bloom is still intact you can store the egg on your counter for weeks without if going bad. If the egg has been fertilized you do not want to store it too warm or it will start to develop but that's a different situation.

The temperature of the water is important if you wash it and refrigerate it. If the egg cools off the material inside the egg will shrink which causes a suction. Water on the outside of the egg can be sucked in. By washing it you have removed the bloom. If there is bacteria in that wash it can be sucked into the egg. If you wash it in water warmer than the temperature of the egg the insides of the egg will expand, keeping any water out. By the time it cools off the bacteria should have been washed away so the suction is not a problem, no bacteria to suck in.

Is placing them in the fridge prior to washing them better than leaving them on the counter?

If you are going to open them to immediately use them then it does not matter. If you are going to wash them and then store them do not store them on the counter. Put them back in the fridge. After I wash them I let them air dry on the counter in a very clean spot before I put them back in the fridge.