Egg science...

[AmyRey]

So I've read here that an egg should be washed with water that's warmer than the egg to keep contaminents from migrating into the egg.

After giving it some thought, this seems a bit counterintuitive to me.

If warmth (heat) is energy then that means that the molecules in the warm water are moving faster than the molecules inside the egg, so it stands to reason that the faster moving molecules on the outside would be more likely to migrate into the egg than the cooler and slower moving molecules on the inside would be to migrate out.

I gather that the supposed reason warm water is used is based on some theory that the warm water causes expansion of the egg's contents, thereby forcing an outward pressure on the shell. However, since an egg contains a built in "bladder" (the air cell) it seems to me that any expansion that occurred over that brief amount of time the egg was in the water would be directed toward the air cell and not the shell itself.

Thoughts?

(Perhaps it's too early) lol

 

[cjeanean]

I've always thought the same thing....It makes sense that warm water would be the wrong one to use, but then again I don't know all the inner workings of an egg (lol) so I usually just wash my room temperature eggs in warm water with little or no soap and no one's gotten sick yet!!! (Now watch everyone tell me how wrong that is to do....

)

 

[mamahenny]

When something is heated the molecules spread apart as well as move faster...... this is a conundrum.....

 

[Ridgerunner]

Colder water would cause the air in the air sac to contract, creating a vacuum and sucking water into the egg through the porous shell. Gasses contract as they get colder and expand when they get warmer. It's not the speed of the molecules or the size of the pores in the egg shell. It is the difference in pressure on the different sides of the egg shell.

When an gas molecule absorbs heat it has more energy. Think of it like a young child. If a gas molecule or a young child has more energy, they need more space. I raised three boys. I believe in this analogy.

 

[AmyRey]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh..... now see.... that makes sense! I hadn't thought of the air cell contracting and pulling the water into the egg!

My mind's at ease now. lol

Thanks Ridgerunner!