how to pasteurize eggs??? And what do you use to clean them???

[cjeanean]

Does anyone do it??? Is it really necessary??? How is it done without cooking the egg???

I've heard that many people use a mild bleach solution and/or antibacterial dish soap....what are people's opinions about this???

 

[citrusdreams]

You need commercial equipment to pasteurize eggs in the shell, and it's not available for home users. So unless someone is paranoid, as well as important enough to obtain one, your backyard eggs aren't pasteurized. And store bought eggs are usually not pasteurized, that's why they have that raw food label that describes proper refrigerating and cooking handling instructions.

There are eggs pasteurized in the shell in some stores, but they're more expensive than the raw ones. And they need to be refrigerated too.

The eggs you buy in liquid form in the cartons are pasteurized though, as are all egg products sold outside the shell.

I also don't wash my eggs. I keep my nests clean and go out and collect them a couple times a day. And I don't freak out when they lay where they're not supposed to (like a hay rack, or a feeder, or a bale of hay) because then I have clean eggs

Eggs have a porous shell, and if you put liquids (like bleach or water) on it, traces will go into the egg. Also, if you're scrubbing the shell to get stuff out, bacteria can get in. So, if an egg has some poop on it, and it's not easy to brush off, I just give it to the pigs.

If you refrigerate your eggs promptly, and keep them refrigerated at the proper temperature until you use them, and cook them thoroughly, I don't believe you have to worry about it.

If you absolutely have to wash your eggs, I know McMurray sells a powdered egg soap and they also have an egg cleaner.

 

[silkiechicken]

As long as the shell is not cracked, the interior will be sterile. Any contamination is from breaking the shell into the egg. In theory, you can leave an egg out and eat it months later without issue. I have a few eggs that are a few years old if not older... perhaps 5 years old now, that are whole and dried. They just sit on end like a wobble toy.

 

[cjeanean]

I had eggs from last Oct that I didn't wash and put in my fridge, and they were still good. I know eggs can last for a long time, and when we were kids our eggs were never in the fridge, we left them out near the stove for easy access, and we didn't get sick even once.

I only ask because I have had a lot of questions about pasteurization, and I've washed our personal eating eggs with a very diluted antibacterial soap and never had a problem. My chickens always lay in the same two corners, one under the roost and the other next to it. Naturally the ones under the roost get dirty (not bad at all) and the ones next to it stay clean.

I remember reading something on here about using fine sandpaper, but wouldn't that compromise the shell too??

 

[danielbrown]

My eggs sit on the counter unwashed in flats.
There's a farm close to me that I get raw milk from.

 

[Robert1959]

your animals are not in filth all day long so it stands to reason ; you are safe . We wash our eggs with water only ,and my Doctor and children eat 1 -2 dozen per week usually POACHED , zero problems