How To Wash Eggs?

[Lilywater101]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone washes their eggs?

And if you do....what is the best method?

I want to disinfect the eggs but i heard that washing the egg causes the "bloom" to be destroyed and that allows bacteria to enter the inside of the egg...not sure if this is true..

Any advice would greatly be appreciated!

 

[TigerLilly]

Quote:
this would be true. From what I've seen here, the majority of us DO NOT wash the eggs for that reason. If they are particularly 'dirty' I will take a napkin & dry clean the affected area, but for the most part, they go in the carton as is. I only wash them, if necessary, right before using them.

 

[abhaya]

I only use a dry napkin or paper towel to wipe off anything nasty. I wash i nessary right before I use them.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I pour hot, soapy water over my eggs (they're in a basket that drains freely) then wash each one clean under running warm water. The water should be at least twenty degrees warmer than the eggs.

I don't ordinarily sanitize my eggs unless we're hatching. For those I mix a tablespoon of plain laundry bleach into a gallon of warm water and soak the eggs in it for one minute after they've been washed.

 

[PepsNick]

It's true. I simply rub off the poop, and if it's still there than I will RESORT to washing them. But I do rinse it off with hot water, do get off bacteria without chemicals going into the egg.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I take my eggs and hold them under running very warm water, then pour some Egg Washer Pro over the egg, and scrub at it with a sponge until the mud is gone. Then I rinse briefly.

I LOVE to know that my eggs are clean. I keep them in the refrigerator. Then when I boil my eggs to eat, I'm not grossed out. Some of them crack open.

 

[Judy]

Plain water, warmer than the egg, and only if necessary. I rarely get a poopy egg. I never wash an egg unless it's really dirty. If there is one little smear of poop on it I just crack it somewhere else, and use it first. I also use any egg I've had to wash first.

It's not just to preserve the bloom, it's because eggs are porous and I figure any time you wash them you are encouraging some bacteria in, even with the warmer water, and especially when it is poop you are washing off.

I also try to rub or scratch the poop off before resorting to washing.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I wash all of my eating eggs. I use hot water and a scrubby sponge with dawn dishwashing liquid. I also wash my incubating eggs the same way, and never have hatching problems.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
Dawn, huh? I am going to have to try that when my Egg Washer Pro runs out. Thanks!

 

[Ohhhdear]

TigerLilly, please don't claim that the majority of us here on BYCF do not wash eggs. Ain't true. Probably as many do as don't. Frankly, I think a poll on this topic would be a good idea if it hasn't already been done.

If you want to sell eggs to the general public who expect clean, cold eggs... you wash them. If you give them away or sell to the small minority of knowledgeable folks who understand grime on unwashed eggs isn't gonna kill them... you don't wash your eggs.

Lilywater101; there's several ways to wash your eggs. Some claim to use water as hot as you can stand it, running from the tap and air dry.

Some say to use cool water because the cool water doesn't expand the eggshell pores to allow bacteria in.

Some use a commercially available egg wash (lots of advertisers here on BYCF carry it). They sell small quantities. If these are a mild detergent you could substitute an unscented "green" dishwashing liquid. Detergents kill bacteria.

The "bloom"'s purpose is to keep the eggshell sealed against bacteria and germs which would kill a developing chick. The hen lays a clutch of eggs over a course of a week or so. They just sit in the nest until she decides there's enough to sit on and brood... the eggs could be sitting around outside in any kind of weather for a couple weeks before starting to be incubated... of course they'd need the bloom to protect them.

Yes, washing eggs removes the "bloom" that naturally keeps bacteria sealed away from the pores of the shell. If you wash eggs, you shouldn't leave them out on the counter. Washed eggs should be refrigerated. Unwashed eggs can sit on the counter for a couple weeks.

Oddly, friends who live overseas get their washed store-bought eggs not from a refrigerated case (as we in the USA do) but from an open shelf. One friend from Brazil gets her eggs in an open air market. The eggs are washed and cartoned, but not cold. Guess they must sell them rapidly.