Is it ok to just wipe eggs with water?

[Rainman]

I would error on the side of caution here. The bloom on eggs did not evolve for us to have fresh eggs; it is to prevent bacteria infection of eggs that are in a nest under a hen. If you completely wash your eggs and properly refrigerated them, they will be fresh and delicious for days, without the danger of food poisoning. If you must store them for a while in the fridge, wash them and then lightly coat them with edible mineral oil.

If you are sharing your eggs with others, it important that you wash them first. You don’t know who will eat them or if they will be eaten raw or under cooked.

If you are a healthy adult eating your own eggs, it should be a moot point. However if young children, the elderly or a person with a compromised immune system eats the same unwashed eggs, it could be a disaster.

If I seem a little picky on this, I was raised on a dairy farm and cleanliness and doing whatever it takes to prevent food poisoning was drilled into my head from an early age. Blame my grand father.

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
What is the "bloom" is that the coating on the egg?

So if you wash the egg off with just water, do you HAVE to put it in the fridge?

Don't a lot of people wash them & put them on the counter in a basket or something?

Yes, the bloom is the natural protective coating on the egg to keep out bacteria. If you wash it off you have to put it in the fridge. that is why store eggs are refrigerated - they wash them

 

[maplesky7]

I've also read in a book that some people who do not wish to wash the egg can give them a "dry wash" per say....fine sand paper to sand off the smudge.

 

[debilorrah]

Never heard of that one - thanks g!

 

[skeeter]

the big guys wash the eggs with 150 degree water,

 

[whatsup chickenbutt]

OK, so wash and refrigerate? I currently am not washing the eggs until i use them, but Im really not comfortable with this. I would say none of my eggs last longer than two weeks. So, can I wash then refrigerate for a couple of weeks? I have seen so many different theories, its hard to know which to do.
how are the store eggs washed? Surely they do something to them becuase Ive yet to buy an egg from the store that had even so much as a smudge on it. And from what i understand they could be months old.

OK, Ive just decided...Im going to wash, and refrigerate. Thanks for your help!!!!


ETA After doing all that rambling, I went back and read the above posts and see that my questions were already answered.

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
Are you collecting your eggs every day? Honestly, none of our eggs have a chance to go bad.... We eat them within a few days. the bloom on them actually helps keep them good longer - it protects from bacteria getting in the eggs. My best advice is DONT wash and refrigerate.

 

[Akane]

Scroll down this page for good info on washing http://www.plamondon.com/faq_eggwashing.html

There's a reason the usda does not approve submerging eggs in water. It's better to scrape or sand the poop off or keep it from getting there in the first place by discouraging sitting in nest boxes. If you do rinse with water use very hot water to keep from just pushing the bacteria into the shell. I also read an experiment someone ran on refrigerating eggs washed, unwashed, store bought, backyard flock, and stored in a couple other solutions. The unwashed clean eggs from a home flock stayed fresh the longest.

 

[redhen]

okay..still confused here!..so...can i use a damp paper towel to wipe off dirt/poop?...or not?...

..

 

[cjeanean]

I used to wash all the eggs till I got sick of it. Now I throw them in the fridge and wash them as I use them....