Really, really dumb question....

[IggiMom]

Ok. I didn't feel well yesterday, and my husband got my pretty eggs ready to sell. He had taken a rough sponge and cleaned them all up very very well. In fact, he cleaned all the speckles off my nice speckled eggs.

I told him that you didn't have to clean all the speckles off.

He said that if you COULD clean them off, then they were unwanted fluid from the chicken, and SHOULD be cleaned off.

Surely those pretty speckles are supposed to stay on? I have noticed that with my darker eggs, if one was dirty, that sometimes a little of the color of the shell could scrub off. (BTW, really dirty eggs get thrown away or fed to the dogs).

But you don't have to clean off the speckles. Do You?

I feel so dumb asking this...

Catherine

 

[clarkestep]

No you don't. In fact many people don't even wash off their eggs before using. As long as there is no poop on them, I don't even wash mine off. The bloom on the egg actually protects the egg from bacteria from getting into it.

 

[ranchhand]

No such thing as a dumb question!

I can't say if he's right or wrong, I can only say that I personally wouldn't go that far. After all, I don't eat the shell. And I like the speckles, they add character!
If I have an unusually dirty egg I rinse it off with plain water just before I use it.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

The only dumb questions are the ones you do not ask.

This is a good question, really. I myself don't wash the eggs unless they're poopy or dirty with dirt. Then I first try to scrape it off with a plastic knife or fine-grit sandpaper, then if that isn't effective I'll wash them quick with warm water.

But I've never tried to wash the speckles off an egg. And I don't know what those speckles are made of. I'm not even sure what composes the color of the egg, I just figured the speckles were a concentration of that pigment. I think they're harmless & need not be scrubbed off, not even for sale eggs.

So what is the eggshell's color made of, & what causes/composes any speckles or spots?

 

[IggiMom]

Yes, I think the speckles add character, also! I have gotten into the habit of washing all my eggs. I clean them with a soft natural bristle fingernail brush (which my kitten stole last night, it's always something, darn) and then I let them dry.

And then, I rub a thin coating of human grade mineral oil on them to sort of replace the bloom, and they pretty much never go bad. At least I have never had one do so. It makes them pretty, too, adds shine. To sell eggs in West Virginia, you have to put a 'use by' date on the carton, and I make it six weeks, but I honestly think in the fridge they would last for six months. Or more.

But I probably am going to more trouble than I have to. Compulsive, I guess. But I DON'T scrub the speckles off, I like them!

Catherine

 

[IggiMom]

Quote:
Yes, yes, I want to know, too!

Catherine

 

[geebs]

I wash then if they are eggceptionally dirty... but with cold water so I don't foul them internally with bacteria.. If they are not too dirty I just leave them... that way I can hatch or eat as I decide.

Mine don't last long...(not due to care)... We eat them all!!!

 

[ninny]

Not the pretty polka dots!!! I love those eggs.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
That's actually backwards. If you must wash, you should wash in hot water - at least 20 degrees warmer than the egg itself - not cold. Washing in cold water causes the pores in the eggshell to contract, pulling dirt and germs inside. Washing in warm water causes the pores to open, pushing the dirt up and out. Just a little FYI

 

[Sequin]

Sounds like something my hubby would do. So, I guess he did what he felt was the right thing to do; and to each his own I guess!

No harm done. But I don't think you have to remove the speckles.