Topic of the Week - Cleaning and Storing Eggs

[Pampered chicken girl]

The Woman I buy eggs from refrigerates unwashed eggs.

I would not do that but maybe I am not right. I just go by better safe then sorry

 

[TJAnonymous]

I have read that eggs to be waterglassed should be clean and “not washed”.

You are correct. If eggs are washed, you cannot waterglass them. They should also be clean meaning no poop, dirt, straw, or other debris on them.

I get 3 gallon food grade buckets & lids from a local bakery for a $1/each. (They have to charge something for them by law here....). I can waterglass up to 5 dozen eggs in these buckets. Because of the nefarious egg eaters in my flock, I don't always get all the eggs I need to waterglass in a few days. Sometimes it can take up to a week for me to get eggs that fit the bill to be waterglassed. As long as your buckets & solution are in a dark, cool place, you can keep the bucket unsealed and add eggs as you get them. I keep an index card taped to the front of my bucket. On this card, I write - date I started adding eggs to the solution, the date I stopped adding eggs to the solution, and the total egg count. For example, if I start a solution and only have 30 eggs, I'll write "30" on the card. As I add more eggs, I will strike out the previous number and write the new number until I reach the total (60 eggs). After I reach my total, I put the lid on and seal the bucket.

I keep my buckets inside a cabinet in a large bookcase in my living room. I chose this spot because it is dark and consistently cool. I also don't waterglass more than I think I'll need. I do 5 dozen eggs on April 1st and another 5 dozen eggs on July 1st. This amount ought to get me through the Dec - Feb lull when egg production drops.

 

[TJAnonymous]

The Woman I buy eggs from refrigerates unwashed eggs.

Sometimes this is governed by state law and what you are doing with your eggs. For example, if you are selling eggs in our state, you MUST have them refrigerated by state law. Even if they are unwashed. Technically I think you are supposed to wash them too.

Are there people who don't? Of course.... In fact, I've had people who INSIST that I don't wash or refrigerate them. I will still sell them eggs as they wish but I always tell them that if someone at the Health Dept or USDA wanted to be a stickler about it, I could be fined or shut down for filling this request.

 

[50-45-1]

Washed or unwashed, all my eggs go in the fridge.
The science proves that refrigeration keeps food fresher. Period.
Egg freshness is 2 weeks on the counter or 3 months in the fridge. That's the science.
Let's look at that. It takes the refrigerated egg 3 months to arrive at the loss of freshness stage that the counter top egg gets to at 2 weeks.
Europe has strict vacination protacalls against salmonella for laying hens. Thus there eggs are room temp. Not so in the USA.
I was not born in the dark ages, or to traveling in a covered wagon.
I am blessed to live in a time of electricity and modern appliances.
I have been washing and refrigerating my eggs for 50+ years, and never got a bad egg because of it.

 

[aart]

Egg freshness is 2 weeks on the counter

Define 'fresh'?
I've eaten eggs that have been on the counter for ~2 months, they were fine.

 

[Folly's place]

What I learned in Poultry science; one day on the counter, one week in the refrigerator. LOVE having that 'ice chest'!!!
Mary

 

[aart]

What I learned in Poultry science; one day on the counter, one week in the refrigerator.

Where?
..and What, then the eggs are 'bad'?

 

[Folly's place]

Not necessarily 'bad', but they are not as fresh. This will hasten the day when they 'turn', but to me it's about having maximum freshness too.
And here we aren't making hard boiled eggs, so hastening the day when an egg will peel well does nothing for me.
Mary

 

[Jeri B]

Washed or unwashed, all my eggs go in the fridge.
The science proves that refrigeration keeps food fresher. Period.
Egg freshness is 2 weeks on the counter or 3 months in the fridge. That's the science.
Let's look at that. It takes the refrigerated egg 3 months to arrive at the loss of freshness stage that the counter top egg gets to at 2 weeks.
Europe has strict vacination protacalls against salmonella for laying hens. Thus there eggs are room temp. Not so in the USA.
I was not born in the dark ages, or to traveling in a covered wagon.
I am blessed to live in a time of electricity and modern appliances.
I have been washing and refrigerating my eggs for 50+ years, and never got a bad egg because of it.

I did not know about salmonella vaccination protocols in Europe. I live in Italy and no one I know refrigerates eggs ever. If I have an egg that requires washing, I might cook it immediately after washing and feed it to the chickens. Or I might refrigerate it.

 

[50-45-1]

https://www.csiro.au/en/research/health-medical/nutrition/egg-quality
If you google egg freshness, ALL the sites say freshness is extended with refrigeration.
I found this one site that actually explains and talks about what the indicators are for determining the differance.
I'm sure there are more out there but this one is pretty good.