Are chicken eggs supposed to be washed before cooking?

[Alexandra]

Our eggs are pretty clean. Should I be doing ...something to them before cooking?

Thanks

[runninmommy]

Well, I'm not sure if I'm "normal" or not but I do wash my eggs before using them. I just put them in luke-warm water with a little bit of dish soap and scrub lightly with a washcloth then rinse.

[Remudamom]

Ours are pretty clean but I'll wash off a dirty one. I think they've got some type of natural preservative on the shell???? We eat ours so fast it doesn't matter.

[LaxMom]

If you're talking about eggs you've collected from the nest box, then yes. Even clean, the hens have tracked who-knows-what, including droppings, into the nest box, and fecal bacteria is easily avoidable by washing. (Otherwise, you may be cracking dookie into your omelet. :ack2: )

[Mekanamom]

Yeah, I give 'em a quick wash and air dry them on the dish drying rack.

 

Then I use one of those date stamp things to label each one with the date I gathered it. MOST of the time we eat them up quickly... but sometimes they start collecting in the fridge, and I like to know which ones are the older ones.

[Melissa in Australia]

egg shells are porous, if you wash them then you wash whatever into the eggs. you are meant to brush them, not wash. if you have good chook pen hygiene. then the eggs should be clean.

I personally never eat the shells anyway, just the insides.

[Bright_Future]

I too believe they have an antibacterial component to their shell. I believe the Storey guide tells you not to wash them or you remove this, possibly allowing not so nice things to enter the porous shell. FWIW I only wash if really dirty and then only immediately before using that egg.

 

There are companies that sell specific egg washes, like McMurray. Not sure what is in them, but may want to look into on-line or at co-op/farm store if you feel the need to have something.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

If you can guarantee that nothing from the outside gets washed into the pan with the egg, then don't wash it. Or,if you cook it thoroughly (hard yoke), then any bacteria that gets in will be cooked dead, and you don't need to wash them.

 

But, if the shell touches the side of the bowl, or some of the egg drips down the outside of the shell, or if you like your yokes soft or runny, or you like your cookies soft, then you need to wash the egg before cracking it. Salmonella and the like grow on the outside of the egg. Why risk letting it mix with the insides of the egg?

[joannqn]

Wow! It has never occurred to me to wash my eggs before cracking them so I have never done it.

 

Oh, and I've been eating cookie dough, cake dough, brownie dough, etc. and DH eats his eggs over easy. We've never gotten salmonella poisoning. Oh, and DH grew up on a farm eating farm-fresh eggs for most of his life without washing them.

 

Guess we're just lucky.

[Robin M]

Wow! It has never occurred to me to wash my eggs before cracking them so I have never done it. Oh, and I've been eating cookie dough, cake dough, brownie dough, etc. Guess we're just lucky.

 

Same here. I never thought to wash store bought eggs.

[Ellie]

No. I figure if I boil them, anything that's on the shell will be rendered harmless; and if I'm going to scramble them or whatever, then it doesn't matter what state the shell was in.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I don't wash store bought eggs either. I do wash the fresh ones that are covered in poop and feathers. That sort of stuff just gives me the heebee-jeebees. Maybe I'm just weird? :)

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Wow! It has never occurred to me to wash my eggs before cracking them so I have never done it.

 

Oh, and I've been eating cookie dough, cake dough, brownie dough, etc. and DH eats his eggs over easy. We've never gotten salmonella poisoning.

 

I'm glad you haven't gotten salmonella. I haven't either. I guess I should have clarified that I was talking about fresh eggs, not store-bought. I eat stuff with raw egg in it, too, if I've got a notion to live "on the edge". :) But, when I was getting eggs from the neighbor, (some covered in poop and feathers), I washed all of them. It would have grossed me out to simply crack those eggs into my food.

 

 

Oh, and DH grew up on a farm eating farm-fresh eggs for most of his life without washing them.

 

Guess we're just lucky.

 

Wow. Really? He grew up just pulling those poop- and feather-covered eggs out of the coop and cracking them right into his frying pan, without washing them? Did he lick the shells, too?

 

I'm being snarky, 'cause you sounded kind of snarky, but salmonella and other bacteria *have* been linked to eggs, even the commercially produced eggs (which *are* cleaned before packing). The salmonella has even been found inside fresh, uncooked eggs. If you're interested, I found these articles:

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/ANS00106.html

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Focus_On_Shell_Eggs/

 

Why is it so distasteful to wash something before eating it?

[lllll]

Our eggs are pretty clean. Should I be doing ...something to them before cooking?

Thanks

 

I'd wash'em. Our 3 dd's have raised chickens for years. They collect the eggs from the nesting boxes, yard, under the porch, etc. Then, they rinse them in the kitchen sink under running water (not standing water), set them on a kitchen towel, and dry them with a clean kitchen towel before putting them into used egg cartons to store in the frig. After that, they toss any towels the eggs have touched into the dirty clothes, put the basket back beside their shoes, and scrub their hands with dish soap and warm water. (The kitchen person scrubs the counters and sinks when they clean the kitchen.) This has been working for quite a while now. (We used to eat the eggs before we went vegan. Now we give them to the neighbors. We just dropped off 6 dozen this morning on our way here, to the library.)

 

When dd's were younger, they weren't terribly thorough about washing their hands. It only took a time or two of getting "chicken sick" as we called it (throwing up a couple of times overnight) before they got serious about scrubbing those hands, wrists, everything. They never get sick now. I would definitely wash those eggs if you're collecting them straight out of the nest (or wherever). Better safe than sick. ;)

[StaceyinLA]

they have some really grubby stuff on them. If that's the case, I wash them off right before using them.

 

I don't refrigerate mine either. We keep them in a bowl on the counter at room temp until we use them (usually within a couple of weeks).

 

If you DO wash them, you can't leave them out. If you don't wash them, they have a protective coating that allows you to leave them at room temp for a couple of weeks. I just prefer that because then, when I'm making a recipe, they are already room temp, and, it takes up no space in the fridge!

 

We eat lots of raw dough, soft fried eggs, etc. We have not gotten ill but I guess anything could happen. I figure I've got a better shot at staying well eating my own eggs than eggs from those horribly mistreated, caged hens (which I will NOT buy-EVER).

[joannqn]

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come across as snarky...but I really, honestly, have never thought of cleaning the outside of eggs.

 

My parents built a chicken coop when I was in high school and gave me the job of feeding the chickens and collecting the eggs daily. My father cleaned the whole coop and provided fresh bedding regularly. In those 3-4 years, I cannot recall getting eggs covered in poop and feathers. I remember getting an occasional egg with a little bit of poop but not covered. We probably washed the poop off that spot.

 

When my youngest was still an infant, we got fresh eggs from my midwife who kept free range chickens. Those were clean-looking as well.

 

My husband also recalls the eggs on their farm being generally clean with those rare exceptions where there was just a little bit of yuck on them.

 

Perhaps your neighbor didn't clean the coop and provide fresh nesting material often enough? I agree that eggs coming from an unclean coop would be kind of gross.

 

I'm aware of the FDA warnings of salmonella in eggs. We honestly have not had a problem. I also don't have two separate cutting boards as often suggested (one for poultry and one for veggies) nor do I bleach cutting board and counters. Honestly, I think our country is overly concerned with sanitizing and cleanliness which causes our immune system to be underdeveloped. I've only experienced food-based illness one time that I'm aware of and that came from a Disneyland meal on a very hot day. I figured they left the mayo out too long. I am paranoid about leaving food out; I won't leave food out for longer than about 2 hours and definitely not the 4 hours that is supposedly safe.

[Tammy]

nt

[joannqn]

For those who are concerned, I found a document telling the proper handling and washing of eggs. It contains such things as...

 

Changing the bedding at least every 2 weeks.

 

Keeping the coop clean and not allowing it to get muddy from over grazing.

 

Collecting the eggs as soon as possible after laying, twice a day.

 

Washing the eggs immediately and in water 10 degrees warmer than the egg; it makes the contents swell and pushes dirt away from the pores to prevent pulling contaminants.

 

Never let eggs sit in water (it will absorb contaminants) and dry them immediately.

 

Store eggs large end up at 50-55F.

 

http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/poultry/factsheets/9.html

[Mekanamom]

If we're good about gathering the eggs early in the day, they are almost always completely clean, and I don't worry about them.

 

If we gather eggs in the late afternoon, I usually see some "dirt" on the eggs. The nest(s) are clean, and the coop is clean. I wonder if one of the hens is just broodier than the rest and stays on the eggs a little bit too long if we leave them in there?

 

Anyway- for us, it comes down to when we gather. I will try brushing them... some of them though... :ack2:... Is plain water that bad for washing them off?

[joannqn]

Anyway- for us, it comes down to when we gather. I will try brushing them... some of them though... :ack2:... Is plain water that bad for washing them off?

 

According to that link I found, the water temperature (10 degrees warmer than the egg) is what's important or you risk the contaminants being drawn into the egg. Proper egg detergent is only needed if very dirty.

[KLynnTX]

Seriously, Change the bedding every two weeks? Do any of yall do that? We haven't changed ours, and it's been in there for 3 months!!! I was thinking of adding some hay, but hadn't gotten around to it. And, for what it's worth, I never wash the eggs. If there is a spot of poop or something on the egg, I just crack it on the other side, where it is clean. So far, so good.

[Tenaj]

Seriously, Change the bedding every two weeks? Do any of yall do that? We haven't changed ours, and it's been in there for 3 months!!! I was thinking of adding some hay, but hadn't gotten around to it. And, for what it's worth, I never wash the eggs. If there is a spot of poop or something on the egg, I just crack it on the other side, where it is clean. So far, so good.

 

We change the bedding on the floor every six months or so (unless it is really disgusting for some reason) but our chickens basically free range so their not in the pen a whole lot (except at night). We add straw to the nesting boxes all the time because it helps keep the eggs clean and unbroken but there is no way I will ever change the bedding every two weeks - I'm doing well if I change my kids sheets every two weeks!

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Hi JoAnn. I'm assuming this is directed to me, since I'm the one who thought you sounded snarky last night. :)

 

I agree that Americans are over-sanitized. I read recently that asthma rates are much lower in third world countries than in affluent ones. They say that our over-zealous obsession with sanitation has stumped our kids' immune systems.

 

And, I also found (while googling last night) that, in Sweden, it is against the law to sell washed eggs! How do you like that! Yet, in the USA, egg producers are required to clean their eggs before packing. Interesting.

 

There was also a study that indicated that coops with perches were less clean than "traditional" cages (apparently with wire mesh bottoms) because the chickens spent more time walking and sitting on the floor, pushing the litter and fecal matter out of the cage. I'm guessing they were talking about commercial production. It's all been very interesting.

 

Oh yeah, one more thing. All the stuff I found about salmonella outbreaks in eggs were in the early 90s, mostly around New England. I didn't see much more recently.

 

Oh, and while I do wipe up chicken drippings with hot, soapy water (on washcloth), I don't bleach anything, and I don't have a separate cutting board (I just wash it after I cut meat on it, before cutting veggies). No problem here, either.