Washing fresh eggs or not ?

[ChocolateMouse]

I thought this was interesting info on fresh laid eggs.

https://www.mypetchicken.com/backyard-chickens/chicken-help/What-is-the-best-way-to-wash-and-store-my-eggs-H62.aspx#:~:text=When your hens lay eggs,cooking as a general practice.

It's got mixed opinions. Some people say unwashed and on the counter is better. Some people say otherwise. It's really a matter of preference.

 

[416bigbore]

It's got mixed opinions. Some people say unwashed and on the counter is better. Some people say otherwise. It's really a matter of preference.

I agree it's a matter of preference just like a lot of other debatable topics with raising poultry. I personally don't want to get my family and or myself sick from unsafe practices with farm fresh food products or give others unsafe information either.

Farm fresh anything IMO is hands down 100 times better and healthier then anything a person can buy at a large market that deals in high volume for cheap.

Different methods of preserving fresh meats and produce for longer periods of time has been around for many years way before the refrigerator came into the picture with food preserving chemicals. Old thyme food handling methods are becoming a thing of the past.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

My thoughts are, if you are eating your eggs within two weeks of their lay date it doesn't matter if you wash & fridge or unwash and leave em on the counter, bacteria counts will be within tolerable levels. Long term storage, wash and fridge is best. And everyone agrees - don't wash if you aren't gonna fridge them.

 

[kerbotx]

My preference: Don't wash - do refrigerate - anything really poopy gets sent back to the production crew with a big splat

 

[kcrandall]

I store my fresh unwashed eggs on the kitchen counter at room temperature (70 degrees). They’re good up to 30 days but they rarely last that long before eaten. I’ve never had an issue in 40+ years. Rinse the eggs with warm water just before using.

If you choose to wash fresh eggs soon after lay then the eggs must be refrigerated because you washed off the anit-bacterial protective bloom that the hen applied just before she laid the egg.

Several years ago I read an article on refrigerated vs. non- refrigerated eggs. In most European countries eggs are found on the same non-refrigerated aisle as bread and pastries. Interestingly, the United States, Australia and Japan are the only countries that require commercial egg producers to refrigerate eggs for resale to protect against salmonella. The US does not require commercial egg producers to vaccinate their hens against salmonella whereas the majority of other countries do require such vaccinations. One of my take ways from this article is the author’s claim that refrigeration of eggs kills certain enzymes naturally contained within the egg thus reducing the nutritional benefit to humans. To be clear, I do not know if such claim has any merit but I did think it was interesting.

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

Oh dear, I never wash my eggs! I didn't know you were meant to wash them! When I use to buy store eggs I never washed them so I never washed my own eggs, didn't know! Do people wash store bought eggs before consuming them?
I always just store my eggs on the bench, unwashed, then when using one just crack open and use it! No washing! ..never got sick, nor anyone else who eats my eggs I cook.
I have only had chickens for about 1.5 years and started with (Silkie) chicks (who obviously didn't start laying for a looong time) so haven't actually had my own fresh eggs for that long.

... I will now change to store them on the bench unwashed then wash under the tape (not cold water) just before I use them.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Oh dear, I never wash my eggs! I didn't know you were meant to wash them! When I use to buy store eggs I never washed them so I never washed my own eggs, didn't know! Do people wash store bought eggs before consuming them?
I always just store my eggs on the bench, unwashed, then when using one just crack open and use it! No washing! ..never got sick, nor anyone else who eats my eggs I cook.
I have only had chickens for about 1.5 years and started with (Silkie) chicks (who obviously didn't start laying for a looong time) so haven't actually had my own fresh eggs for that long.

... I will now change to store them on the bench unwashed then wash under the tape (not cold water) just before I use them.

Well, grocery eggs in Australia, USA and Japan are all pre-washed. So it makes sense you wouldn't know. In other countries people wash eggs before eating them is my understanding, but also vaccinate their birds.

Of course, salmonella is pretty mild in most people who are healthy adults. So how would you really know if that tummy ache was salmonella or just too much hot pepper?

It's good to switch to a vigorous warm wash right before use. We keep a VERY lightly soapy sponge set aside just for it.

 

[4yearsofchickens]

I get that this post is on washing the eggs but I'm surprised no one has mentioned that the best protection against sickness is cooking the eggs....I don't wash eggs but I use a bit of sandpaper to remove stubborn dirt on the eggs I sell. The rest go in the fridge and we just make sure to cook them well. If you were making stuff like ice cream( A popular recipe in my area is cracking raw eggs in to make it thicker needless to say we don't make ours that way) I could understand washing them before using them.

 

[416bigbore]

One of my favorite Holliday treats is fresh homemade eggnog. I can't wait to use fresh duck eggs this year.

 

[4yearsofchickens]

One of my favorite Holliday treats is fresh homemade eggnog. I can't wait to use fresh duck eggs this year.

Does eggnog take raw eggs? I was gonna say that too but then I couldn't remember I've never had it. Just the thought of eating raw eggs makes me gag lol. Also I'm slightly lactose intolerant so eggnog hits a bunch of no's on my eat list