Here’s everything you oughta know about egg cleaning, according to a food safety expert.
Understanding when and how to wash eggs is important.
When Should You Wash Eggs?
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When you buy eggs from a grocery store, they look spotless.
“When’s the last time you bought a carton of eggs that didn’t look beautiful?”
asks Marisa Bunning, a professor and food safety extension specialist.
They look beautiful because the USDA requires eggs to be washed before they’re sold.
“Those eggs are washed in a definitive procedure,” Bunning says.
But should you wash them again?
Should You Wash Store-Bought Eggs?
“The shell is porous.
It’s just extra work and wastes water.”
Should You Wash Backyard Eggs?
Backyard eggs are another story.
If you have backyard chickens or get fresh eggs from somebody who does, things change.
“Consumers aren’t used to eggs from their backyard,” Bunning says.
“They’re treating them like they’re the same, but they’re not the same.”
Though supremely fresh,backyard eggs or eggs from the farmer’s market may require washing.
But this isn’t always the case.
We go over both below.
Additionally, you’ll also need to thoroughly sanitize the area your eggs touched.
You don’t need to wet wash backyard eggs if they come directly from your chickens and look clean.
Wet-Wash Method
Wet washing eggs is a good method to clean farm fresh eggs.
Just be sure to immediately use or store the eggs in the refrigerator after washing with water.
To wash fresh eggs, Bunning recommends using water and an emery cloth or a brush.
This method also allows you to keep storing them at room temperature instead of in the fridge.
But it’s important to know that some of the best ones do.
Storing Store-Bought Eggs
In the U.S. at least, Bunning believes people should berefrigerating eggs.
The bloom is a covering that coats the eggshells.
It protects the eggs from bacteria.
Without the bloom, people in the U.S. need to refrigerate eggs to help keep bacteria at bay.
“We’re keeping our eggs longer,” Bunning adds.
“To me, there’s no reason not to refrigerate them.
You don’t leave your milk or yogurt out for a while.
Eggs are the same.”
That’s why you won’t see them refrigerated in Europe because they keep the bloom.
“There are so many differences between them,” Bunning says.
“You just can’t compare the two.”
Once you wash your eggs and the bloom is removed, they will need to be refrigerated.
“Should eggs be washed before they are used?
“AskUSDA: U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Center for Food Security & Public Health.
Cleaning and Disinfection on the Farm: Farm Fresh Eggs.
Published online 2023.https://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Assets/tipsheet-cd-eggs.pdf
Shell Eggs from Farm to Table | Food Safety and Inspection Service.
