Nice clean eggs, ready to be weighed and packed.
I would not have believed how much
strong feeling this particular subject stirs up. Some people assert
that eggs should always be washed, preferably sanitized too. Others
insist that any washing or cleaning is somehow detrimental to the
quality of the egg.
If I tell you what I think, will you
promise not to send me nasty e-mails or (horror of horrors) un-friend me
on Facebook? Okay, here goes. First let me say that since we got our
egg dealer's license in 2008, we have been obliged to follow the
guidelines of the Washington State Department of Agriculture's Food
Safety Program. I have also done a lot of research on this subject,
and I must say I think the WSDA's guidelines are quite sensible.
Because eggs are perishable, and under
certain circumstances, subject to bacterial infection, the idea is to
collect, clean, dry and refrigerate them as quickly as possible. We
use warm water and an old soft toothbrush to clean them. The water
should be warmer than the eggs. Why? Because the shell of an egg is
porous. The theory is, if there is mud or chicken poop or whatever on
the egg shell, and you wash the egg in cold water, the contents of
the egg will shrink away from the shell, bringing with it anything
lingering on the outside of the shell. Since some eggs have just been
laid when they are picked up, and a hen's body temperature is 103°F,
we try for a wash-water temperature of around 110°F.
But, you never-wash-an-egg advocates are
shouting, washing the egg removes the "bloom!" I know, I know. And I am
going to take my social-networking life in my hands and ask you, "So
what?"
The "bloom," as I understand
it, is some kind of coating that is applied to the outside of the
egg's shell right before it exits the hen's body. I have occasionally
picked up an egg that has been so freshly laid that it is still wet;
presumably this is the "bloom." The argument I always hear
about the "bloom" is that removing it results in a shorter shelf life
for the egg. First of all, unless that coating is somehow completely
sealing the entire eggshell, I don't see how this can be true.
Remember that the shell is porous; probably if it was coated thickly
with wax or something, the contents of the egg wouldn't evaporate. I
don't know what the makeup of the "bloom" is, but I doubt
it is actually sealing the egg to that extent.
And frankly, if simple washing in warm water is enough to remove it, how well do you really think it's sealing the egg shell?
In addition, we deliver our eggs several
times a week to our customers. We know they are being consumed
when they are quite fresh. So honestly, shelf life is of no real
concern to us.
Even if we weren't subject to the WSDA
requirements, we would still be cleaning our eggs. Occasionally I see
an egg that is so clean that I don't bother washing it. This is perfectly acceptable under WSDA rules. However, I
rarely find an egg to be so pristine that it can't be improved by at
least a light cleaning. I can see no advantage in leaving mud,
chicken poop or bedding stuck to an egg, for fear of compromising the
"bloom." And since we are talking food safety here,
honestly now, why take chances?
