Cleaning Fresh Eggs

   Someone recently told me that they believed that the chicken "poop" on their farm fresh eggs was keeping their eggs fresh. I assured them that chicken manure can be a health hazard. Salmonella and Campylobacter are carried by healthy chickens. These diseases are usually not communicated by the live chicken to people. They can, however, be communicated to people through direct exposure to chicken manure, or by eating under cooked chicken and eggs.

   Before we discuss how to clean an egg, you should know about “Bloom”. Bloom is a coating that the hen leaves on the egg when she lays it. Another name is “cuticle.” More specifically, the bloom is a protein (a mucous secretion) that covers the egg when it is laid. Its purpose is to block bacteria and keep the egg fresh. This is important because it keeps the inside of the egg full of nutritious goodness. For humans this means that the egg keeps longer and for a baby chick it means that the chick itself is protected from the bacteria as it sits in the nesting box for three weeks and it supplies the chick with fat, protein and vitamins.

   As for the cleaning of an egg, I will start by telling you that if you keep your nesting boxes clean and pick up your eggs daily, they should not be dirty. They might have a spot or two to be cleaned off and I would do that by spot cleaning the egg with very fine sandpaper. If they need a little more than that, I will take a paper towel with warm water and spot clean. You can see that the best way is to spot clean so that you do not remove the bloom. Remember the bloom is protecting the egg. However, if they require more cleaning you could rinse them off with warm water, immediately dry them and put them in the refrigerator or use them right away. You should also note that you should not use cold water as this will cause the porous egg to suck in the bacteria whereas warm water causes the inside of the egg to expand and press against the shell which will block the bacteria from entering. If the egg needs to be scrubbed, throw it away and clean out you nesting boxes!

   After your eggs are clean you should inspect the egg for cracks and if they have some – throw them away as the bacteria has entered the egg.

   Just before you cook the egg, submerge it in warm water. If it floats, throw it away as it has passed the point that it should be eaten and if you crack it it will stink. A fresh egg will lay on its side or on its end. A fresh egg will last a week or so sitting on the counter. Most cooks know that a room temperature egg will make your recipe shine. If you keep your eggs in 40-degree (or slightly cooler) temperature your eggs should last about six weeks.

   At this point you are wondering how the eggs you buy in the store are handled. In commercial operations they wash the eggs and then put a coating of mineral oil on it to prolong the shelf life. This is not as good as leaving the bloom on as it shortens the length of time you can store a fresh egg.