Post by Nonesuch Melissa on Mar 7, 2012 16:28:08 GMT -5
If you must wash your eggs don't soak them, just rinse them under warm to hot water while using a nylon scrubber, we use the type that is on one side of a sponge. Statistics show that rinsing your hands under running water eliminates more bacteria than using antibacterial lotion. Using warm water is essential due to the porous nature of the egg's shell. Cold makes things contract while Heat makes things expand. Using warm or hot water causes the inside of the egg to expand enough that nothing penetrates the pores of the shell. Rinsing in cold water can cause the interior of the egg to contract or shrink enough to cause debris on the outside of the shell to be drawn inside. Likewise it is also recommended that eggs that have been rinsed and still damp or eggs not washed not be placed into the fridge right away or until dry, this is also because of the contraction principle with the egg cooling while possible contaminants are still on the exterior. We always get complements from our egg customers on the cleanliness of our eggs. The nylon scrubber is great as it will rub the debris off the egg without destroying the natural patina that is natures barrier to debris from entering the inside of the egg. This advice is given after much research and my own mistakes of the past.
There is allot of great advice on chickens at this website: www.backyardchickens.com
^^This one^^ I sell hatching eggs and kitchen eggs and have for years. Thousands of eggs a year... This is how we handle them and we've never had an illness or any problems with fertility.