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Isn't this covered in the article? >In Europe and Britain, the opposite is true. European Union regulations prohibit the washing of eggs. The idea is that pres
by desdiv 10y ago
Isn't this covered in the article?
>In Europe and Britain, the opposite is true. European Union regulations prohibit the washing of eggs. The idea is that preserving the protective cuticle is more important than washing the gunk off.
UK eggs are unwashed, thus still have their protective cuticles and thus can last much longer unrefrigerated. GP's quote only applies to American eggs, which are washed.
- adevine 10y agoNo, I understood the article to state that washed eggs shouldn't be stored unrefrigerated at all (except to bring up to room temp just before cooking). The "1 week for unrefrigerated eggs" referred to eggs that still had their cuticle.
- roryisok 10y agoI live in Ireland, in the EU, and I'm fairly sure all the eggs in supermarkets here are washed. There's never a spot of dirt on them. And we always refrigerate, as does everyone I know
- webignition 10y agoMy brother in law is a small-scale farmer in Wales and produces chicken and duck eggs. I've previously discussed egg washing with him. My understanding from such conversations is that eggs in the EU are definitely not washed. Supermarket caged-hen eggs are generally clean in appearance due to the lack of items that might otherwise stick to the them. I have found free range supermarket eggs, on the other hand, to sometimes have small features stuck to them. I'm not sure what accounts for the generally clean appearance of supermarket eggs. Maybe eggs are brushed in some manner to remove obvious dirt. But the washing of eggs is certainly not a legal practice in the EU.
- jon-wood 10y agoIt wouldn't surprise me if supermarket eggs are just selected, with any that aren't clean being thrown out.
- Reason077 10y agoHere in the UK, when buying free-range supermarket eggs you definitely get the occasional egg with small bits of feather or poop stuck to them. It's uncommon but it happens - they aren't throwing out the dirty ones.
- justincormack 10y agoI think they are automatically removed from the birds immediately, so they dont get dirty. I have had eggs from farmers that are very mucky...
- pvaldes 10y agoIf you wash and, worse, brush a porous surface, you are pushing the water and dirt directly inside the egg. If there is not a lot of dirt on the egg surface is healthier to let the egg as is. In the other hand, you can have perfectly clean eggs if 1) you use a modern nesting box designed to hide the eggs and 2) provide independent sleeping areas higher to discourage the hens to sleep in the nesting boxes. You could also scratch the surface with an old credit card or a knife but is better not to use water. Storing eggs in the fridge is also convenient, eggs shells shouldn't be in contact with other eggs.
- paganel 10y agoI live in Romania, another EU country, and the eggs from the super-market are definitely not washed. They're also always refrigerated.
- Reason077 10y agoInteresting. I don't think I've ever seen a UK supermarket put eggs in a refrigerated section. They're always sold from a standard shelf.
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- mjn 10y agoThey're always refrigerated in Denmark as well, usually in the dairy section along with the milk, cheese, and yogurt.
- perch56 10y agoI'm also Romanian, however living in Hungary. Can confirm this for both countries. Eggs in supermarkets as Aldi or Lidl are not washed, possibly slightly cleaned before they receive a print stamp for the date of production. Edit: The egg boxes are stacked outside of refrigerators at room temperature.
- raverbashing 10y ago> and I'm fairly sure all the eggs in supermarkets here are washed No, they're not washed. Lack of gunk is due to technique (or just cleaning mechanically) https://www.fsai.ie/faq/egg_washing.html https://www.fsai.ie/faq/egg_washing.html
- paublyrne 10y agoI'm from Ireland and I don't refrigerate eggs. Growing up, eggs were always in the cupboard not the fridge. I have no idea what the most common approach is. Eggs are not in the fridge at the supermarket, so why they would suddenly need to go in there once you get them home, I'm not sure.
- Markoff 10y agothat's not because they are washed but they come from farms where laid egg immediately fall down to clean storage instead of lying in hen house together with crap