Why The U.S. Chills Its Eggs And Most Of The World Doesn't

[Misfit]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/20...-chills-its-eggs-and-most-of-the-world-doesnt

Go in search of eggs in most foreign countries and you might encounter a strange scene: eggs on a shelf or out in the open air, nowhere near a refrigerator.

Shock and confusion may ensue. What are they doing there? And are they safe to eat?

We Americans, along with the Japanese, Australians and Scandinavians, tend to be squeamish about our chicken eggs, so we bathe them and then have to refrigerate them.

But we're oddballs. Most other countries don't mind letting unwashed eggs sit next to bread or onions.

The difference boils down to two key things: how to go after bacteria that could contaminate them, and how much energy we're willing to use in the name of safe eggs.

So what's the deal with washing and refrigeration? Soon after eggs pop out of the chicken, American producers put them straight to a machine that shampoos them with soap and hot water. The steamy shower leaves the shells squeaky clean. But it also compromises them, by washing away a barely visible sheen that naturally envelops each egg.

"The egg is a marvel in terms of protecting itself, and one of the protections is this coating, which prevents them from being porous," says food writer Michael Ruhlman, author of Egg: A Culinary Exploration of the World's Most Versatile Ingredient.


The coating is like a little safety vest for the egg, keeping water and oxygen in and bad bacteria out. Washing can damage that layer and "increase the chances for bacterial invasion" into pores or hairline cracks in the shell, according to Yi Chen, a food scientist at Purdue University. So we spray eggs with oil to prevent bacteria from getting in, and refrigerate them to keep microorganisms at bay.

 

[ArkRescue]

Refrigeration extends the shelf life of eggs. Cleaning the "bloom" off the eggs can be bad, so a gentle rinsing with a soft brush to clear off debris is all that is needed. I'm sorry but an egg coated with chicken poop and/or dirt is NOT going to be an item sitting in my kitchen. Yes chicken poop - not all hens wipe their feet before getting into the nest, and some hens POOP in the nest ewwww.

"Storing Eggs
Store your eggs pointy end down to keep the yolks nicely centered.
Keep them in an enclosed carton for longer freshness.
And don’t forget to keep your eggs refrigerated – an egg kept at room temperature ages the same amount in one day as a refrigerated egg ages in an entire week. "

http://www.suburbanchicken.org/eggs.htm