Why US Eggs Are Refrigerated

David Trammel's picture

Here's a nice explaination as to why you find eggs in the refrigerated section of the store here in the US, and not in Europe or the UK.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-europe-doesnt-refrigerate-eggs-164710...

Do those of you who have chickens vacinate your birds?

ClareBroommaker's picture

I had no idea US eggshells were treated with anything. I typically wash my store-bought eggs before I hard cook them in the solar oven. They are sort of roasted, dry cooked in the shell without water.

I wonder if I should not be doing that because of the possibility of creating conditions where salmonella bacteria might be drawn to the inside. And if they are, then is the heat the eggs reach enough to kill the bacteria and breakdown their toxin? Or-- does the commercial wash supposedly kill all salmonella on the shell surface, so that I am okay washing them?

I appreciate any insight, or even guesses.

Magpie's picture

You are fine washing your eggs as long as the water you wash them with is at least 10 degrees warmer than the egg itself. This causes the air in the pores of the egg to expand, expelling bacteria that might be in there rather than drawing it in (which happens if you wash the egg with water colder than it)

In either case, if you are cooking the egg, you should be fine. Salmonella is not particularly heat stable, so if your solar oven is getting up to pasteurization temperature (~145F) for a sustained period, you should be fine. Do check the temperature of your solar oven, though, because at lower temperatures, it might be creating a good environment for bacteria.

ClareBroommaker's picture

Oh --warm water-- that's smart! Yes, the oven always gets hot pretty quickly. Thanks.