[SPLIT] Eggs:Care and Keeping Of(Was:What UK thing ...)

Um.
Feathers, fine.
Poultric^© fecal matter?  Notsomuch.

LOL. Well, I figure it's always there to start with, and it doesn't make much difference to me whether the "egg factory" people wash it off or whether I do.  

Having feathers and a bit of gunk on an egg makes me think that indeed come from a  farm rather than some battery production line (I only get free range anyway).

Vicky

Um... our chickens have feathers and poop, and it does get on the eggs.  Even though they're in cages.  Dirt is not a free-range-only thing!

Anyone ever had eggs with green shells?  I can't remember which variety of chicken lays them (anyone?), but they are sooooo cool.  I distinctly remember as a child being very disappointed that the insides weren't green as well.

Yes, but do you wash them before you eat them, or do you eat them feathers and poo and all? 

I am washing all my eggs from now on! Like I needed even more complexes about eggs...

but surely the feather & poop is on the outside of the shell anyway? who eats the shell?

I had to take a special training on eggs!  Eggs are dirty.  Dirty and germy.  That's why they aren't kept in fridges and are kept away from everything else.  You shouldn't store them next to anything and you should always wash your hands after touching the shell.  

I swear I should have died years ago by not listening to all this stuff. 

Vicky

Training about eggs? Next it will be how to use toilet paper.

Training about eggs? Next it will be how to use toilet paper.

Mindy works with food!

I swear I should have died years ago by not listening to all this stuff. 

Vicky

You've probably had a few funny tummies that you didn't realize were from  eggs. 

Eggs are dirty.  Dirty and germy.  That's why they aren't kept in fridges and are kept away from everything else.

I don't get the connection between dirty and germy and not being kept in fridges...

I've never washed an egg.

The best eggs in the world are those practiclaly straight out of a chickens behind...

my daddy gets them from our next door neighboor and with over 20 varieties of chicken, duck and quail you get them in all colors and sizes.

I'd have one of those any day over one allegedly "washed" at a factory.

That said eggs are like raw meat and should be handled with care.  Just like you normmally would not lick a raw chicken breast don't lick a raw egg! :-D

I don't get the connection between dirty and germy and not being kept in fridges...

We-ell.  Your fridge should be laid out like so any cooked meat is on the top shelf.  And raw meat should be on the bottom shelf so it does not touch or drip on anything.  Anything else should be above the raw meat.  The thinking with eggs it that the shells are dirty, the shells make the box dirty and unless you can store them away from everything else in your crowded fridge then it's better to store them elsewhere.  Otherwise there's a danger of contaminating other food.

eggs in their natural, germy state come with natural preservatives on the shell, and thus don't HAVE to be kept as cool as a refrigerator. i always refrigerate my eggs in the UK anyway as it seems safer.....maybe washing is a good idea.  in the US, eggs are chemically sanitized and must be refrigerated because they no longer have the natural coating for protection.