In the old days, if you had a question, you tried to find someone who knew enough about the subject to give you an answer. And then you had to trust that the answer you got was correct. Today things are different. You can just turn on your computer and type your question in. You will get lots of links that will lead you to various answers, and you can decide which ones will work for you. I tend to trust answers that I find on reputable sites, or that appear frequently, on a lot of different sites.
In the past I have turned to the computer to learn what to do with a diakon radish, and what to do when a small child is sick on the carpet. This time I needed to know how to clean eggs.
Earlier this week a lady dropped into my hubby's work place with several cartons of eggs. She had too many and needed to get rid of them, so she brought them to the guys at the garage she frequents. The eggs were not washed, and my hubby made a point of telling me that when he brought them home.
I remember that long ago we were taught that eggshells are permeable so I knew I couldn't actually put them in water to soak the crap off them. I thought I'd look up how to clean them correctly, since it's always good if I actually have an excuse to be on the computer instead of just playing with my friends on Facebook.
I discovered that it's not necessarily good to wash the eggs, as the eggshells come out of the chicken with a natural coating, or "bloom", that actually seals the eggshell pores and prevents bacteria from getting in. I started by using a sponge, with a scrubby side, and dry scrubbed most of the bits and pieces off, as suggested on one of the sites I found.
I still wasn't convinced I wouldn't contaminate the contents of the shells, when I broke them open, if I didn't do more to clean them. I decided to follow instructions on another site, and set up two bowls of water to wash them in. It was important, they explained, to make sure that the water was warmer than the eggs. Cold water would just open up the pores in the shell and contaminate the contents. Warm water (not hot, but not tepid either) would expand the pores and prevent contamination. I put a dash of dish detergent in one and a wee bit of bleach in the other. I just dipped the eggs, one at a time, into the soapy water, rubbed any remaining dirt off with my fingers, and then did an equally quick dip in the bleach water. I set them all on a cookie rack, with paper towels to absorb the moisture, then dried the properly and put them in a clean egg carton.
The eggs are all brown, though various shades and sizes. There were a few that I knew I wouldn't want to use in recipes, as they were either too big or too small. I added the small one to another for an omelet for yesterday's lunch and I boiled the biggest one for breakfast this morning. And no, it did not fit into my largest egg cup. It just sort of sat up on top.
I'm enjoying my farm fresh eggs. Even though they were supposed to be like a tip for my hubby, he has not had any yet. I'll fix that this weekend.
In the past I have turned to the computer to learn what to do with a diakon radish, and what to do when a small child is sick on the carpet. This time I needed to know how to clean eggs.
I remember that long ago we were taught that eggshells are permeable so I knew I couldn't actually put them in water to soak the crap off them. I thought I'd look up how to clean them correctly, since it's always good if I actually have an excuse to be on the computer instead of just playing with my friends on Facebook.
I discovered that it's not necessarily good to wash the eggs, as the eggshells come out of the chicken with a natural coating, or "bloom", that actually seals the eggshell pores and prevents bacteria from getting in. I started by using a sponge, with a scrubby side, and dry scrubbed most of the bits and pieces off, as suggested on one of the sites I found.
I still wasn't convinced I wouldn't contaminate the contents of the shells, when I broke them open, if I didn't do more to clean them. I decided to follow instructions on another site, and set up two bowls of water to wash them in. It was important, they explained, to make sure that the water was warmer than the eggs. Cold water would just open up the pores in the shell and contaminate the contents. Warm water (not hot, but not tepid either) would expand the pores and prevent contamination. I put a dash of dish detergent in one and a wee bit of bleach in the other. I just dipped the eggs, one at a time, into the soapy water, rubbed any remaining dirt off with my fingers, and then did an equally quick dip in the bleach water. I set them all on a cookie rack, with paper towels to absorb the moisture, then dried the properly and put them in a clean egg carton.The eggs are all brown, though various shades and sizes. There were a few that I knew I wouldn't want to use in recipes, as they were either too big or too small. I added the small one to another for an omelet for yesterday's lunch and I boiled the biggest one for breakfast this morning. And no, it did not fit into my largest egg cup. It just sort of sat up on top.
I'm enjoying my farm fresh eggs. Even though they were supposed to be like a tip for my hubby, he has not had any yet. I'll fix that this weekend.
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