Eggs & MilkFood Myths

Is it advisable to wash eggs?

There is no doubt that the eggs become an extremely healthy food and recommended within a varied and balanced diet, thanks mainly to its incredible nutritional wealth: highlight, for example for its high protein content of good quality (meaning it provides all essential amino acids that our body is not able to produce and synthesize by itself), besides being a very complete food for its composition in minerals and vitamins.

wash eggs

However, despite being a very healthy food from a nutritional point of view, the truth is that it also stands out as a food in which shell usually find a substrate for microbial growth that influences the appearance of certain food poisoning, such as example is the case of salmonellosis.

For this reason, it is very important to take extra precautions at home whenever we cook and use the eggs in the kitchen. In this sense, it is normal that certain questions related to hygiene measures, and especially when these collide with common or usual practices. For example, until a few years ago it was very normal to wash eggs before use. But: do you know that it is a complete mistake? We explain why.

No, it is not advisable or recommended to wash eggs before storing
Did you know that the egg shell acts as a protective barrier, extremely useful for preventing the entry of harmful microorganisms inside? In this shell we find the cuticle, which is attached to the shell and that ultimately is the main protagonist in preventing bacteria from reaching the inner part of the egg.

This cuticle acts by blocking the pores of the shell, so that prevents the entry of microorganisms into inner part of the egg. It is composed of ovoporfirina, a protein is affected by the weather, light, heat and washing.

Therefore, when an egg washes before storing it in the kitchen we weaken it, so that we are facilitating the entry of microorganisms into the food.

But it is advisable to do it only before immediate use in the kitchen
However, recommend the egg wash with detergent and water only before immediate use, finally rinsing and drying carefully with the help of kitchen paper of a single use.

That is, it is not advisable to wash eggs for example when we buy them and put them in the refrigerator for later use, but it is appropriate to do so right at the time that we are going to use them in the kitchen.

Also we must bear in mind other basic precautions, such as using another container only to break the egg, rather than on the edge of the container that we will use to beat it or to make a sauce. Likewise, it is also essential to avoid possible risks and cross contamination always cooking the eggs of an independent way.