Big Mo tips us on eggs

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/115745715

Oh my.

It's encouraging to see the cooking and baking forum slowly stirring to life again.

mopinko (42,065 posts)    Mon Sep 15, 2014, 10:45 AM

a note from your friendly neighborhood farmer

i started to post this as a comment in cali's thread here about baking, but thought it deserved it's own thread.
 
if you love to bake, and you can get your hands on fresh, unwashed eggs, you will never go back. the best thing about having chickens is the fresh eggs. and the best thing about the eggs is baking with them.

the albumin is so fresh, it is like a spring. the yolks is so orange, that it gives everything a glowing color.
 
i am sure i am mostly preaching to the choir here, but just in case-

here is a little video i did, showing off the fresh.
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=673937549294594&set=vb.410796658942019&type=3&theater

<<<heartily endorses Big Mo's enthusiasm about unwashed eggs.

Really.  It's true, very true.

Erich Bloodaxe BSN (3,665 posts)    Mon Sep 15, 2014, 11:51 AM

1. I can understand the fresh part

But why is 'unwashed' important? Aren't the parts I'm going to eat on the inside of the egg, not the outside?

mopinko (42,065 posts)    Mon Sep 15, 2014, 12:25 PM

2. it is actually illegal to sell unwashed eggs, mostly.

even farmer's markets require washing. europeans think we are nuts for this.

the thing is, and egg is delivered with a "bloom", a biome that keeps the egg sealed while the chick develops. if you wash it, you lose it. and commercial washing not only strips it, but can even wash organisms INTO the egg. so, it is a stupid thing to do for fear of a little chicken poop.
 
once the pores are opened, they dry out, and start to degrade.

try my little stunt there with an egg from your fridge. compare that hang time.

this is why the yolk of a fresh egg stands up above the white when you fry them.
 
if you separate eggs, and the yolks break on you, they are probably too old to be good for anything that you would be separating them for.

Major Nikon (14,909 posts)    Mon Sep 15, 2014, 12:31 PM

4. Here's the difference

In the US, commercial eggs are "washed" which removes feces and among other things the coating that seals the eggshell pores. Eggs that have been washed should be refrigerated because there is nothing remaining to seal them from the outside.
 
In other countries, eggs are typically not refrigerated and typically not washed so that the protective coating remains.
 
Eggs that are refrigerated should be kept under refrigeration until use to prevent condensation which can promote pathogen growth. Since Europeans tend to have much smaller refrigerators than Americans, they tend not to refrigerate their eggs and therefore require different egg handling to the consumer. It's not as if one method is inherently better than the other. Both are designed to deliver a safe product to their respective consumers, however refrigerated eggs will keep longer than non-refrigerated eggs.
 
http://www.forbes.com/sites/nadiaarumugam/2012/10/25/why-american-eggs-would-be-illegal-in-a-british-supermarket-and-vice-versa/

Major Nikon (14,909 posts)    Mon Sep 15, 2014, 12:36 PM

5. I was raised on a farm and our hens were all free roaming

We normally kept about a dozen hens and we had more eggs than we could use and give away. Family and neighbors brought their eggs cartons over and we filled them up.

[obumazombie]

Is "Big Mo" a good egg ?

[franksolich]

Is "Big Mo" a good egg ?

At the moment, she is.  Until she says or does something stupid.

Big Mo's advice about unwashed eggs is one of those things I've heard all my life.

I'm sure I've also been told the "why" of it, but as my "hearing" tapers off after the first half-sentence or so, I never grasped it; only that unwashed eggs are better than washed ones.

[franksolich]

Is "Big Mo" a good egg ?

"farming with Big Mo"
http://conservativecave.com/index.php?topic=96639.0

[Carl]

If one grew up around farm manure they acquire immunities but for most folks now stuff like that is dangerous.

[franksolich]

If one grew up around farm manure they acquire immunities but for most folks now stuff like that is dangerous.

Well, it's my understanding--and correct me if I'm wrong--that if one's squeamish about a dirty egg, it's okay to wash it.....just before one cracks it, and not earlier, though.

[Carl]

Well, it's my understanding--and correct me if I'm wrong--that if one's squeamish about a dirty egg, it's okay to wash it.....just before one cracks it, and not earlier, though.

I expect so but to keep them covered in manure and dirt while in the refrigerator is nauseating and I am far from squeamish.
It is just civilized.

[BattleHymn]

I'd take my chances with the microbes clinging to or coming out the back end of a chicken any day before I'd eat anything that saw the inside of a primitive's refrigerator or kitchen. 


We don't wash our eggs.  We also go through our eggs fast enough that we don't refrigerate them.   

And what is up with this "friendly neighborhood farmer" crap?  Did Mostinko move out of blue state hell since I was here last, or is she still living in the city annoying all of her neighbors while living on her overgrown weed infested postage-stamp sized lot?     

[Dori]

is she still living in the city annoying all of her neighbors while living on her overgrown weed infested postage-stamp sized lot?   

yes

[AprilRazz]

Keep mine unwashed until I need them, then a quick rinse under cold water before cracking open. No reason for the rinsing but just makes me feel better.
Alas I am still relying on a friend for fresh eggs as my girls are not old enough to start laying yet.

[RobJohnson]

I expect so but to keep them covered in manure and dirt while in the refrigerator is nauseating and I am far from squeamish.
It is just civilized.

Are you suggesting DUmmies are uncivilized? LOL