Serious health risk: here’s why you should never wash eggs before cooking them

Spread the love

Read Time:1 Minute, 37 Second

Washing fruits and vegetables before cooking or eating them is generally considered a good hygiene practice to remove dirt, bacteria or pesticides on the surface. However, cleaning all types of food before cooking is unnecessary.

Washing some foods can be detrimental to your health. For example, you should not wash chicken before cooking it. This is generally true for all types of raw meat.

According to Reader’s Digest, eggs are also one of the foods you shouldn’t wash before eating. So if you want to whip up a perfect fried egg this weekend, keep reading to learn why you’re better off not washing eggs before cooking them.

Here’s why you shouldn’t wash eggs
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines, commercial egg processing already includes egg washing.

In these egg factories, the natural coating of the egg is removed. If consumers who buy the eggs take them home and rewash them, this could pose a contamination risk.

USDA explains:

“The commercial washing process removes the natural coating on freshly laid eggs that prevents bacteria from entering the shell. It is replaced by a thin layer of edible mineral oil, which protects long-term egg storage at home.
Additional treatment of eggs in your household, such as egg washing, could increase the risk of cross-contamination, especially if the shell is cracked.
According to the Reader’s Digest report, additional washing at home can introduce bacteria onto the egg’s surface and into the shell, which has become more porous due to commercial processing.

Should you wash farm eggs?
According to Reader’s Digest, while farm-fresh eggs are more likely to have dirt and grime, and you might think they need to be washed thoroughly, it’s better not to wash those farm-fresh eggs either.

The report says that if you have to wash farm-fresh eggs, it’s better to use warm water and soap.