After all, bacteria will die anyway during heat treatment – so is it worth wasting time on washing at all?
In fact, not all foods need to be washed before cooking. For example, water procedures are not needed for meat, fish or poultry – experts say that we only carry pathogenic bacteria with drops of water around the kitchen. Even a few microsprays are enough for Listeria and Salmonella to begin to breed on the countertop. But what about the eggs? Do you need to wash them?
“Contaminated shells can cause salmonellosis. It lives in the intestines and droppings of poultry and remains on the shell. Salmonella is very hardy – it does not die either in dry droppings or at low temperatures, ”say Roskontrol experts.
Yes, chicken eggs brought from the store look clean – this is the quality requirement that factories must comply with. After all, the standards of GOST prescribe: the shell must be clean, without blood stains, droppings and damage. But at the same time, one must understand that eggs are not washed before packing. And if they do wash, then they make a special note: they say, they have been processed.
“In practice, eggs are most often not washed in poultry farms. The use of detergents almost halves the permissible shelf life of products, ”explains Roskontrol.
It turns out that washed chicken eggs can be stored for no more than 12 days. While ordinary, dirty, can be safely kept in the refrigerator for up to 90 days. Therefore, washing eggs brought from the store is not worth it – this way you will wash off the protective film from the shell surface and shorten their life.
Well, before cooking eggs, you still need to wash, despite the fact that exposure to high temperatures kills almost all viruses. Even COVID-19.
Leading expert of the expert center of the Union of Consumers, R.O.S.Kontrol
“The likelihood of contracting coronavirus from food is extremely low. Given that the eggs are boiled, the chance of contamination becomes zero. The same precautions should be applied to packaging as to any other items brought from the street or from public places, which include shops. If you touch something, wash your hands thoroughly.
But salmonellosis is still relevant, so it is better not to use damaged eggs for food, and thoroughly wash eggs with whole shells. When boiling hard-boiled eggs, Salmonella is guaranteed to die “.
In addition, the expert reminds: the danger of raw eggs is also that they can contaminate other foods in the kitchen, just lying next to them. Therefore, eggs, even in packaging, must be placed separately from those that you are not going to boil or fry – for example, vegetables and fruits. And the table after the raw eggs have lay on it, you need to wipe it properly.