How to Process Chickens Eggs to Be Ready for a Kitchen

Raising chickens at home may offer numerous health benefits because concerned consumers can control the diet fed to egg-producing hens. Most collected eggs can go straight from the hen house to the skillet. Unavoidably, a few eggs will be soiled. Immersing the eggs in soapy water, or wet washing, should be avoided, as wetting the shell allows bacteria to pass into the yolk. This practice is so dangerous it is illegal in the European Union. A light sanding with a loofah, sand block or simple sandpaper usually suffices, but to completely sanitize the shell, a few simple steps simplify this process safely.

Things You'll Need

  • Paper towels
  • Bleach
  • Commercial detergent
  • Water containers
  • Wire baskets or drying racks
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Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare a work area with access to a hand washing sink. Stock plenty of paper towels, and a trash receptacle for broken eggs.

    • 2

      Fill a plastic water receptacle with water, heated to at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The water must be hotter than the inside of the egg.

    • 3

      Add a small amount of dishwashing detergent and enough bleach to bring the water to 100 to 200 parts per million. Chorine test strips are available cheaply at most restaurant supply stores.

    • 4

      Place the eggs in a wire basket, or plastic strainer set in a draining sink. The eggs should never be left in standing water.

    • 5

      Pour the hot, soapy water over the dirty eggs, checking periodically that the basket is draining properly. Repeat as needed.

    • 6

      Dry the eggs using paper towels, scrubbing off residual dirt with a clean paper towel, dampened with cleaning mixture. Place dried eggs in a clean wire basket, or drying rack.

    • 7

      Douse the eggs with a sanitizing spray of hot water, again heated to 100 degrees, and bleach at 100 to 200 ppm. This not only kills any remaining bacteria, it whitens the eggs.

    • 8

      Dry the eggs, still in the wire eggs or rack, in the refrigerator. Avoid placing the eggs into cartons until the eggs are completely dried, and cooled.