Is it safe to feed raw eggs ? Because I ’m a professional chef as well as a chicken steward , I get asked this dubiousness a fair minute . The answer is … well , yes and no . It depends . To understand it better , we postulate to understand a small Gallus gallus bod .
The cause for headache over unsanded eggs is the likeliness of poop coming into contact lens with shell — in the nest box or inside the hen ’s body . As we have sex , eggs and poop exit from the same place — the vent — and most of us have assemble the odd dope - streaked egg and not really done much more than give it a rub and manipulate it up anyway , right ? I do n’t worry about it , and I do n’t get tired of .
A hen ’s anatomy and her shell are wonders of engineering , with all sorts of safeguards design to keep any developing bird salubrious and free of salmonella . The bloom , or cuticle , is a software the hen applies to the eggshell just before the egg makes its way out through the release and before it can reach fecal matter either inside the vent or in the nest . Her instinctive bloom stamp most of the pores , reducing moisture loss and preventing bacteria from getting inside .
However , in the U.S. and Canada , commercially produced nut must by law be washed and sanitized with a mild bleach solution , remove the healthy , natural bloom . That ’s why we demand to keep foodstuff - storehouse eggs in the refrigerator but can safely exit our own flock ’s eggs on the counter . That ’s also why backyard ball are good and clean , even if there is a moment of poop on the case . Which leads me to another dubiousness I hear : Do you moisten your backyard eggs ? No , I do not . Washing eggs with water defeats the determination of the prime . A warm rub with a dry rag for the most egregious case of cling - on - tail works okay for me .
In 2016 , Canadian TV intelligence programMarketplace studiedthe health properties of conventional versus pastured eggs and found that pastured eggs are high in good omega fats and vitamins A , vitamin D and E. Those findings are back by a2010 studyconducted by researchers at Penn State ’s College of Agricultural Sciences . So we know they ’re healthier , but are backyard or pastured eggs safer ? Again , the answer is a slightly wishy - washy yes and no .
Salmonella is the big cause for care , and there are two ways it gets onto and into nut — yes , into . Salmonella can be present inside a hen ’s reproductive tract and can be introduce into the egg before it gets its shell . It can also be innovate to the egg outside the biddy . In both sheath , keeping a clear and healthy flock is the good defence .
Diet and eld also trifle a significant persona . In an article titledSalmonella and Eggs : From output to Plate , for the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , researchers Harriet Whiley and Kirstin Ross found that aged hens fed a dieting high in Indian corn were more susceptible to salmonella contamination . The mien of rodents in the henhouse can also increase the chances of salmonella , via hybridization - contamination .
The article further states that numerous studies suggest that environmental sources present in gratis - range housing have a lower salmonella pollution charge per unit compared with caged living accommodations . A Belgian study found that 30 percent of dust and faecal samples gather up from caged housing were positive for salmonella ; whereas , less than 1 percent of dust and fecal samples collected from b and free - range housing were positive for salmonella . Hooray for free - ranging hen !
My close ? It ’s a personal choice , but I will continue to eat egg from my sizable deal any way I thirst them : unsanded , runny or hard . If you ’re still a bit squeamish about eat up raw eggs , keep them in the refrigerator and you ’ll be even safer .
Before-You-Eat: Here’s an Egg-Visory
A consumer advisory is required in many states when a raw or undercooked fauna food is offer by a restaurant in a quick - to - eat form , admit raw eggs in a Caesar salad , eggs cooked sunny - side up , and so on . It typically reads :
“ eat naked as a jaybird or undercooked nub , fowl , eggs or seafood poses a health hazard to everyone , but especially to the elderly , young children under historic period 4 , pregnant women and other highly susceptible soul with compromise immune organization . The cooking of such beast foods reduce the risk of illness . ”
Keep this in nous if you decide to have raw eggs from your passel , and be safe . And if you ’re ready to plunge in , have a look at these recipes forsushi - style Pisces the Fishes tartare with brûléed egg yolkandclassic eggnog , which include raw eggs .
This story originally come out in the November / December 2017 matter ofChickensmagazine .
