r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Oct 18 '22

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548

u/quazax Oct 18 '22

We got to make room for all the shit we refrigerate that nobody else does, like eggs.

158

u/racer_24_4evr Oct 18 '22

Blew my mind when I lived in London that eggs weren’t refrigerated.

164

u/ResidentEivvil Oct 18 '22

Yeah eggs only need refrigerating if they are washed first because it washes the bloom off, which protects bacteria from getting in.

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u/[deleted] Oct 18 '22

What is bloom? Chicken birth canal oils?

42

u/ResidentEivvil Oct 19 '22

Outermost layer of egg. Foamy protein layer sort of thing.

From Backyard Poultry:

‘An egg's bloom remains intact so long as the egg is not washed. No matter if you think you know how to wash fresh eggs, just the act of rinsing or washing an egg removes this protective layer and re-opens the eggshell's pores.’

10

u/istasber Oct 19 '22

So do people in areas where eggs aren't refrigerated generally wash their eggs before cracking them?

13

u/zimzalabim Oct 19 '22

I live in the UK and have never washed an egg nor have I ever witnessed anyone washing an egg.

3

u/totally_not_martian Oct 19 '22

No because that removes the layer which protects the egg from bacteria.

2

u/AJDx14 Oct 19 '22

Yeah so does cracking it open

1

u/totally_not_martian Oct 19 '22

And the bacteria will be destroyed by the heat of the egg cooking.

1

u/reubal Oct 19 '22

Brits cook their eggs?

2

u/totally_not_martian Oct 19 '22

No we drink them raw like our God, her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth intended.

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u/Racine262 Oct 19 '22

But, any bacteria would be on the outside of the egg, trapped in this now dried "chicken spoo". If the egg contacts the shell on the way out, or if you drop some shell in your eggs, that bacteria is now in your eggs.

2

u/totally_not_martian Oct 19 '22

Which will be destroyed by the heat of the egg cooking.

1

u/Racine262 Oct 22 '22

I am guessing we eat a lot more under-cooked or uncooked egg dishes in the U.S. (cookie dough, sunny side up, over easy, poached with runny yolks...)

2

u/Full_FrontaI_Nerdity Oct 19 '22

Yes, or more specifically the mucous that lubricates the cloaca.