# Should you wash pots used for boiling eggs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 17, 2005, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604 "2005-10-17T15:41:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604/1 "2005-10-17T15:41:48Z")
I’ve always washed them. But since the egg is still intact, I would think that washing would be unnecessary. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604/2 "2005-10-17T15:48:03Z")
> [@Jackknifed Juggernaut](#): > > I’ve always washed them. But since the egg is still intact, I would think that washing would be unnecessary. In my kitchen, I wash everything unless there’s a good reason _not_ to. Do you have a good reason not to? Besides: How intact is “intact”? Is eggshell nature’s perfect barrier to bacteria? They used to think that about human skin, once upon a time. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingCowOfDoom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyingcowofdoom/32/21776_2.png) [@FlyingCowOfDoom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingCowOfDoom)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604/3 "2005-10-17T15:52:46Z")
Chickens have a cloaca, which means they have one hole for laying eggs, urinating, and pooping. I don’t think anyone washes the eggs before they get to the store. I’d wash the pots. –FCOD ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604/4 "2005-10-17T15:53:42Z")
> [@Beware of Doug](#): > > Is eggshell nature’s perfect barrier to bacteria? You’d think that any germs that leaked out would be killed by the boiling water. Still you won’t catch me not washing the pot. ---
**Author:** ![jacksprat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/77aa72/32.png) [@jacksprat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacksprat)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604/5 "2005-10-17T16:36:14Z")
> [@FlyingCowOfDoom](#): > > Chickens have a cloaca, which means they have one hole for laying eggs, urinating, and pooping. I don’t think anyone washes the eggs before they get to the store. I’d wash the pots. > > –FCOD Of course the eggs are given at the very least a peremptory rinse before they arrive at the store. You’d absolutely notice if you found a dozen freshly-laid, unwashed eggs in your carton, instead of the finished product you’ll find in any supermarket. They are also typically given a light coating of mineral oil – whether this is for protection against contamination, or for the sake of presentation, I don’t know. While eggshells are indeed porous, they do in fact function as a barrier to all sorts of contamination. It’s one of the reasons that eggs will last and remain edible for 4-5 weeks in your refrigerator, and a smaller, but still considerable, amount of time unrefrigerated. It’s also part of the reason that the consumption of raw eggs only represents a slight risk for those who are reasonably healthy. ---
**Author:** ![jacksprat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/77aa72/32.png) [@jacksprat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacksprat)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604/6 "2005-10-17T16:38:37Z")
> [@FlyingCowOfDoom](#): > > Chickens have a cloaca, which means they have one hole for laying eggs, urinating, and pooping. I don’t think anyone washes the eggs before they get to the store. I’d wash the pots. > > –FCOD Of course the eggs are given at the very least a peremptory rinse before they arrive at the store. You’d absolutely notice if you found a dozen freshly-laid, unwashed eggs in your carton, instead of the finished product you’ll find in any supermarket. They are also typically given a light coating of mineral oil – whether this is for protection against contamination, or for the sake of presentation, I don’t know. While eggshells are indeed porous, they do in fact function as a barrier to all sorts of contamination. It’s one of the reasons that eggs will last and remain edible for 4-5 weeks in your refrigerator, and a smaller, but still considerable, amount of time unrefrigerated. It’s also part of the reason that the consumption of raw eggs only represents a slight risk for those who are reasonably healthy. I’d give the pots a simple hand-wash, though – there can be odors involved in cooking eggs, and many times a small crack in an egg will develop while being boiled, which might adhere to the inside of the pot. A rinse and a swipe with a clean sponge and another rinse should do it, no? ---
**Author:** ![pocelene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/0ea827/32.png) [@pocelene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pocelene)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604/7 "2005-10-17T17:16:00Z")
> [@FlyingCowOfDoom](#): > > I don’t think anyone washes the eggs before they get to the store. You’ve never been on a farm. All eggs are spotted with dung and all are subsequently washed before being packed. They are not sterilzed. Boiling does this. Which of course will also kill the germs you fear, so washing a pot you boil in is a waste of time and water. Like a teakettle, minerals will create spots, but that’s not a problem unless your mother inlaw comes to visit. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604/8 "2005-10-18T06:09:46Z")
More often than not, an egg will crack and leave a thin layer of poached egg, so I just wash the pot. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604/9 "2005-10-18T13:21:15Z")
> [@pocelene](#): > > You’ve never been on a farm. All eggs are spotted with dung and all are subsequently washed before being packed. They are not sterilzed. Boiling does this. Which of course will also kill the germs you fear, so washing a pot you boil in is a waste of time and water. Like a teakettle, minerals will create spots, but that’s not a problem unless your mother inlaw comes to visit. Boiling water isn’t sufficient to kill all germs. Besides, do you want your pans caked with dead bacteria? Boiling doesn’t get rid of the toxins that are in large part the actual proximate cause of illness. I wouldn’t think it’s a great health danger not to wash the pot, but you’d probably be mostly okay if you didn’t wash any of your dishes. Besides, if you add salt to the water in order to make the eggs float and less liable to break, you’ll get more than minor mineral spots - it’ll be a very visible coating of salt on the sides of the pot. I think it’s weird that anyone would be so focused on reducing their time washing dishes as to decide not to wash out an egg pan. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604/10 "2005-10-18T17:46:16Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Boiling water isn’t sufficient to kill all germs. Perhaps not, but it’s pretty much the standard that we use for eating things. If you didn’t think that the pot was clean enough after boiling, what are you doing eating the eggs?! ---
**Author:** ![JustAnotherGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/58f4c7/32.png) [@JustAnotherGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustAnotherGeek)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604/11 "2005-10-18T18:25:29Z")
> [@iamthewalrus(:3=](#): > > Quote: > Originally Posted by Excalibre > Boiling water isn’t sufficient to kill all germs. > Perhaps not, but it’s pretty much the standard that we use for eating things. True; unless we’re talking about some really _really_ **really** nasty and really _really_ **really** _ **REALLY** _ rare buggers, boiling pretty much does it for kitchen use. However, > [@gotpasswords](#): > > More often than not, an egg will crack and leave a thin layer of poached egg … which would leave a possible site for future infestation by nasties. Soap and water scrubbing is generally not very anti-septic, while boiling is. However, washing does physically remove good bacterial breeding grounds, leaving only an aseptic metal surface. It’s the difference between killing the bacteria and removing their food. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604/12 "2005-10-18T19:40:58Z")
> [@JustAnotherGeek](#): > > Soap and water scrubbing is generally not very anti-septic, while boiling is. However, washing does physically remove good bacterial breeding grounds, leaving only an aseptic metal surface. It’s the difference between killing the bacteria and removing their food. That’s what I was thinking - I’d rather not have a pot with a thin layer of boiled chicken crap all over it, even if it is technically sterile. My sister used to raise chickens in our backyard, not the cleanest animals around. ---
**Author:** ![JustAnotherGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/58f4c7/32.png) [@JustAnotherGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustAnotherGeek)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604/13 "2005-10-18T20:13:21Z")
> [@Valgard](#): > > My sister used to raise chickens in our backyard, not the cleanest animals around I hear that. My mom used to raise em. Foul fowl. Although, few things beat good fresh eggs. who’s gonna say it… ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604/14 "2005-10-18T20:19:08Z")
I do, but only because I’ve got a dishwasher. If I had to hand wash the pot, I probably wouldn’t if there were no obvious bits of egg on it. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604/15 "2005-10-18T20:20:14Z")
> [@jacksprat](#): > > Of course the eggs are given at the very least a peremptory rinse before they arrive at the store. You’d absolutely notice if you found a dozen freshly-laid, unwashed eggs in your carton, instead of the finished product you’ll find in any supermarket. A friend of mine works in the dairy department of a local grocery store. During a recent routine inspection the guy from the agricultural department found one brand of eggs had “unacceptable amounts of fecal contamination” and the store had to destroy a few hundred dozen eggs. My question was “what is an acceptable level of fecal contamination?”. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604/16 "2005-10-18T20:24:01Z")
> [@jacksprat](#): > > Of course the eggs are given at the very least a peremptory rinse before they arrive at the store. [hijack] Not to be a vocabulary Nazi here, but just in case anybody else was momentarily troubled by mental images of a mean-looking egg rinser snarling “Yo! Eggs! Get your sorry shells under that faucet NOW!!”,\* I think **jacksprat** meant to say “a perfunctory rinse”. - I guess that egg rinser was the hard-boiled type, huh? Ow! Ow! Okay, I’m leaving, I’m leaving! [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604/17 "2005-10-18T20:37:53Z")
My mother has eight or ten egg-laying chickens (as opposed to fryers), and the eggs she collects from them are surprisingly clean. Maybe it’s because the coop she had my stepfather build contains a bidet for each bird. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![light\_strand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a6a055/32.png) [@light\_strand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/light_strand)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2005, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604/18 "2005-10-18T23:27:52Z")
I rarely wash pots in which I’ve boiled food. I have non-stick pans so a wipe with a towel is usually sufficient to remove any gunk stuck to the surface. But I will put my standard disclaimer here: Microbiologist are careless pigs when it comes to bacterial contamination. Your pot may get lime deposits from the water, and the shell itself (which is composed of lime), but it should not be contaminated. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604/19 "2005-10-19T01:04:48Z")
Last night I was feeling really lazy and instead of putting a stainless-steel pot in the dishwasher after cooking some pasta, I cleaned it with paper towels and water. I will take a close look at it and see if I can see any residue. I wonder if this is a horrible thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Kiminy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Kiminy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiminy)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604/20 "2005-10-19T04:15:49Z")
I add a generous amount of salt to the water when I boil eggs (since it helps the eggs float, making them less likely to break), so I generally rinse out the salt residue afterwards–usually with just hot tap water. While I realize that this may not completely sterilize the pan, I’m also not very likely to put any uncooked food into the pan to be contaminated later, unless I also plan to _cook_ said food after it is put into the pan. Since we use the process of cooking as a way of sterilizing our food (at least as much as we do it to improve the taste), I figure anything that comes out of the pan in a form I intend to eat should be sterile enough. As for other boiled foods, though, I do normally wash with soap afterwards. I typically add a little olive oil to pasta when I’m cooking it (to reduce stickiness), so I need soap to remove the oil. In the long run, though, I think we place far too much emphasis on sterilization. While I certainly don’t want to do things that will increase the chances of serious food poisoning (like eating raw eggs straight out of the chicken), a few germs in our guts just helps build up resistance in the future. Humans have been around for millenia after all, and if a few errant germs were going to kill us off, we would have gone the way of the dinosaurs centuries ago. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-wash-pots-used-for-boiling-eggs/326604.md?page=2)