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Old Wives Tale.....Egg Water and Warts!

(84 Posts)
Kateykrunch Mon 11-Mar-19 11:10:35

I was brought up believing that if you touched the water that eggs had been boiled in then you would get warts, I still avoid the water. But, I watched Jamie Oliver yesterday, he was steaming salmon and in the pan of boiling water he was cooking the green beans, but then, horror or horrors, he put 2 eggs (in their shells) into the same water as the beans!!! Oh my goodness, at worst those eggs have been up a chickens bum! I have to say it was my Mum who told me this, she also told me we lived next door to Cliff Richard and that she played table tennis for England, oh and I am a bit gullible, but really why would you cook the beans in the same water as a germy egg shell?

4allweknow Tue 12-Mar-19 12:48:00

Sodapop I know that purple stuff (gentian violet) was used for ringworm in those dark ages. Never knew of it being used on warts though.

Patticake123 Tue 12-Mar-19 12:51:48

Not sure about the warts but my MiL told me the water the eggs had boiled in would kill weeds between the slabs and I still pour the water over anything green growing between the slabs and I think of her, a lovely MiL.

MissAdventure Tue 12-Mar-19 12:59:59

I use the water from boiling eggs to nourish plants.
smile
How interesting. Does it kill the weeds?

icanhandthemback Tue 12-Mar-19 13:11:28

Science shows that the bacteria from the gut are killed by boiling water. The pores in chicken's eggs are too small for bacteria to get through, so the yolk and white inside are sterile till the shell is broken.

Sorry, this is wrong. Without the bloom, bacteria can enter the egg which is why eggs are unwashed because the "bloom" protects them. If the shells didn't let air and moisture through at the correct rate, developing chicks would suffocate. There are so many reputable places you can look up this information. I only know this because until last year, I was breeding chickens for quite a while.

Jane43 Tue 12-Mar-19 13:15:59

That’s a new one on me. I was always told to avoid touching the uncooked white of an egg as it would give me warts. I wonder where these stories come from?

giulia Tue 12-Mar-19 13:30:47

My mother told me not to handle egg shells too much as the VIRUSES on the shell would give me warts. Viruses are not killed by boiling water.

Madmartha Tue 12-Mar-19 14:08:36

My gran & mum always reckoned that getting albumen on your fingers caused warts. To this day I rush to the tap if I touch any raw egg white, how ridiculous ☺️

MissAdventure Tue 12-Mar-19 14:10:36

My mum told me that I would catch worms if I ate the pith of oranges.
Touching raw bacon rind too.

boat Tue 12-Mar-19 14:20:13

elleks

You are absolutely right. Do you think camomile lotion would have been more effective?

Cherrytree59 Tue 12-Mar-19 14:20:29

My friend at school had several warts on her
hands.
Even with cream from the doctor She couldn't get them to go.

She ask me to buy one,
I bought on for a penny, low and behold I got a wart on my finger!
As my friend had a cluster of warts, we were
not sure if she did actually have one less.

My wart eventually went by itself.

poppycat1 Tue 12-Mar-19 14:43:48

When I only had one gas ring to cook with,I boiled eggs and made coffee with the same water. Still going strong at 79!

queenofsaanich69 Tue 12-Mar-19 15:00:27

I heard you should save the water from boiled eggs and when cool use it on house plants-----when I remember I do

inishowen Tue 12-Mar-19 15:03:59

I never heard the story about warts. My mum told me to let the egg water cool and use it to water plants. I've done it ever since and have lovely plants.

sharon103 Tue 12-Mar-19 15:37:06

Love that MrsAllboys smile I have always kept a separate saucepan for boiling eggs. No way would I boil eggs with vegetables knowing where they popped out from. I've just bought an electric boiler and poacher but not tried it out yet.

GabriellaG54 Tue 12-Mar-19 16:12:17

Talking about JO steaming salmon. It's quicker to cover the salmon with freshly boiled water and just leave it. It will cook itself and, as the water cools, it can just be left until you want to eat it. No over-cooking.

GabriellaG54 Tue 12-Mar-19 16:17:45

I think there are some unnecessarily fussy people here. The eggs were in boiling water. Hands up all the GNers who handle eggs, whether frying, boiling, scrambling (or any other method) then wash their hands before touching any other food.

quizqueen Tue 12-Mar-19 16:27:51

Everything we touch has germs on it-money, handles, steering wheel, other people, pets etc. I'm still alive after touching all these things and not sterilising my hands afterwards. I really don't worry about germs.

Dana6789 Tue 12-Mar-19 17:15:39

Has anyone heard of this: my mother always used to keep the water from boiling eggs to wash the eggy spoons in afterwards. Apparently it cleaned them more easily than in washing up water.

Sheilasue Tue 12-Mar-19 17:29:38

I always rinse mine and pop them in with a veg.
Got trout tonight new potatoes, brocalli and two boiled eggs yum

Peardrop50 Tue 12-Mar-19 17:39:16

Funny post Saggi

petra Tue 12-Mar-19 17:51:48

Have none of you ever used egg white as a face mask.
If all this codswollop was true about eggwhites I wouldn't be able to go out in public again grin

GreenGran78 Tue 12-Mar-19 18:34:54

I have always had a bit of a cavalier attitude to all the food hygiene rules. That's probably the reason that I have a cast-iron digestive system. People are just too fussy by half about washing everything!

Fennel Tue 12-Mar-19 18:43:10

gonegirl - did you read the bit about the only birds which have a penis are ducks, geese and swans and flightless birds. ?
Fascinating. But irrelevant to the thread.

Gonegirl Tue 12-Mar-19 19:00:06

Just know, I have sometimes wondered. grin

Gonegirl Tue 12-Mar-19 19:00:55

That was supposed to be - Do you know....