Consumers should take the following precautions when handling both raw eggs and foods in which eggs are an ingredient, such as quiche or baked custard.
1. Avoid eating raw eggs and foods containing raw eggs: Homemade caesar salad, homemade hollandaise sauce, and homemade mayonnaise, for example. Likewise, homemade ice cream and homemade eggnog should be avoided unless made with a cooked, custard-type base. Commercial forms of these products are safe to serve since they are made with pasteurized liquid eggs. Commercial pasteurization destroys Salmonella bacteria.
2. Cook eggs thoroughly until both the yolk and the white are firm. This is especially important for people most at risk for foodborne illness. Those electing not to consume hard-cooked eggs can minimize their risk by cooking the egg until the white is completely firm and the yolk begins to thicken but is not hard. Fried eggs should be cooked on both sides or in a covered pan. Scrambled eggs should be cooked until firm throughout.
3. Realize that eating lightly cooked foods containing eggs, such as meringues, and French toast, may be risky for people in high-risk groups.
Consumers should also follow the usual safe food-handling practices for eggs:
1. Buy refrigerated grade AA or A eggs with clean, uncracked shells.
2. At home, keep eggs in their original carton and refrigerate as soon as possible at a Temperature no higher than 40 F. Do not wash eggs before storing or using them. Washing is a routine part of commercial egg processing and rewashing is unnecessary.
3. Use raw shell eggs within 5 weeks after bringing them home. Use hard-cooked eggs (in the shell or peeled) within 1 week after cooking. Use leftover yolks and whites within 4 days after removing them from the shell.
4. Avoid keeping raw or cooked eggs and egg-containing foods out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours, including time for preparing and serving (but not cooking). If you hide hard-cooked eggs for an egg hunt, either follow the 2-hour rule or do not eat the eggs.
5. Wash hands, utensils, equipment, and work areas with hot, soapy water before and after they come in contact with eggs and egg-containing foods.
6. Review traditional recipes that, when served, contain raw or under-cooked eggs. Replace with recipes that, when served, contain thoroughly cooked eggs.
7. Serve cooked eggs and egg-containing foods hot, immediately after cooking; or hold for buffet-style serving at 140 °F or higher; or refrigerate at 40 °F or below for serving later. Use within 3-4 days.
8. When refrigerating a large amount of a hot egg-containing food or leftover, divide it into several shallow containers so it will cool quickly.
Original Source: Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
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