Facts about Eggs

A Guide to Eggs

The Importance of Egg Safety
Eggs can be part of a healthy diet. However, they are perishable just like raw meat, poultry, and fish. To be safe, they must be properly refrigerated and cooked.
Source: Food Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Unbroken fresh shell eggs may contain certain bacteria that can cause foodborne illness. The bacteria are Salmonella Enteritidis (SE). While the number of eggs affected is quite small, there have been some scattered outbreaks. Currently the government, the egg industry, and the scientific community are working together to solve the problem.

What Part Carries Bacteria? Researchers say that if present, the SE are usually in the yolk or "yellow." But they can't rule out the bacteria being in egg whites. So everyone is advised against eating raw or undercooked egg yolks, whites, or products containing them.

Who Should Be Extra Careful? People with health problems, the very young, senior citizens, and pregnant women (the risk is to the unborn child) are particularly vulnerable to SE infections. A chronic illness weakens the immune system, making the person vulnerable to foodborne illnesses.

Taking Steps at Home Proper refrigeration, cooking, and handling should prevent most egg safety problems. Persons can enjoy eggs and dishes containing eggs if these safe handling guidelines are followed.

1. Don't Eat Raw Eggs
   This includes "health-food" milk shakes with raw eggs, Caesar salad, Hollandaise sauce, and any other foods like homemade mayonnaise, ice cream, or eggnog made from recipes in which the raw egg ingredients are not cooked.
2. Buy Clean Eggs
   At the store, choose Grade A or AA eggs with clean, uncracked shells. Make sure they've been refrigerated in the store. Any bacteria present in an egg can multiply quickly at room temperature. Don't wash eggs. At the plant, government regulations require that USDA-graded eggs be carefully washed and sanitized using special detergent. Then the eggs are coated with a tasteless, natural mineral oil to protect them.
3. Refrigerate Eggs
   Take eggs straight home and store them immediately in the refrigerator set at 40 °F or slightly below. Store them in the grocery carton in the coldest part of the refrigerator and not in the door.
4. Use Eggs Within Recommended Times
   Use raw shell eggs within 3 to 5 weeks. Hard-cooked eggs will keep refrigerated for 1 week. Use leftover yolks and whites within 4 days. If eggs crack on the way home from the store, break them into a clean container, cover it tightly, and keep refrigerated for use within 2 days.
5. Freeze Eggs for Longer Storage
   Eggs should not be frozen in their shells. To freeze whole eggs, beat yolks and whites together. Egg whites can be frozen by themselves. Use frozen eggs within a year. If eggs freeze accidentally in their shells, keep them frozen until needed. Defrost them in the refrigerator. Discard any with cracked shells.
6. Handle Eggs Safely
   Wash hands, utensils, equipment, and work areas with warm, soapy water before and after contact with eggs and dishes containing eggs. Don't keep eggs -- including Easter eggs -- out of the refrigerator more than 2 hours. Serve cooked eggs and dishes containing eggs immediately after cooking, or place in shallow containers for quick cooling and refrigerate at once for later use. Use within 3 to 4 days.
7. Cook Eggs
   Many cooking methods can be used to cook eggs safely including poaching, hard cooking, scrambling, frying, and baking. However, eggs must be cooked thoroughly until yolks are firm. Scrambled eggs should not be runny. Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to 160°F as measured with a food thermometer.
8. Use Safe Egg Recipes
   Egg mixtures are safe if they reach 160°F, so homemade ice cream and eggnog can be made safely from a cooked base. Heat the egg-milk mixture gently. Use a food thermometer to check the temperature or use a metal spoon (the mixture should coat the spoon). If in-shell pasteurized eggs are available, they can be used safely in recipes that won't be cooked.

Dry meringue shells are safe. So are divinity candy and 7-minute frosting, made by combining hot sugar syrup with beaten egg whites.

Meringue-topped pies should be safe if baked at 350°F for about 15 minutes. Chiffon pies and fruit whips made with raw, beaten egg whites cannot be guaranteed safe. Substitute whipped cream or whipped topping.

To make key lime pie safely, heat the lime (or lemon) juice with the raw egg yolks in a pan on the stove, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 160°F. Then combine it with the sweetened condensed milk and pour it into a baked pie crust.

Cook egg dishes such as quiche and casseroles to 160°F as measured with a food thermometer.

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