EGGS

Eggs are an inexpensive source of good quality protein. Proper handling and preparation maintains egg quality and reduces the risk of food-borne illness.

Raw eggs that were contaminated with Salmonella enteritidis bacteria have caused some outbreaks of food-borne illness.

Consumers should:

• Buy eggs with clean, unbroken shells from a refrigerated display case. If the trip home is more than 30 minutes, or it is a hot day, put the eggs in a portable cooler.
• Refrigerate eggs at home in their original carton as soon as possible at a temperature no higher than 40°F. Do not wash eggs prior to storage or use. Only remove eggs you plan to use from the refrigerator.
• Use eggs within a reasonable amount of time. Raw shell eggs will keep in the refrigerator for 3-5 weeks. Separated egg whites and yolks should be refrigerated in tightly sealed containers and used within 4 days. Hard cooked eggs, in the shell or peeled, should be eaten within one week after cooking.
• 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. Unopened cartons of egg substitutes can be kept frozen for 1 year.
• Avoid eating raw eggs and foods containing them such as Caesar salad, homemade mayonnaise, uncooked hollandaise and bernaise sauces, homemade ice cream or eggnog.
• Use egg safe recipes. Egg mixtures are safe it 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 thermometer or be sure the mixture coats a metal spoon. Dry meringue shells are safe. So are divinity candy and 7-minute frostings, made by combining hot sugar syrup with beaten egg whites. Merigue-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. For meringue topping, bake as above. For egg dishes such as quiche and casseroles, insert a knife in the center. It should come out clean.
• Thoroughly cook eggs and egg-rich foods. Cooperative Extension Specialists recommend the following cooking times for eggs:
  • Poached - 5 minutes in boiling water or until the white is set.
  • Scrambled - 1 minute or until they are firm throughout at medium heat.
  • Sunnyside -7 minute or until the yolk is beginning to thicken (not runny)
    at medium high.
  • Soft cooked -7 minutes in boiling water.

• Realize that eating lightly cooked foods containing eggs such as soft custards, meringues and French toast may be risky for very young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and chronically ill with weakened immune systems.
• Eggs and egg-rich foods should never be kept out of the refrigerator for more than two hours including serving time.
• Serve cooked eggs and egg-rich foods immediately after cooking, or refrigerate at once. Use within 3 days.
• When refrigerating large amounts of a hot egg-rich dish or leftovers, divide into several shallow containers to cool.
• Wash hands, utensils, equipment, and work areas with hot, soapy water before and after they come in contact with eggs and egg-rich foods ( eggs as the main ingredient, i.e., quiches and baked custards).

For good health, eat a variety of foods.
At home, handle and prepare food safely.