Do you shy away from a recipe that calls for raw eggs – out of fear of salmonella contamination?  Some of my favorite, and most requested recipes, call for raw eggs.  Homemade ice cream, eggnog, mayonnaise, salad dressings. . . and how about that snitch of cookie dough – a lick of the beater when making cake batter. . . .Poached eggs, eggs over-easy or soft-boiled  – all with delicious golden streams of runny yellow yolk.  And then there is the infamous ‘orange-julius’ beverage.  All of these can have raw egg in them.

The FDA reports that fewer than 1 in 20,000 eggs are contaminated with salmonella bacteria.  Most salmonella outbreaks dealing with eggs occur in large commercial production facilities – which, if you have ever been to one, or have done any research on them – could make you decide that you will never eat another egg!  Chickens can carry the disease internally – and contract it by living in unsanitary conditions.

Having raised our own eggs for decades, this has never been an issue for us.  In the nearly 40 years that we have been raising chickens – and eggs, we have never had a problem with any of our eggs.  That being said, if I am cooking for company, or for someone with a compromised immune system, the elderly, someone who is undergoing chemotherapy, or pregnant, or very young children – I pasteurize my eggs before using them in any recipe that calls for raw eggs – just to be on the safe side.

The process is quite simple, but it does require a very accurate thermometer – preferably an instant-read thermometer – and exactness.

Pasteurization is simply a process of heating a food to a specific temperature, for a specific amount of time – designed to kill specific bacteria.  It is known that salmonella bacteria are killed at 140 degrees in about 3 1/2 minutes. Eggs begin to cook at about 160 degrees – and will be “scrambled eggs” at 180 – but – by holding the eggs at about 142 degrees, the result is a safe egg that will act like a raw egg in recipes.

I have pasteurized eggs at a higher temperature – just to see what would happen – and at 150 degrees, the whites begin to turn opaque – but the recipe still turned out just fine.  The eggs in the picture below were put into water that was 145 degrees.  Although the whites began to turn opaque, they were not cooked and the recipe turned out just fine.

You will find, from time to time, that I will post a recipe that calls for raw eggs.  These are recipes that I have used for many, many years. . . .with rave reviews and never a problem.  But, for those who may not have access to farm fresh eggs, or may be squeamish at the thought of raw eggs, or if you are cooking for someone who falls into any of the categories I have mentioned, this process may be helpful.

That snitch of raw cookie dough is calling!

Kathy

As a disclaimer:  Although most salmonella bacteria, if present, is most often found on the exterior of the shell, an infected hen can pass the bacteria to the yolk of the egg  – while it is in the oviduct.  If you are pregnant, elderly, or cooking for the very young or someone with a compromised immune system – use wisdom.  Know your source.  Know your options.

How to Pasteurize Eggs at Home

Submerging eggs in water that is the right temperature, and for the right amount of time can take the worry out of using raw eggs. It takes about 3 1/2 minutes at 140 degrees to kill Salmonella bacteria. This can easily be done at home. Just be sure you have an instant-read thermometer and follow the directions carefully.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 3 minutes mins

Total Time 3 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

• Eggs - farm fresh if possible! room temperature - up to one dozen at a time
• an instant-read thermometer
• a large pot
• a colander or seive that will fit into the pot

Instructions

 

• It is very important to bring your eggs to room temperature. If you forgot to set them out to come to temperature and are using eggs out of the refrigerator, place them in a bowl of tepid water for about 5 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of water to 142 degrees (the 2 extra degrees are just to be safe), using an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature. Keep the thermometer in the water to be sure that a constant temperature of 142 is maintained.
• When the water has reached 142 degrees, lower the eggs into the pan. It is very important that the water not drop below 140 degrees.
• For medium to large eggs, leave the eggs in the water for 3 1/2 minutes. For extra large or jumbo eggs, leave the eggs in the water for five minutes.
• Remove the eggs, dry them, and refrigerate them, in a tightly-covered container. Use within the week.

Notes

Disclaimer:  While the salmonella bacteria, if present, is generally found on the exterior of the eggshell, an infected hen can pass the bacteria to the yolk while it is in the oviduct.  Although salmonella in the yolk is rare, you need to be aware that this process does not heat the yolk sufficiently to kill the bacteria if it is present inside the egg.

If you are pregnant, undergoing chemotherapy, have a compromised immune system, are elderly, have very young children, or are cooking for anyone that may fall into any of these categories, use wisdom and good judgement.