Beth Birk
CONSUMER HEALTH INTERACTIVEBelow:
• How can I make sure my eggs are safe?
• Does that mean kids shouldn't lick the cake batter?
• Are "cage-free" eggs any safer?
• How long will eggs keep?
• Can I reuse egg cartons?
How can I make sure my eggs are safe? You have no way of knowing which eggs contain salmonella. Refrigerating your eggs will keep any bacteria present from multiplying, but the only way to kill the microbes is to cook them thoroughly. That means no sunny-side up or soft-poached eggs. Make sure the white has set and the yolk has thickened. This is especially important for people with weaker immune systems (the elderly, people with cancer and AIDS, pregnant women, and young children). Does that mean kids shouldn't lick the cake batter? It's a calculated risk. The odds are very small that your child will get sick. If you want to be safer, use pasteurized eggs in any raw-egg food (like Caesar salad dressing, eggnog, homemade ice cream, as well as cake batters and cookie dough that the kids eat). These shell-less eggs are available in many supermarkets in pint and quart cartons. Some companies are also starting to pasteurize eggs in the shell; check the label on the carton. Are "cage-free" eggs any safer? No. Experts say the eggs from uncaged or "free-range" chickens may be even more likely to harbor bacteria. When chickens are allowed to run around the barnyard together, they can pick up the bug from one another. How long will eggs keep? If you store your eggs in the coldest part of the refrigerator (usually the bottom shelf) in their original carton, they'll stay fresh for about three weeks. After that, it's best to use them in cooked dishes, since the egg whites become thinner than most people like and they may not taste as good. Hard-boiled eggs should be kept refrigerated and eaten within a week. Can I reuse egg cartons? If there's any sign that an egg cracked in the carton, throw the carton out. Salmonella bacteria can live on the cardboard for months (a kind of dry storage). When junior uses it for the next craft project, he could transfer the bacteria from carton to hand to mouth.
Further Resources Roberta Larson Duyuff, MS, RD, CFCS, The American Dietetic Association's Complete Food &Nutrition Guide. Chronimed Publishing, 1996, 1998. FDA's Food Information Line, (800) FDA-4010.
References
Paula Kurtzweil. Safer eggs: laying the groundwork. U.S. Food and Drug Administration Consumer. September/October 1998.
Reviewed by Lisa Tartamella, M.S., R.D., an ambulatory nutrition specialist at the Yale-New Haven hospital in Connecticut and a contributor author to The Yale Guide to Children's Nutrition.
First published December 4, 1998
Last updated November 15, 2007
Copyright © 1999 Consumer Health Interactive
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