Safe Handling of Eggs 101 |
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If you’re like most folks, you know that it isn’t
a good idea to play with raw eggs as it may cause salmonella
poisoning but do you truly know how to keep your family egg
safe while still enjoying eggs---the perfect white treasure?
Well, in Safe Handling of Eggs 101, we’ll discuss how
to keep you and your family safe once and for all!
1. Buy fresh. First and foremost buy only
fresh, well refrigerated eggs with non expired dates that
have been carefully evaluated for smoothness and texture and
contain no cracks.
2. Weigh your eggs. Test the weight of your
eggs. The heavier the fresher and better. In addition, always
look for air build up which can be determined by holding the
egg to a light. The less air the fresher and better.
3. Properly refrigerate. As soon as you
get home, properly refrigerate your eggs in their original
carton or store them in your freezer after they’ve been
carefully separated. Do not wash your egg shells before freezing
or storing. Lastly, always store your eggs inside the fridge
and not on the door.
4. Be Clean. Be extremely diligent about
cleanliness. If anything comes into contact with a cracked
egg, wash it very carefully with soapy and extremely hot water.
No exceptions to this rule. By the way, this includes your
hands, countertops, and kitchen utensils.
5. Cook thoroughly. To avoid salmonella
poisoning, cook everything containing eggs thoroughly. This
includes cakes, casseroles, etc. Remember that eggs should
be cooked to 160 degrees F to kill bacteria.
6. Use dried egg mix. If you have a recipe
calling for undercooked or raw eggs, use dried egg mix.
7. Immediately serve and don’t allow to sit
out. Immediately serve cooked eggs and recipes containing
eggs and don’t allow such items to sit out. This goes
for both hot and cold items. In fact, they shouldn’t
sit out for more than two hours and leftover egg dishes and
dishes containing eggs must be used within 3 days.
8. Use it up. Use hard cooked eggs within
one week and frozen eggs should be used within one year.
9. Coolers rule. Purchase and use coolers
for cold egg recipes like potato salad or tuna fish.
10. Enjoy those eggs and feel proud of yourself
for being safe!
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