Salmonella in Eggs

I am told that I am a bit of a "prude" when it comes to eating raw eggs, and yet here it is in the news again.  Egg recall due to Salmonella. If you have ever had salmonella poisoning or seen someone who was afflicted with it, you would be less inclined to eat something with raw eggs in it.

What I do is partially cook any eggs I use in a "raw egg" recipe.  I put eggs in a double boiler and hang an instant read thermometer so that it is in the egg mixture.  I use gentle heat to heat the water in the lower pot and a constant whisking motion to bring the eggs to 160F.  If you bring the eggs to 160F quickly, you run the risk of scrambling them.

Another tip is to keep a bowl of ice water right next to the stove so that you can immediately cool your eggs to keep them from scrambling.

I have managed to make mayo, egg curd, and meringue with this method.  I don't like Salmonella, and I don't want to suffer from it.  My daughter recently learned that she can eat raw cookie dough if she makes it with Egg Beaters.  She and I are both happy with this information.