Escambia Extension: Egg Safety At Easter

April 5, 2015

by Dorothy C. Lee, C.F.C.S.,  Family & Consumer Sciences Agent
UF IFAS Extension Escambia County

Easter activities often include eggs. During the Spring holiday, eggs are both a decorative craft object and an inspiration for springtime fun and games, and, they are fun to eat too.

Eggs and egg products are an important part of your diet. Although there are many myths and misconceptions about how to safely cook and handle eggs, all it really requires is care. By following a few simple guidelines, eggs and egg products can play a valuable and economic role on your holiday menu.

To avoid the possibility of foodborne illness, fresh eggs must be handled carefully. Even eggs with clean, uncracked shells may occasionally contain bacteria called Salmonella that can cause an intestinal infection. The FDA is working to prevent this problem in eggs by requiring that egg producers obtain chicks that are certified Samonella-free, that the hens are kept in houses that are free from rodents and other Salmonella carrying sources, that the houses are continually tested for Salmonella, and that the eggs are stored at temperatures that retard Salmonella growth. Consumers play a large role in this prevention strategy. In fact, the most effective way to prevent egg-related illness is by knowing how to buy, store, handle and cook eggs—or foods that contain them—safely.

Following these instructions is important for everyone, but especially for those most vulnerable to foodborne disease—children, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems.

Buy Right

  • Buy eggs only if sold from a refrigerator or refrigerated case.
  • Open the carton and make sure that the eggs are clean and the shells are not cracked.
  • Refrigerate promptly.
  • Store eggs in their original carton and use them within 4 to 5 weeks.

Keep Everything Clean

  • Before preparing any food, remember that cleanliness is key!
  • Wash hands, utensils, equipment, and kitchen work surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after they come in contact with eggs and egg-containing foods.

Cook Thoroughly

  • Cook eggs thoroughly. Thorough cooking is perhaps the most important step in making sure eggs are safe.
  • Cook eggs until both the yolk and the white are firm. Scrambled eggs should not be runny.

Serve Safely

  • Bacteria can multiply in temperatures from 40°F (5°C) to 140°F (60°C), so it’s very important to serve foods safely.
  • Serve cooked eggs and egg-containing foods immediately after cooking.
  • For buffet-style serving, hot egg dishes should be kept hot, and cold egg dishes kept cold.
  • Eggs and egg dishes, such as quiches or soufflés, may be refrigerated for serving later but should be thoroughly reheated to 165°F (74°C) before serving.

Chill Properly

  • Cooked eggs, including hard-boiled eggs, and egg-containing foods should not sit out for more than 2 hours. Within 2 hours, either reheat or refrigerate.
  • Use hard-cooked eggs (in the shell or peeled) within one week after cooking

On the Road

  • Cooked eggs for a picnic should be packed in an insulated cooler with enough ice or frozen gel packs to keep them cold.
  • Don’t put the cooler in a hot trunk — carry it in the air-conditioned passenger compartment of the car.

Safe Handling Instructions

  • To prevent illness from bacteria: keep eggs refrigerated, cook eggs until yolks are firm, and cook foods containing eggs thoroughly.
  • Hard-cooked Easter eggs can help stretch your food dollars. Packed with high-quality protein, vitamins, and minerals, they add good nutrition when included in casseroles, sandwiches, and salads.
  • Remember, hard-cooked eggs should be refrigerated as much as possible between cooking, decorating, and the hunt or the display.

However they are used, eggs are delicious, nutritious, and economical.

For more information, contact Dorothy C. Lee, C.F.C.S., Family & Consumer Sciences Agent, UF IFAS Extension Escambia County at (850) 475-5230 or dclee@ufl.edu.

Comments

One Response to “Escambia Extension: Egg Safety At Easter”

  1. SHO-NUFF on April 5th, 2015 4:46 am

    I remember as a child, our Yard Eggs went from under the Hen to the kitchen counter where they set for a few days until we used them. We never put eggs in the fridge unless we had more than we could eat in a week or so.
    Hams and bacon hung in the smoke house until the weather got warm and the flies got bad. Then we would can what meat was left .
    We drank water out of a shallow dug well with a bucket and dipper gourd until it went dry sometimes in the Summer. Then we toted water from a spring in the woods. Blueberry pies were kept in a pie safe made with room temperature Lard from hogs we killed.
    I can’t recall anyone ever getting sick from food poisoning. I think we as a society have become to “Clean” and our bodies immune system is weak compared to a few years ago.
    Folks smoked and drank and lived 80 or 90 years, and you didn’t see near the overweight people you see to day. Even the fat folks would hoe a garden, and we didn’t dare call them fat, they were called “A good sized” person.
    Of course you had to physically work to survive then also. You couldn’t sit on the computer all day and post comments on website news…
    These times were not that long ago it happened, and still does in remote areas. I am 50 years old and lived it.

    My Grand Daddy used to have a saying for the lazy, younger folks….. ” A hard days work and a cold drink of water would kill that boy” . Sadly, due to our society today it has some truth.

    Y’all get everything in the Frigidaire fer it rerns and smells like Quorn!

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