Hello! I’m back for the final segment in this four part food safety series. Part 1 was about handling food properly, Part 2 was on handling meats and poultry correctly and Part 3 was on handling fresh produce. This final part is about farm fresh eggs.
As I mentioned in Part 1-3, CommonGround has put together this nice little booklet called “5-Second Rules for Keeping Food Safe” that informs readers about all aspects of food safety. It has information complied from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Services (FSIS), the Food Safety Working Group, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and food industry initiatives.
From the Henhouse to Your House
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.
1. BUY THE DOZEN. Always purchase eggs before the “Sell-By” or “EXP” date on the carton. For best quality, use eggs within 3 to 5 weeks of the date that you purchase them. The “sell-by” date will usually expire during that length of time, but the eggs are perfectly safe to use.
4. A FIRM RULE. Always cook eggs until the yolks and whites are firm. Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature of 160 F.
5. STAY FIRM. As tempting as it can be, resist the urge to taste raw cookie dough or batters made with eggs (I have a hard time with this!). For recipes made with uncooked eggs, choose pasteurized eggs.
For more information about eggs and to see what it’s like on a farm in Iowa that produces 750,000 eggs each day, check out Kristin’s Journey into Ag.
This concludes my four-part series about food safety. I hope you learned a few things along the way!
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