6 things you should know to reduce your risk of Salmonella.

Posted by jfoster | 0 comments

I swore I wasn’t going to talk about salmonella but I’ve gotten several questions today so I thought a quick post would be appropriate. When handled properly, most eggs are reasonably safe so you shouldn’t alter your eating habits very much if you’re an egg lover like I am.

 Having said that, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.  Use common sense when dealing with eggs – no chugging raw eggs or making salad dressings with raw eggs unless using pasteurized. I always feel like the media tries to scare the hell out of everyone unnecessarily when these recalls happen.  Adhere to a few basic food safety guidelines and you can greatly reduce the risk of contamination for you and your family.  

1. Thoroughly cooking eggs will kill the bacteria – no sunny side up or soft scrambled eggs please. To be safe, make sure the yellow and white are firm.

2. Be careful about cross contamination in your kitchen when handling eggs.

• Wash hands with soap and water after handling raw eggs.
• Disinfect counter tops that may have come in contact with eggs.
• Thoroughly wash utensils and bowls you may have used to prep eggs. 

3. Pasteurized eggs have a minimal chance of salmonella contamination. If you’re particularly worried about the bacteria, buy pasteurized. 

4. Keep eggs refrigerated at 45 degrees fareiheit or lower. This slows the growth of any bacteria that may be in the eggs.

5. If you have consumed eggs within the past 72 hours and you are experiencing fever, abdominal pain, or diarrhea, seek a medical professional immediately.

 6.  Adapting recipes that call for raw eggs

• When making homemade ice cream or eggnog, heat milk-egg mixture slowly to 160 degrees or use pasteurized eggs.
• Substitute pasteurized dried egg whites, whipped cream, or whipped topping when making chiffon pies made with beaten egg whites. Meringues are fine if baked at 350 degrees for at least 15 minutes.
• Casserole recipes that require egg mixtures need to be cooked to 160 degrees in the center.

Here is the list of recalled eggs as of 8/23/2010 but the FDA is expecting this list to grow.

Brand	Plant Number	Julian Dates
Albertson	1413	136 through 225
Albertson	1026	136 through 225
Albertson	1720	136 through 229
Albertson	1942	136 through 229
Bayview	1686	142 through 149
Boomsma’s	1413	136 through 225
Boomsma’s	1946	136 through 225
Boomsma’s	1720	136 through 229
Boomsma’s	1942	136 through 229
Country Eggs	1026	216 through 221 (15-dozen bulk)
Country Eggs	1946	216 through 221 (15-dozen bulk)
Dutch Farms	1946	136 through 225
Farm Fresh	1026	136 through 225
Farm Fresh	1946	136 through 225
Farm Fresh	1720	136 through 229
Farm Fresh	1942	136 through 229
Glenview	1720	136 through 229
Glenview	1942	136 through 229
Hillandale	1413	136 through 225
James Farms	1720	136 through 229
James Farms	1942	136 through 229
Kemps	1946	136 through 225
Kemps	1720	136 through 229
Kemps	1942	136 through 229
Lucerne	1413	136 through 225
Lucerne	1026	136 through 225
Lucerne	1946	136 through 225
Lund	1946	136 through 225
Lund	1720	136 through 229
Lund	1942	136 through 229
Mountain Dairy	1951	193 through 208
Mountain Dairy	1413	136 through 225
Mountain Dairy	1026	136 through 225
Mountain Dairy	1720	136 through 229
Mountain Dairy	1942	136 through 229
Nulaid	1091	167 through 174
Nulaid	1951	195 through 210
Pacific Coast	1720	136 through 229
Pacific Coast	1942	136 through 229
Ralph’s	1413	136 through 225
Ralph’s	1026	136 through 225
Ralph’s	1720	136 through 229
Shoreland	1026	136 through 225
Sunny Farms	1860	099 through 230
Sunny Farms	1663	137 through 230
Sunny Meadows	1860	099 through 230
Sunny Meadows	1663	137 through 230
Sunshine	1413	136 through 225
Sun Valley	1951	195 through 209
Trafficanda	1413	136 through 225