Food Safety Advisory: When Baking Holiday Cookies, Please Don't Eat the Dough!
(November 2003)
One of the treats of the holiday season is "testing" cookie dough before it is baked. But, eating dough that contains raw eggs could turn a fun time into a miserable experience, according to Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) Director Dan Wyant.
"Raw eggs sometimes contain Salmonella enteritidis, a bacteria that can make people very sick," said Wyant.
"The best way to avoid getting sick is to refrain from eating cookie dough or by making the dough with pasteurized eggs."
Salmonella enteritidis has been around a long time but is now seen in the environment in greater numbers. If it ends up on the shell or inside the egg, this doesn't mean the bacteria came from a farm. In fact, kitchen counters, utensils, even towels and dishrags, can also harbor the dangerous bacteria. The best measure against contamination is to cook food thoroughly and keep surfaces and utensils clean.
MDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommend people do not eat raw or undercooked egg yolks, egg whites or any products containing them. This includes homemade eggnog, mayonnaise and ice cream.
Ready-made products, including the popular slice-and-bake cookie dough and "cookie dough" ice cream, are made with pasteurized eggs, which is an option for the home cook. Pasteurized eggs or egg substitutes can be found at grocery stores in refrigerated, frozen or dried form. These products are eggs that have been removed from their shells and commercially heated to destroy bacteria but are not cooked.
Wyant also offered some tips on handling eggs to keep them fresh and wholesome:
Buying Eggs
Choose only Grade A or AA eggs with clean, uncracked shells from a refrigerated unit. Never buy eggs that have been kept at room temperature because any bacteria present in the eggs can grow rapidly outside of refrigeration.
Always check the date printed on the carton to make sure the eggs are fresh.
Get eggs into your refrigerator as soon as possible.
Storing Eggs
Fresh shell eggs should be kept in their original cartons in the colder section of the refrigerator at approximately 40 degrees Fahrenheit. They can keep safely for 3 to 5 weeks from the date of purchase, not from the date on the carton.
Sometimes eggs crack on the way home. Just break them into a clean container, cover tightly, refrigerate and use within 2 days.
Freezing Eggs
Didn't think this was possible? First, you have to break the eggs and beat the yolks and whites together, or just freeze the whites separately. To freeze yolks separately, mix 4 yolks with a pinch of salt and one and one-half teaspoons of sugar or corn syrup. Store up to 6 months.
Handling Eggs
Wash hands, utensils and work areas with hot, soapy water before and after contact with raw eggs or raw egg-rich foods. Avoid keeping eggs out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours. (Some baking recipes call for room temperature eggs because when they are beaten, they tend to have greater volume. This can be done within the 2-hour time limitation.)
Serve cooked egg dishes immediately after cooking or refrigerate for later use.
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