'Tis The Season For...Egg Nog!

As I begin to write this blog about food safety and what you can do to keep your loved ones safe and healthy over the holiday season; I can’t help but think about those individuals all along the East Coast that are still digging their way out from the wrath of “Superstorm” Sandy.  How are they celebrating the season?  Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers; they’re going to need all of the support they can get over the coming days, weeks, even months while they acclimate to a new normal.

I love the holiday season.  From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day...food, food, food and more food!  And, I LOVE food…meat, vegetables, fruit, cookies, desserts and don’t forget the drinks!  One of my favorites, EGGNOG…

Grandma’s Eggnog recipe most likely needs a Safety Update (and, before you say it – NO alcohol does NOT kill the bacteria).  I love my Nanny’s eggnog, what do I do?!  Pasteurized shelled eggs are an option, if you have access to them.  If not you’ll need to go another route.

The key is to heat the eggs to 160°F in order to kill the bacteria.

Ahhhh, but the savvy egg-eater would state that this would make a runny egg an omelet; and, they would be correct.  However, simple alterations to the recipe can correct this issue.  Eggs harden when their proteins coagulate, so in order for them to stay runny, their proteins must remain separate.  This can be achieved by diluting the egg with something like milk or sugar.

The magic number is two tablespoons of sugar per white.  If yolks and whites are being cooked together the American Egg board recommends ¼ cup of liquid or sugar per egg.  This mixture can then be heated to 160°F and it will not harden. 

Following this recommendation will not only keep your eggnog safe, but you can refer to it for other recipes containing raw eggs as well.  No need to change the recipes, just combine the ingredients in a different order.

Now, let’s talk about another source of Salmonella.  As I mentioned before I LOVE food, anything sweet is my weakness (my dentist is cringing right now).

Eggs are the unexciting ingredient that goes into many of these cookies, cakes, and other sweet treats.    Eggs are often added quickly then we move on to something more exciting…Chocolate chips! 

When you purchase your eggs commercially there are regulations in place, so you can expect the exterior of the egg and the carton to have met certain standards.   However, Salmonella can live inside the shell.  This means you need to be careful.

I’m not going to tell you to not eat raw cookie dough or you will never read anything else I write.  What I am going to say is, do it at your own risk.  None of you want to spend the holiday cuddled up to the toilet on the bathroom floor.  Barf Humbug! 

Enjoy the season and everything it has to offer – SAFELY!