Food Tips > About them Eggs
About them Eggs
By The Editorial Team
In conjunction with Easter, we decided to write an article about eggs!
Eggs have been used to celebrate spring festivals for centuries. The symbolic Easter rabbits and colored eggs came from German traditions and spread to America via German settlers. Ever since then egg hunts have been loved by children all over.
Egss is also an indispensable ingredient of Asian cooking and is part of our staple diet. However, there are a couple of things you need to know about egg safety. What's that? Well, many do not know that certain bacteria can be spread by contaminated food like eggs. Eggs may occasionally contain bacteria called Salmonella that can cause intestinal infection. One way to prevent egg-related illness is by knowing how to buy, store, handle and cook eggs-or foods that contain them-safely.
Here are some steps recommended by the US Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition to avoid egg-related illness.
- When buying eggs, open the carton and check that the egg shells are clean and uncracked. After purchasing, refrigerate promptly.
- When cooking eggs, make sure they are cooked until both the yolk and the white are firm. Avoid runny scrambled eggs (Oh no!).
- 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.
- 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 1 week after cooking
- Refrigerate leftover cooked egg dishes and use within 3-4 days. When refrigerating a large amount of a hot egg-containing leftover, divide it into several shallow containers so it will cool quickly.
- When you're out on the road, cooked eggs should be packed in an insulated cooler with enough ice or frozen gel packs to keep them cold. Don't put the cooler in the trunk-carry it in the air-conditioned passenger compartment of the car.
Here's some egg cooking guidelines from the American Egg Board:
- Scrambled eggs, omelets and frittatas - Cook until the eggs are thickened and no visible liquid egg remains.
- Fried Eggs - To cook both sides and increase the temperature the eggs reach, cook slowly and either baste the eggs, cover the pan with a lid or turn the eggs. Cook until the whites are completely set and the yolks begin to thicken but are not hard.
- Soft-cooked eggs - Bring the eggs and water to a full, rolling boil. Turn off the heat, cover the pan and let the eggs sit in the hot water about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Poached Eggs - Cook in gently simmering water until the whites are completely set and the yolks begin to thicken but are not hard, about 3 to 5 minutes. Avoid precooking and reheating poached eggs.
- French toast, Monte Cristo sandwiches, crab or other fish cakes, quiches, baked custards, most casseroles - Cook or bake until a thermometer inserted at the center shows 160° F or a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. You may find it difficult to tell if a knife shows uncooked egg or melted cheese in some casseroles and other combination dishes that are thick or heavy and contain cheese - lasagne, for example. To be sure these dishes are done, check to see that a thermometer at the center of the dish shows 160° F. Also use a thermometer to help guard against uneven cooking due to hot spots and inadequate cooking due to varying oven temperatures.
- Microwaving Eggs - All models of microwave ovens tend to cook foods unevenly, leaving cold spots. To encourage more even cooking, cover the dish, stir the ingredients, if possible, and rotate the dish at least once or twice during the cooking time
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