Safe Handling of Eggs 101

1. Buy fresh. First and foremost buy only fresh, well refrigerated eggs with non expired dates that have been carefully evaluated for smoothness and texture and contain no cracks.

2. Weigh your eggs. Test the weight of your eggs. The heavier the fresher and better. In addition, always look for air build up which can be determined by holding the egg to a light. The less air the fresher and better.

3. Properly refrigerate. As soon as you get home, properly refrigerate your eggs in their original carton or store them in your freezer after they’ve been carefully separated. Do not wash your egg shells before freezing or storing. Lastly, always store your eggs inside the fridge and not on the door.

4. Be Clean. Be extremely diligent about cleanliness. If anything comes into contact with a cracked egg, wash it very carefully with soapy and extremely hot water. No exceptions to this rule. By the way, this includes your hands, countertops, and kitchen utensils.

5. Cook thoroughly. To avoid salmonella poisoning, cook everything containing eggs thoroughly. This includes cakes, casseroles, etc. Remember that eggs should be cooked to 160 degrees F to kill bacteria.

6. Use dried egg mix. If you have a recipe calling for undercooked or raw eggs, use dried egg mix.

7. Immediately serve and don’t allow to sit out. Immediately serve cooked eggs and recipes containing eggs and don’t allow such items to sit out. This goes for both hot and cold items. In fact, they shouldn’t sit out for more than two hours and leftover egg dishes and dishes containing eggs must be used within 3 days.

8. Use it up. Use hard cooked eggs within one week and frozen eggs should be used within one year.

9. Coolers rule. Purchase and use coolers for cold egg recipes like potato salad or tuna fish.

10. Enjoy those eggs and feel proud of yourself for being safe!

recipe donated by www.eggsaladgourmet.com