SAFETY SPOTLIGHT
Handle eggs carefully to ensure optimum food safety
By Kathleen Furore
©2005 Maiden Name Press LLC
How often does your staff handle eggs in your kitchen?
If you make homemade flan, prepare breading for chiles rellenos, or whip up huevos rancheros or fresh tortillas with scrambled eggs and chorizo for breakfast or brunch, the answer is likely "often."
Consequently, you must make sure your employees handle eggs in a way that ensures quality and deters bacterial growth.
Bacteria (salmonella is the bacterium most commonly associated with eggs and egg products) can grow easily if the yolk membrane deteriorates (which it will in several weeks or at temperatures over about 60° F), or if the shell cracks
and the yolk mixes with the white.
The American Egg Board shares the following tips to
help you train workers in proper egg handling procedures.
- Use common sense.
- Buy only clean, odor-free eggs
packed in clean, snug-fitting fiberboard boxes (which
reduce breakage). Buy only in the quantity you'll need
for one to two weeks. Accept only eggs delivered under
refrigeration at a temperature of 45° F or below, and
refrigerate them promptly. It is best to store shell eggs in their case.
- Know the cold facts.
- Eggs refrigerated at 45° F or below will retain their quality for several weeks
(although you should use eggs that are less than 28
days old). Also, institute a Ôfirst in, first out' policy of rotating your egg stock. Store eggs away from foods with strong odors like onions and fish to avoid odor transfer. Don't freeze eggs.
- Keep a clean slate.
- Eggs are rich in protein, so they
require a clean, sanitary enrivonment! Use only clean,
uncracked eggs and always clean and sanitize hands,
mixing bowls, utensils, pans...anything that will come
in contact with the eggs. And never reuse a blender,
bowl, mixer or other container after it has had raw egg mixture in it! Clean and sanitize the container before using it again.
- Practice good timing.
- Cook whole eggs until the white is completely set and the yolk begins to thicken.
Scrambled eggs should be completely cooked until firm throughout, with no visible liquid egg remaining.
- Think small.
- Cook scrambled eggs in small batches (no larger than three quarts). And never " pool" eggs! The practice of breaking large quantities of eggs together and holding them before or after cooking greatly increases the risk of bacterial growth and
contamination. Large batches tend to be left out for
longer periods of time, and egg dishes must never be
left at room temperature for more than one hour — including preparation and serving time!
- Monitor temperatures.
- Hot egg dishes should be kept above 140° F, and cold egg dishes below 40° F. Avoid adding raw eggs or freshly prepared eggs to a batch of cooked eggs already on the steamtable.
- Store leftovers with care.
- When refrigerating a large
quantity of a hot, egg-rich dish or leftovers, divide into several shallow containers so each will cool quickly.
For more information, or to request a sample packet of
egg safety materials (including a poster also available in Spanish), call the American Egg Board at 847-296-7043; visit www.aeb.org; or email aeb@aeb.org.
