Posted by hans on June 03, 1998 at 15:52:59 :
In Reply to: No, but i have a suggestion posted by Carl on April 08, 1998 at 17:24:28 :
: is it true that eggs do not have to be refrigerated
: if held in their shells? and would you speak on salmonella and the use of
: raw eggs in recipes.. what is the REAL truth...
: thank!!
and need to be treated as such. Any high protein/high moisture food item has to be refrigerated at all times, except during cooking and preparation.
only because some bakers don't do it, doesn't make it right.
Eggs start to deteriorate from the time they are laid.
As to salmonella, this will have to be addressed on the producer level. the FDA should get involved and make sure that antibiotics are not abused in animal feed and create an undefeatable monster situation.
The USDA needs to start certifying egg producers as "salmonella free" and close the offenders (a relatively small percentage) down.
Until this has been resolved, it is advisable to fully cook eggs (above 160F) or use a pasteurized product.
Foodservice operations have a habit to break eggs in bulk, cracking them together for omlettes or bulk scrambled eggs and then storing them unrefrigerated. Very dangerous as related to salmonella.
There is a lot of useful info here.