Is it Safe to Eat Cracked Eggs?
Salmonella can spread fast from an animal’s intestinal tract to eggshells if some of the egg’s white or yolk comes into touch with it. To avoid this spread, eggshells are strong and totally enclosed. They also feature a thin membrane underneath the shell to provide further protection. However, if your egg’s shell is cracked and these natural defenses are compromised, you may want to discard it totally.
When are cracked eggs safe to eat?
The USDA warns against buying cracked eggs and recommends examining each one before purchasing. If your eggs crack on the way home from the grocery store, simply transfer them to a clean container and discard the shell. This will keep.
Raw eggs are delicate emblems of fragility, and their single-use shells should be handled with caution. Once you’ve cracked the egg or removed the plastic layer off a new phone screen, there’s no going back. But what if, as you take the new phone from its box or open a new carton, you notice the plastic covering is already peeling off or one egg is cracked?
The CDC warns that chicken meat and eggs contain salmonella, a germ that can cause serious harm if consumed by humans. According to the USDA, if bird droppings get on the egg, Salmonella can spread.
How to Safely Cook Eggs (And Why Egg Food Safety Matters)
Cooking an egg correctly is a good idea any time you cook eggs. According to the FDA, even uncracked eggs can be infected with Salmonella because the bacterium can enter the egg before the shells fully form. Salmonella can cause food poisoning, resulting in symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and fever that can linger up to a week after eating contaminated eggs.
According to the Egg Safety Center, the safe doneness levels for the most popular egg prep options are as follows:
- Hard-boiled eggs: 160°F (if cooked correctly, hard-boiled eggs will reach 160°F inside—no need to insert a thermometer!)
- Omelets, frittatasFrittatas, quiches, casseroles, stratas, and eggnog: 160°F.
- Cook egg white omelets and pie meringues at 144°F to 149°F.
- Scrambled, over-easy, over-hard, fried, basted, and poached: 144°F to 158°F.
Can Cooking Eggs Get Rid of Bacteria?
Can Cooking Eggs Get Rid of Bacteria?The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that boiling eggs to an internal temperature of 160°F before serving can destroy bacteria like Salmonella, which may assuage your fears if you’re still uneasy about eating a broken egg.
That means no runny eggs Benedict and definitely no Caesar salad dressing, but baked products and other dishes that need fully cooked yolks and whites are excellent uses for imperfect eggs.
