How can I buy or make pasteurized eggs?
Many recipes for the raw-egg yolk sauces and dressings suggest using pasteurized eggs for safety, and say they are available in stores. I've never seen them for sale anywhere. Generally I accept the 1 in 30,000 risk of salmonella (healthy, young, comfortable with calculated risks); however, when I cook for others, I feel uncomfortable exposing them to the risk.
Now I'm wondering:
- Where can I obtain pasteurized or irradiated eggs?
- Are they only available in special stores, or in certain regions? Just in big cities, or in Europe?
- Is there an easy way to pasteurize your own eggs (preferably in the shell) without affecting texture?
- How does using pasteurized eggs impact the shelf life of homemade mayonnaises and custards?
Best Answer
The theory is to pasteurize them sous-vide at 57ºC for 1:15'. You must be able to control the temperature, so specialized equipment is needed (ronner or similar).
The resulting egg has a different texture than ordinary (and I believe it tastes more 'yolky').
I've kept homemade mayo for more than two weeks without problem (off smell / taste).
Custards are heated, so no pasteurized eggs are needed, just like hollandaise sauce.
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Quick Answer about "How can I buy or make pasteurized eggs?"
You can purchase pasteurized egg whites in most grocery stores. Pasteurized egg whites come in a carton, usually in the same area where you would buy regular eggs. The word “pasteurized” is one the box but sometimes can be very small and hard to locate.Can you buy pasteurized eggs at the grocery store?
Can You Buy Pasteurized Eggs? Some grocery stores sell refrigerated in-shell pasteurized eggs, though not all stores carry them. Look for them next to the regular eggs. Pasteurized liquid whole eggs sold in cartons are another option, but only for recipes calling for whole eggs.Can you pasteurize your own eggs?
To pasteurize large eggs, place them in a saucepan filled with water and fitted with a digital thermometer. Turn on the heat and bring the water up to 140F. Keep the water temperature at 140F for 3 minutes (and no more than 142F), reducing the heat on the burner if necessary.Is it hard to find pasteurized eggs?
It All DependsThey can be harder to find, however, as not every grocery store carries them. A company called National Pasteurized Eggs sells its Davidson's Safest Choice brand pasteurized eggs in grocery stores across the country, and they have a store locator to help you find where they're sold.How do eggs get pasteurized?
Pasteurized shell eggs are heated in warm water baths using controlled time and temperature, to destroy any bacteria that might be present, but the process does not cook the eggs. Any process used for eggs in shell pasteurization has to be approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).How To Pasteurize Eggs Simple Easy
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Answer 2
Pasteurisation requires fine control over temperature which would be very tricky at home.
According to 'Davidson's Safest Choice Eggs' at www.safeeggs.com, in North Carolina pasteurised eggs are available at Lowes Foods and Harris Teeter. That will hopefully mean more to you than it does to me!
As for shelf life, I would imagine there are few negative effects - if anything they should last longer as there will be fewer bacteria, providing you've used sterilised equipment.
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