what's a good technique for pasteurizing eggs?
I tried to make homemade eggnog last Christmas. It turned out fine, but the eggs were an issue. I thought about buying pasteurized eggs but they would've run me $12 for two dozen, which seemed obscene.
Pasteurization was important because my young child might have wanted some eggnog, so it needed to be very safe.
So I pasteurized the eggs by heating them a little at a time in the microwave, stirring, heating etc until they reached 145F. I may have separated the yolks, but can't remember exactly. I read about the technique on a blog. This worked well enough, but I ended up with some chunks of cooked egg in the egg nog. Not a big deal, but I spent a lot of time on this eggnog and was disappointed that it was less than perfect.
What's a good technique for pasteurizing eggs that doesn't result in chunks and gets the eggs to the correct temperature?
Best Answer
The microwave is too harsh an environment for this.
If you have a sous vide circulator, you can also pasteurize in-shell at 135 F (57 C) for for 75 minutes according to Douglas Baldwin's A Practical Guide to Sous Vide Cooking.
To pasteurize on the stove in the shell takes some care. You must bring the water up to 140 - 150 F (60 - 65 C) for 3 to 5 minutes to pasteurize them. You must not exceed 150 or you will begin to cook the egg. If the eggs are in the water as you heat it then they will closely match the temperature of the surrounding water. Just make sure they aren't resting on the bottom of the pan. If you want to be extra careful you can leave them in longer, as long as you don't let them get too hot.
Alternatively, since you're using them in egg nog, you can combine the eggs with the milk and heat this slowly on the stove until it reaches a temperature or 140-150 F, maintaining for 3-5 minutes.
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How do you pasteurize eggs safely?
For in-shell eggs to be pasteurized, the entire egg (including the center of the yolk) needs to reach 140\xb0F, and then be held at 140\xb0F for 3.5 minutes. If the center of the yolk drops below 140\xb0F, the timing of the 3.5 minutes needs to be re-started from the beginning.How is pasteurization done to eggs?
Pasteurization is a process of gently heating eggs to kill bacteria. The eggs are quickly heated to 140\xb0F(60\xb0C). The heat is just enough to get rid of the bacteria, without actually cooking the eggs.How do you make raw eggs safe?
Store eggs in a 40-degree F refrigerator after purchasing. The cold fridge will limit the growth of any bacteria that might be there. Leave eggs unwashed in their original carton in a cold section of the fridge, not in the door.How can I pasteurize eggs without a microwave?
Alternative method: Stovetop (out of shell) For an even "safer" egg pasteurization, you can do the process out of the shell. To do so, use a double boiler method (placing a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water \u2013 making sure the water isn't touching the bottom of the bowl).More answers regarding what's a good technique for pasteurizing eggs?
Answer 2
The only guaranteed safe method is just to buy eggs pasteurized in the shell. IMHO, well worth the slightly higher price.
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