At first, I didn't think anyone would care much about raw eggs. I mean, who really eats them that often except maybe fitness enthusiasts chugging protein shakes?
Then a reader pointed out that cookie dough would have raw eggs in it. Sweet hammer of Thor, this one had to be addressed immediately! Raw eggs are in everything wonderful – brownie mix, Caesar salad (sometimes), homemade mayonnaise and cookie dough.
The Salmonella Situation
So Salmonella, chillin' like a villain in raw eggs, is the potential bacteria here.
Salmonella bacteria is everywhere and it spreads easily. The bacteria can be found in the intestinal tracts of animals, birds, reptiles, insects, and people. Eggs can become contaminated while being formed (meaning it can be inside the egg), or the outside can become contaminated from improper handling with unclean hands, pets, other foods and kitchen equipment.
If you eat an egg containing salmonella, you may experience abdominal cramps, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, chills, fever and/or headache within 6 to 72 hours after consuming it. You’re usually over it within 4 to 7 days and while it doesn’t affect your baby directly, there is a very low chance that it can escalate into sepsis which CAN affect your baby. Dehydration is the bigger concern so keep watch for that if you have a prolonged assplosion going on.
Scientists estimate that, on average across the U.S., only 1 of every 20,000 eggs might contain the bacteria so, if you’re an average consumer, you might encounter a contaminated egg once every 84 years. Furthermore, in the U.S., eggshells are washed and sanitized to remove possible hazards that could be deposited on the outside of an egg.
There are over 2,500 known types, but the three most common ones are Typhimurium, Enteritidis, and Typhi. From what I can gather, the samonella that affects eggs is Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella typhimurium. Salmonella typhi is the type that causes typhoid fever and it’s relatively uncommon in developed countries.
Confusing, non?
Dear Science Nerds, OPI comes up with names for every single one of their nail polishes, so maybe you could come up with a better distinction between a bacteria that gives you the trots for two days and something that can kill you? Just sayin’.
Lowering Your Risk
If you want to play it safe, here are the risk levels for many egg related favorites
Higher risk:
- Raw cookie dough and cake batter
- Runny poached, soft-boiled, or over-easy eggs
- Homemade mayonnaise, hollandaise, and Caesar dressing
- Homemade ice cream, mousse, and meringue
- Fresh tiramisu and homemade eggnog
Lower risk:
- Store-bought versions of these foods (they use pasteurized eggs)
- Pasteurized eggs for any recipe calling for raw eggs
- Fully cooked eggs with firm yolks and whites
Even though our beloved cookie dough is a higher risk, it seems unlikely that you would come across a contaminated egg and it doesn’t sound like it’s all that awful if you did. Once again, I’m sure somebody somewhere has some horror story about an egg “incident” but I’m sure there’s somebody somewhere that knows somebody that died from a paper cut – perhaps from the cutalingus cutalingus bacteria. *snort*
Our next reco: Hospital Bag – What to Pack
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