Eggs in Key Lime Pie Question - Page 2

Mindy D · ‎05-23-2010

@SXMGirl wrote:
I am making Ina Garten's frozen key lime pie for a girlfriend lunch tomorrow. The recipe calls for 6 egg yolks in the batter. This is my first time making key lime pie, and I trust Ina's recipes, but I am concerned about raw eggs. I am not seeing pasteurized on my egg carton, even though I am using Eggland's Best. Are raw yolks safe? I know that I see them used all of the time on the cooking shows. Any help is greatly appreciated! TIA!

Use Davidson’s Safest Choice Eggs. They are raw eggs that have been pasteurized in the shell. They are available natupionwide in your grocer’s egg section. There might be other similar items available too. Ask your grocer if they are sold in your store. No more sorties when using raw gas in booking. HOORAY TECHNOLOGY.

Honeybit · ‎07-17-2011

@Mindy D

I used Davidson’s last Christmas just to be safe when I made a batch of eggnog to take to a party. I liked them just fine -- I did notice that beating the whites for the eggnog recipe took a w-h-o-l-e lot longer than for unpasteurized eggs but they did finally whip up. Certainly wouldn't be any problem for the pie recipe and would make the cook feel much more comfortable offering the dish away from home.

Vivian · ‎03-11-2010

I love key lime pie so when I saw it made on a cooking show, I was a bit turned off by the raw eggs. With all the talk about problems with raw eggs and food poisoning, I’d follow some of the suggestions mentioned in these posts. I wonder what restaurants do to avoid any problems with raw egg recipes.

loriqvc · ‎11-06-2011

@Mindy D wrote:
@SXMGirl wrote:
I am making Ina Garten's frozen key lime pie for a girlfriend lunch tomorrow. The recipe calls for 6 egg yolks in the batter. This is my first time making key lime pie, and I trust Ina's recipes, but I am concerned about raw eggs. I am not seeing pasteurized on my egg carton, even though I am using Eggland's Best. Are raw yolks safe? I know that I see them used all of the time on the cooking shows. Any help is greatly appreciated! TIA!
Use Davidson’s Safest Choice Eggs. They are raw eggs that have been pasteurized in the shell. They are available natupionwide in your grocer’s egg section. There might be other similar items available too. Ask your grocer if they are sold in your store. No more sorties when using raw gas in booking. HOORAY TECHNOLOGY.

Okay, I swear I'm laughing with you and not at you, but did your phone help you write this post? The penultimate sentence is unintentionally hilarious, as I think you meant for it to be "No more worries when using raw eggs in cooking."

loriqvc · ‎11-06-2011

I have prepared various recipes for key lime pie over the years, and all have called for raw eggs. Not once has anyone become ill or experienced any negative effects, and we eat a lot of this tasty pie (as well as variations with other citrus fruits) during the summer months.

I believe the concern over raw eggs in the past decade or so has become hysteria for no real reason; the Centers for Disease Control *estimate* that 1 in 20,000 eggs *might* be a carrier for salmonella. And it is actually just as likely that someone could contract salmonella from fruits, vegetables, and nuts that are not properly stored and prepared, but the same stigma does not seem to apply.

It's great that we're trying to be careful with our health, but people have been safely eating raw eggs for hundreds of years without the benefits of modern processing. In the United States, we're so paranoid about buying eggs from the grocery store that don't look perfect that it is a requirement for egg producers to pass their eggs through a chemical solution that removes all the potential contaminants from the outer shells (though it was originally designed to just remove any feather remnants from the natural protective layer on eggs when they're laid). In addition, bacteria won't grow in the egg whites because of their makeup, and the whites are protecting the yolks from contact with bacteria that may be trying to come in from the outside. While it's true that some sensitive groups such as pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems should be more cautious about raw eggs, they also have to be more cautious about virtually everything they put into their bodies.

Of course, everyone is welcome to their own opinions on the subject, and you should certainly do whatever makes you feel secure. But as someone who once had a bout of salmonella that was so bad it landed me in the hospital for a few days (due to a tainted batch of frozen chicken), I will continue to be careful in my dessert preparations but will also continue to use raw eggs with very little fear or worry.