How to eat eggs without getting scared

The egg is one of the foods that causes us the most headaches. We are not talking about the old recommendations that advocated consuming it very occasionally because it supposedly raised cholesterol and increased the risk of cardiovascular disease. Nor are we putting the focus on whether they have been obtained from hens raised in cages or with access to the outside, this time we will talk about whether it is safe to eat it and how we should keep it and prepare it to avoid scares , because, yes, you can get a scare and of the fat ones.

Food of high nutritional quality due to its considerable content in proteins of high biological value, mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega 3, vitamins A, D, E and K , as well as phosphorus, selenium, iron and zinc, the egg presents, however , a certain microbiological risk. We are referring to Salmonella , a bacterium that carries 1.6% of laying hens in Spain, according to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, which causes salmonellosis, a food poisoning. “The shell can become contaminated with fecal remains both in the outlet duct (which it shares with the digestive and urinary system) and in the laying place”, explains Beatriz Robles, food technologist and dietician-nutritionist in her book Come sure eating everything (Planet) . The expert also makes reference to our culinary customs, such as eating juicy potato omelette , with “liquidillo”, or frying the egg so that bread can be dipped in its yolk , both, and although many are despite, preparations of risk.

And what recommendations does the expert give to avoid getting scared that can have us sitting on the toilet for up to 10 days in a row and can be accompanied by vomiting, fever, chills, abdominal cramps and headaches? Robles points out in his book a series of guidelines that we should strictly abide by. They are as follows:

1. Eggs should be stored in the fridge as soon as you get home . Although they are at room temperature in the supermarket, we must refrigerate them and not place them on the refrigerator door . You read correctly, do not place them in that area. The reason is that the refrigerator door compartments undergo constant temperature changes when opening and closing and this can negatively affect the eggs.
2. Respect the preferred consumption date.
3. Do not wash them . Do it only immediately before consuming them.
4. Discard eggs that are cracked or have cracks in the shell.
5. Be very careful with cross contamination , that is, do not crack the egg in the same container in which you are going to beat, do not reuse, without previously washing with soap and water, the container in which you have placed the egg, even if its shell apparently clean.
6. If you are making a sponge cake or other sweet or savory preparation with raw egg, do not try the mixture.
7. If you are going to prepare mayonnaise, meringues, mousses or other preparations with raw eggs, take extreme hygiene measures. These preparations that are eaten as is (without cooking), must be made as soon as possible, they will be kept in the refrigerator until they are consumed and the remains will be thrown away if they are left over. The idea is that, if the egg has microorganisms, we do not give time for them to multiply and end up producing an infection. If you want to be 100% healthy, buy the mayonnaise already prepared .
8. To destroy the possible microorganisms that may be in the egg, you have to cook it at about 70-75 degrees for one minute. This means that both the white and the yolk should curdle or what comes to the same thing: we should not eat fried eggs with the liquid yolk or juicy tortillas . As this surely does not please many, Robles recommends the following: “To solve this gastronomic drama, we must act as if the recipe had raw eggs: extreme hygiene measures, prepare immediately before consuming and discard the leftovers.” However, if the diners are in a risk group (children, pregnant women, the elderly or immunosuppressed), we will have to cook the egg completely.
9. Are you one of those who take advantage of the pot and cook pasta and eggs at the same time? The expert affirms that there is a risk and strongly discourages it. Better to cook separately .
10. Regarding homemade eggs that are dirty, the expert says the following in her book: “If you have dirty homemade eggs, the recommendation also goes through keeping them unwashed, with some additional requirements: you must store them refrigerated in containers to prevent them from coming into contact with other foods. or with the surfaces of the refrigerator, consume them as soon as possible after laying, wash them (mandatory) immediately before cooking and apply an intense heat treatment: do not consider using them for raw preparation. And if there is someone at home belonging to risk groups, avoid eating them ”.
11. In case you want to eat an omelette in a restaurant, you should know that catering establishments are required to cook the egg at a minimum of 75 degrees. If you want to use raw or prepare it at a lower temperature, the law requires you to use the so-called “ huevina ”. And one last point that the expert gives, whether the tortilla is curdled or if it is one of the juicy ones, restaurants must keep it at all times at a maximum of eight degrees. “The bars that have the tortilla exposed on the bar without temperature control are violating this legislation .”