Poached Egg Problem
Corduroy—
Is it possible to get salmonella poisoning from poached eggs?
Yes, similarly to how it’s possible to get salmonella from sunny-side-up eggs. The runny yolk is sign that the proteins in the egg have not all coagulated, and therefore a sign that bacteria present in the egg may have survived. If the white is still runny, the egg has reached a lower temperature, and the possibility of food bore illness is therefore greater.
Most food pathologist type people will therefore urge you to eat your eggs “fully cooked”—with not even a hint of liquidity to the yolk. Unless my egg is boiled or going on a sandwich, though, I can’t play that game: the rubbery texture of an overdone egg is downright undesirable.
This is why the freshness of your eggs is of paramount importance. The fresher the egg, the more probable that its bacterial levels are not harmful. Most eggs purchased from a grocery store are probably about four weeks old by the time you get them. If you’ve held onto them for another couple of weeks, it’s probably time to hard boil them and get some fresher eggs for your less-cooked purposes.
Or, search out farms in your area and see if you can get eggs straight from the farm. Chances are they’ll cost somewhere in the range of $2-$3 per dozen, but the somewhat higher price tag is justified in terms of freshness, better treatment of the animals (visit the farm if you can and see how the chickens live, otherwise, ask questions), and flavor. Indeed, the difference between farm and factory eggs is quickly seen, even before it is tasted.
April 23rd, 2007 at 3:35 pm
anyway, $2-3 per dozen is just as much as stop and shop charges me for free range organic eggs. note to self: find local egg source.
April 23rd, 2007 at 3:39 pm
and all “free range organic” means is that there was a door in the warehouse where the chickens could theoretically wander outside if they wanted to, but chances are, they probably didn’t (see Michael Pollan).
April 23rd, 2007 at 6:42 pm
I’ve often noticed that we Americans are surprisingly sensitive to “undercooked” foods, compared to our Japanese and European counterparts (among others). I’ve seen people freak over fresh Caesar dressing and get nauseous at the idea of cool-in-the-center scallops. While I certainly wouldn’t serve rare tuna to a 2-year-old, you would think that grown adults would realize that the germs are on the outside, right? (Or am I wrong?)
April 24th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
thought you might find this pictorial guide to egg freshness interesting - it ties into your earlier post too.
http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/30005/
Lauren - I think that if we all knew that bacteria lived on the outside, maybe we (in the general America sense) wouldn’t eat so many fast food hamburgers that are who knows how old. my friend’s microbiologist sister is famous (in my head) for pointing out it’s all about surface area! keep it small and there’s less chance you’ll find a microbug waiting to give you gastrointestinal issues.
April 25th, 2007 at 9:28 am
The tough thing with ground meat is that it has no outside—or rather, the outside has gotten smashed up with the inside and it’s all mingling together.
As far as bad eggs go, the bacteria is in the shell, and desn’t respect boundaries there, either. Studies have shown that eggs from “free range hens” are not significantly safer than those from factory-raised hens, but that seems to me a bit misleading: “free range” means that there’s access to the outside from the warehouse where the hens are stored, but the hens are (according to what I’ve read) not apt to take advantage of it, thus the only difference between the two environments is lack of a cage: the hens are still huddled in a building eating a diet consisting entirely of feed.
Actual farm-raised hens, though, scratch around the outside, eat a diet that consists in large part of things they find (supplemented by feed), and have a much more open, natural environment. Therefore, in my estimation, are healthier. Even if that’s not the case, though, the fresher the egg, the better it is, thus the large difference in time between when the egg is laid and when it gets to you is very significant.