Safety with Eggs

Playing It Safe With Eggs
What Consumers Need to Know

Here is some basic rules we should follow to prevent food borne illness from eggs

Eggs that have been treated to destroy Salmonella—by in-shell pasteurization, for example—are not required to carry safe handling instructions.

Buy Right
- Buy eggs only if sold from a refrigerator or refrigerated case.‡
- Open the carton and make sure that the eggs are clean and the shells are not cracked.
- Refrigerate promptly.
- Store eggs in their original carton and use them within 3 weeks for best quality.
Keep Everything Clean
Before preparing any food, remember that cleanliness is key!
- Wash hands, utensils, equipment, and work surfaces with hot, soapy water before and after they come in contact with eggs and egg-containing foods
Cook Thoroughly
Thorough cooking is perhaps the most important step in making sure eggs are safe.
- Cook eggs until both the yolk and the white are firm. Scrambled eggs should not be runny.
- Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to 160°F (72°C). Use a food thermometer to be sure.
- For recipes that call for eggs that are raw or undercooked when the dish is served—Caesar salad dressing and homemade ice cream are two examples—use either shell eggs that have been treated to destroy Salmonella, by pasteurization or another approved method, or pasteurized egg products. Treated shell eggs are available from a growing number of retailers and are clearly labeled, while pasteurized egg products are widely available.
Serve Safely
Bacteria can multiply in temperatures from 40°F (5°C) to 140°F (60°C), so it's very important to serve foods safely.
- Serve cooked eggs and egg-containing foods immediately after cooking.
- For buffet-style serving, hot egg dishes should be kept hot, and cold egg dishes kept cold.
- Eggs and egg dishes, such as quiches or soufflés, may be refrigerated for serving later but should be thoroughly reheated to 165°F (74°C) before serving.
Chill Properly
- Cooked eggs, including hard-boiled eggs, and egg-containing foods should not sit out for more than 2 hours. Within 2 hours either reheat or refrigerate.
- Use hard-cooked eggs (in the shell or peeled) within 1 week after cooking
- Use frozen eggs within one year. Eggs should not be frozen in their shells. To freeze whole eggs, beat yolks and whites together. Egg whites can also be frozen by themselves.
- Refrigerate leftover cooked egg dishes and use within 3-4 days. When refrigerating a large amount of a hot egg-containing leftover, divide it into several shallow containers so it will cool quickly.
On the Road
- Cooked eggs for a picnic should be packed in an insulated cooler with enough ice or frozen gel packs to keep them cold.
- Don't put the cooler in the trunk—carry it in the air-conditioned passenger compartment of the car.
- If taking cooked eggs to work or school, pack them with a small frozen gel pack or a frozen juice box.

Interesting manufacturing of ramen

adapted from http://www.instantramen.or.jp/english/process/index.html
Wonder how instant ramen is made? For such a simple-looking product, almost every manufacturing step is monitored closely to ensure high quality and safety in the food. Several important process steps like deep frying would help to ensure the water content of noodle are low so that risk of microbial growth is lowered as well as increase rehydration time during cooking. More answers for question could be found on http://www.instantramen.or.jp/english/outline/index.html

FooD Safety

Do u Know of the "Invisible enemy" present in food? Even though the food might look appealing and safe for consumption, there might be present of millions of Bacteria on your food. Bacteria are known as "invisible enemy" as they are too small for our naked eyes to see and could cause serious illness to those who consume them. These bacteria may be present on foods when purchased or get into food during preparation, cooking, serving or storage.
Here are some of the important facts of bacteria:

1. Bacteria are a part of all living things and are found on all raw agricultural products
2. Harmful bacteria can be transferred from food to people, people onto food, or from one food to another
3. Bacteria can grow rapidly at room temperature
4. Growth of harmful bacteria in food can be slowed or stopped by refrigerating or freezing
5. Food-related illness can produce symptoms from mild to very serious. Illness can occur from 30 minutes to two weeks after eating food containing harmful bacteria

So how can we fight against these invisible enemies? Follow these 4 simple rules!

• CLEAN - Wash hands, utensils and surfaces in hot soapy water before and after food preparation, and especially after preparing meat, poultry, eggs or seafood to protect adequately against bacteria. Using a disinfectant cleaner or a mixture of bleach and water on surfaces and antibacterial soap on hands can provide some added protection.
• SEPARATE - Keep raw meat, poultry, eggs and seafood and their juices away from ready-to-eat foods; never place cooked food on a plate that previously held raw meat, poultry, eggs or seafood.
• COOK - Cook food to the proper internal temperature (this varies for different cuts and types of meat and poultry) and check for doneness with a food thermometer. Cook eggs until both the yolk and white are firm.
• CHILL - Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared food and leftovers within two hours and make sure the refrigerator is set at no higher than 40°F and that the freezer unit is set at 0°F.