Another question about eating your chicken eggs - raw eggs

[Rockergirl]

Hi! When you make hollandaise sauce or homemade mayo, it calls for raw eggs. Is it safe to eat your fresh chicken eggs raw, in these types of foods? I believe the store bought ones are pasteurized, but obviously mine are not. So just curious if it's safe to eat mine raw (mixed in the mayo or sauce).

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Hi! When you make hollandaise sauce or homemade mayo, it calls for raw eggs. Is it safe to eat your fresh chicken eggs raw, in these types of foods? I believe the store bought ones are pasteurized, but obviously mine are not. So just curious if it's safe to eat mine raw (mixed in the mayo or sauce).

All egg Products sold in the u.s. are pasteurized, but not all eggs are. You are much less likely to get salmonella, etc. from your own raw backyard eggs as opposed to raw non-pasteurized eggs from the grocery store, but it's not a good idea to eat raw eggs from any source unless they are pasteurized.

 

[Silexian]

I would not have any fear of fresh eggs in making hollandaise sauce or mayo. I know commercial eggs are washed and have to be kept refrigerated. I think only a handful are pasteurized. Take my advise at your own risk. I have also been known to eat a bite of raw cookie dough and an unwashed vegetable from my garden.

 

[Mrs. K]

I would want very clean without washing, very fresh eggs, and then I would want to use it all up. I would chill the eggs before making the mayo and chill immediately after. You generally cook hollandaise sauce.

MRs K

 

[Perris]

you know in what conditions your own eggs were produced, when they were laid, what happened to them since they were laid, and what the hen that laid them has eaten or has been given as medication or supplement (if any). You have to take all those things on trust when you buy eggs from the store. Apart from everything else, you can guarantee yours will be fresher.

 

[Rockergirl]

Thanks everyone - I'm still not sure what to think, ha! Seems like some varying opinions...I do not use any medications/vaccinations etc - all organic, do use herbs. I do eat raw cookie dough too I did try it the other day with hollandaise sauce but I really didn't eat a lot of it because I was so worried, but I didn't get sick

 

[Rockergirl]

I would want very clean without washing, very fresh eggs, and then I would want to use it all up. I would chill the eggs before making the mayo and chill immediately after. You generally cook hollandaise sauce.

MRs K

Thanks! My hollandaise I guess is sort of cooked... I beat all cold ingredients together and then I blend in super hot butter (slowly) - so in a sense it's cooked by the warmth of the butter.....I just never feel like it's really cooked because it's only luke warm when I finished blending

 

[K0k0shka]

Store bought eggs in the US are not pasteurized and not safe to eat raw. Backyard eggs are not safe to eat raw either, because they are still at risk of salmonella. Salmonella is a naturally occurring part of the chicken gut flora, so chickens don't really "get" salmonella - they already have it. Whether it passes to their eggs or not, depends on how high the concentration is, how clean the eggs are (it's spread via poop and poop can get on eggs in the nest, or inside the chicken on its way out as the pipes aren't exactly sterilized between pooping and laying). Even if you wash and sterilize the outside of the egg, there might still be bacteria inside because the shell is porous. Whether or not your eggs have a high enough concentration of salmonella on/in them to make you sick is a gamble. You may eat raw eggs and be totally fine. Or you may get a little sick every once in a while. Or you can get seriously floored. There are no guarantees, and somebody telling you "I ate a raw egg and lived" means absolutely nothing for how it's gonna go down for you. It's a risk, so you should decide if it's one worth taking.

If you really want hollandaise sauce and mayo, you should look into getting a sous vide setup. It's amazing for meat and eggs, and the eggs come out at pretty much almost the same consistency/look as when they are raw, except that they are cooked and safe. You can then use them in place of raw eggs in recipes for things like hollandaise and mayo. My husband has a sous vide machine and makes amazing homemade mayo from our backyard eggs! I would not eat them raw raw no matter how "clean" I think my chickens are - it's not worth the risk to me - but there are still safe ways to get the same effect. The sous vide machine is worth every penny! (rare meats from any animal that are safe to eat... mmm! Best steaks in the world!)

 

[LaurenRitz]

I don't know about the hollandaise sauce, but mayo is made with vinegar so I assume the acid level is high enough to kill anything alive in it. Take it for what it's worth.

 

[K0k0shka]

I assume the acid level is high enough to kill anything alive in it.

Nope.