Use Caution When Using Raw Egg Whites In Your Recipes

Dear Laura: I used to make chiffon pies, both lemon and lime. My family loved them. Now I am wondering how safe they are with the raw egg whites beaten and incorporated into the custard base. I have two recipes - one using cornstarch, and the other unflavored gelatin. The recipe using cornstarch has a much larger volume of custard. I’m wondering if it is hot enough to take care of the raw whites. I would appreciate an answer if possible. - Dolly, Spokane.

P.S. When making tuna sandwiches, I grate an apple into the mixture. Great taste!

Dear Dolly: You are wise to be concerned about using raw egg whites in recipes. The eggs you are using may or may not be contaminated with salmonella. It’s safest to proceed as if salmonella is present.

After many months of testing egg preparation techniques and a review of their findings by an independent food laboratory, Sunset magazine’s food editors offered egg safety tips and recipes in the June 1991 issue. Key points include: Select fresh, correctly stored eggs. Store below 50 degrees. Pay attention to cleanliness to limit the transfer of food-borne contaminants among food items. Use heat or acid to destroy salmonella.

Here’s a summary of the Sunset guidelines for egg safety. Use them to judge and adapt your recipes:

Select fresh eggs (cartons are dated) which have been kept refrigerated, and get them from the store to your refrigerator as soon as possible. Salmonella multiply and rapidly reach unsafe levels at temperatures of 60 degrees or warmer. Eggs should not be left at room temperature during transportation, preparation and serving for a total of more than 2 hours.

Thoroughly wash hands with soap and water before handling foods, and between handling foods that might cross-contaminate - such as raw meats, fish, poultry and eggs - and other foods. Keep work surfaces and tools clean to avoid transferring contamination from foods like meat to salad vegetables or sauces.

Heat destroys salmonella. Lightly cooked eggs, such as meringue and poached eggs, are generally safe when internal temperature reaches and is held at 140 degrees for 3-1/2 minutes, or when temperature reaches 160 degrees. Use an accurate quick-read thermometer. (To verify accuracy and avoid contamination, dip thermometer in boiling water before testing eggs. It should read 212 degrees at sea level, 208.4 degrees at 2,000 feet or 203 degrees at 5,000 feet of altitude.) After testing a few times, you should be able to judge salmonella-safe temperatures by appearance.

Acid kills salmonella. A pH of 3.5 or lower is adequate to stop salmonella growth and kill it within 48 hours. Food-grade pH indicator strips that measure from 3 to 6 pH are not readily available for use at home, but may be obtained from scientific supply stores. For more information, refer to the Sunset article.

Serve lightly cooked eggs and egg-containing dishes immediately, or chill at once and serve cold; do not let them warm before serving. If you choose to use whipped raw egg whites, be sure to keep foods containing them chilled. Do not serve uncooked egg to the elderly, pregnant, very young or those with depressed immune systems.

Is the pie worth it? Perhaps you’d be happier and safer finding a chiffon pie made with whipped cream or whipped gelatin instead of raw egg whites. Here’s a possible substitute that includes cooked egg but no raw egg whites.

Pink Lemonade Pie

1/4 cup cold water

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 (6-ounce) can frozen pink lemonade concentrate

1 (13-ounce) can evaporated milk

Few drops red food color, optional

1 (9-inch) pie shell, pastry or crumb crust

In small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over water; let stand 5 minutes to soften. Stir over low heat until gelatin dissolves. Warm beaten egg with a small amount of the gelatin mixture, then stir warmed egg into gelatin mixture. Cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat.

Use an instant-read thermometer to check temperature of mixture. If it reaches 160 degrees, that’s adequate. If temperature is between 140 and 160 degrees, set bowl in a container of 150-degree water and stir for 3-1/2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lemonade concentrate until melted. Chill about 30 minutes or until consistency of unbeaten egg whites.

In a large bowl, beat evaporated milk until soft peaks form. Add lemonade mixture and red food coloring, if desired. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Turn into pie shell. Swirl top with back of spoon. Chill at least an hour or until set.

Yield: 8 servings.

Dear Laura: The following Irish Whiskey Custard was printed in a grocery advertisement. It looks good but I don’t have a pressure cooker. How can I make this custard without a pressure cooker? - Sharon, Spokane.

Dear Sharon: To convert your pressure cooker recipe to an oven recipe, follow directions for a similar-sized baked custard. Here are the general directions, using your recipe:

Irish Whiskey Custard

4 cups skim milk (1 quart)

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons Irish whiskey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In large saucepan, over medium-high heat or in microwave oven, scald milk; let cool slightly.

In large bowl, combine remaining ingredients; add milk slowly, stirring constantly. Pour custard mixture into 4-cup baking dish or mold.

Place the custard-filled baking dish or mold in a larger baking container on oven rack in the preheated oven. Fill larger container with hot water to form a water bath that reaches 2/3 the height of the custard dish or mold. Then bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. , DataTimes MEMO: Have a food question? Looking for a recipe? Laura Carnie, a certified family and consumer scientist and food consultant in Coeur d’Alene, would like to hear from you. Write to Cook’s Notebook, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. As many letters as possible will be answered in this column; sorry, no individual replies.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Laura Carnie The Spokesman-Review