Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Standard technique
• Method 2 of 2: Open egg technique
• Tips
• Warnings
• Necessities
• Standard technique
• Open egg technique

Boiled eggs pose virtually no health threat, but if you follow a recipe that calls for raw or very soft eggs, such as mayonnaise, icing, or eggnog, you can pasteurize the eggs to minimize the risk of contamination with the salmonella bacteria.

To step

Method 1 of 2: Standard technique

1. Use fresh eggs. As a rule, fresh eggs are safer than older eggs. Do not use eggs past the expiration date and never use an egg with cracks in the shell.
2. Let the eggs come to room temperature. Take the eggs you want to use from the fridge and let them come to temperature on your counter for 15 to 20 minutes. The shell of each egg should feel close to room temperature before proceeding.
   • Do not use refrigerated eggs for this procedure. The egg yolks must reach a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius for any bacteria to die, but cold eggs do not heat enough during the limited time they are in the warm water used for pasteurization. When they are at room temperature, you can process the eggs more safely.
3. Place the eggs in a pan of water. Fill a small saucepan halfway with cool to cold water. Carefully place the eggs in the water and place them on the bottom of the saucepan, in a single layer.
   • If necessary, add more water to the saucepan after placing the eggs. The eggs should be covered with about an inch of water.
   • Attach a cooking thermometer to the side of the pan. Make sure the end of the thermometer is under the water so you can read the temperature of the water throughout the process. You have to keep a close eye on the temperature.
   • Any cooking thermometer will work, but a digital thermometer is probably best for more accurate reading of temperature changes.
4. Heat the water slowly. Place the saucepan on the stove and heat it over medium heat. Let the water reach a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius.
   • Make sure that the temperature of the water does not exceed 61 degrees Celsius. At higher temperatures, the consistency and properties of the egg could change. You can accidentally cook the eggs without realizing.
   • In an instant, however, you can raise the temperature to 65 degrees Celsius without seeing significant changes in the quality of the raw egg. In particular (if you are not using a thermometer) you should watch the water and wait for bubbles to form at the bottom of the pan. When that happens, the temperature of the water will be around 65 degrees Celsius. Although this temperature is slightly higher than ideal, it can still work well enough.
5. Hold the temperature at that level for three to five minutes. With the water temperature constantly at 60 degrees Celsius, you can keep heating large eggs for another three minutes. Extra large eggs should be kept in the warm water for five minutes.
   • Since the temperature of the water should never exceed 61 degrees Celsius, you will have to constantly monitor the temperature during this process. Adjust your cooker's temperature settings if necessary to perform this task.
   • If you have allowed the temperature of the water to reach 65 degrees Celsius or if you are pasteurizing your eggs without a thermometer, remove the pan from the heat before allowing the eggs to sit in the warm water for three to five minutes.
6. Rinse the eggs with cold water. Carefully remove the eggs from the water using a slotted spoon and rinse under cold water until cool to the touch.
   • Alternatively, you could place the eggs in a bowl of ice water instead of rinsing them under cool, running water. Running water is preferred as stagnant water is more likely to develop bacteria, but both options technically work.
   • Rinsing the eggs with cold water will quickly drop the internal temperature of the egg, preventing it from rising or boiling.
7. Keep the eggs in the refrigerator. The eggs should be pasteurized at this point. You can use them right away or keep them in the fridge for another week or so.

Method 2 of 2: Open egg technique

1. Use fresh eggs. The eggs should be as fresh as possible and without cracks. Also make sure the eggs are clean.
   • It is not so important for this method that the eggs are at room temperature, as the egg white and / or yolk are more directly exposed to the heat, but room temperature eggs are still somewhat preferable to cold eggs in this method.
2. Boil water in a large saucepan. Fill a large saucepan 1/3 to 1/2 full with water and place it on the stove over high heat. Make sure the water is bubbling and steaming steadily before turning off the heat.
   • Continue to the next step while you wait for the water to heat up.
   • You also need a second stainless steel bowl that fits nicely in this large pot of water. The sides of your bowl should be high enough to prevent the water from the outer pan from splashing into the inner one. However, do not place this bowl in the water just yet.
3. Break the eggs. Break your eggs and drop the yolk and / or white directly into your second stainless steel bowl.
   • With this method you can pasteurize both the egg white and the yolk at the same time. If you only need the yolk or white, you can separate the eggs before putting the portion you need in the bowl. Dispose of the part you are not using down the drain of your sink.
4. Stir in some liquid. Combine the raw egg with 1⁄4 cup (2 tablespoons) of water, and stir together for each complete egg, egg white or yolk. Beat the ingredients well until the egg looks frothy.
   • You can use any liquid you want in the recipe, including water, lemon juice, milk, or seasonings. Be careful not to add lemon juice and milk at the same time, as the lemon juice (or any acidic liquid) will curdle the milk. Congealed milk can ruin the eggs by making them lumpy.
5. Place the bowl in the saucepan. Once the water is simmering and the heat is turned off, place the bowl in the saucepan and push the bowl down with tongs if necessary.
   • This method uses au bain-marie to indirectly heat and pasteurize the eggs. You can technically heat the eggs directly without an extra pan of water, but doing so takes the risk of accidentally boiling the eggs rather than pasteurizing them. If you do heat the eggs immediately, make sure to use the lowest possible heat setting on your stove.
6. Keep stirring until the temperature of the water drops. Once you place the bowl of eggs in the warm water, start beating the eggs with a fork or whisk. Continue whisking for two to three minutes, or until the water has cooled to a lukewarm temperature.
   • The constant movement distributes the heat evenly throughout the egg mixture, preventing the egg from boiling in any particular place or leaving it partially unpasteurized.
7. Use the eggs immediately. Let the eggs cool for about three minutes and then use them as directed in your recipe. You should not refrigerate or freeze these eggs for later use.

Tips

• If you are short on time or a bit nervous about pasteurizing eggs, consider purchasing pasteurized eggs or a pasteurized liquid egg product. Both options are more expensive than standard eggs, but professional procedures used to pasteurize eggs can provide an extra level of protection while saving you some time and effort.

Warnings

• While these methods are used by both novice and professional chefs, there is still no 100% guarantee that the eggs you pasteurize at home are completely free of bacteria.
• Roughly one egg per 20,000 eggs will contain a salmonella bacteria. However, proper pasteurization will kill this bacteria, so any food that requires raw eggs as an ingredient should be prepared with pasteurized raw eggs.
• To be on the safe side, avoid recipes and foods that contain raw eggs if you are pregnant or if your immune system is weakened (even if the eggs have been properly pasteurized).

Necessities

Standard technique

• Small saucepan
• Cooking thermometer

Open egg technique

• Large saucepan
• Small stainless steel bowl
• Whisk or fork