An outbreak of salmonella has sickened at least 35 people across nine states and prompted the recall of a staggering 206 million eggs since April. Whether there is a current salmonella outbreak or not, it’s always best to wash your hands with hot, soapy water before and after handling raw eggs and raw egg-containing foods. Make sure raw egg doesn’t touch fresh foods.
The safest egg dishes include scrambled, fried over-hard, hard-boiled and baked egg dishes such as quiche.
For hard-boiled eggs: Add large eggs in a single layer to a saucepan and cover them with cold water by about an inch. Bring to a boil over high, cover, remove from heat and let stand for 12 to 13 minutes. Drain eggs, cool in ice water, then refrigerate.
For scrambled eggs: Cook over medium heat until there is no visible runniness on any part of the egg mixture.
For fried eggs: Eggs over-hard as the safest preparation and skip sunny-side-up eggs. Fry the eggs in a little butter or oil until the whites are fully set. When the yolks are just firm, flip eggs and cook until the yolks are “hard” to the touch.
For quiche: Make sure a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Use a thermometer to test and make sure the internal temperature has reached a safe 160 degrees.