Q: Why shouldn't I taste a sample of cookie dough before baking it?


 A: Foods containing raw eggs, such as homemade ice cream, cake batter, mayonnaise, and eggnog, carry a Salmonella risk, but their commercial counterparts don't. Commercial products are made with pasteurized eggs; that is, eggs that have been heated sufficiently to kill bacteria, and also may contain an acidifying agent that kills the bacteria. Commercial preparations of cookie dough are not a food hazard.

If you want to sample homemade dough or batter or eat other foods with raw-egg-containing products, consider substituting pasteurized eggs for raw eggs. Pasteurized eggs are usually sold in the grocer's refrigerated dairy case.

Email this Page
To a Friend
email a friend

 

Source: Excerpted from FDA Consumer, December 1998 update: Can Your Kitchen Pass the Food Safety Test?

Refresh Q&A Frames
Foods Home   |   FDA Home   |   Search/Subject Index   |   Disclaimers & Privacy Policy   |   Accessibility/Help