Homemade Eggnog: Make it Safely
Homemade eggnog is a tradition in many families during the holiday season. But each year this creamy drink causes many cases of Salmonella. The ingredient responsible? Usually raw or undercooked eggs.
Eggs are a standard ingredient in most homemade eggnog recipes, giving the beverage its characteristic frothy texture. To prevent this ingredient from causing harmful infections, just follow these guidelines for safe handling.
Cooking the Egg Base
At the FDA, we advise consumers to start with a cooked egg base for eggnog. This is especially important if you are serving people at high risk for foodborne infections: young children and pregnant women (non-alcoholic eggnog), older adults, and those with weakened immune systems.
To make a cooked egg base:
- Combine eggs and half the milk as indicated in the recipe. (Other ingredients, such as sugar may be added at this step.)
- Cook the mixture gently to an internal temperature of 160 °F, stirring constantly. The cooking will destroy Salmonella, if present. At this temperature, the mixture will firmly coat a metal spoon (but please don’t lick the spoon if the custard is not fully cooked!).
- After cooking, chill the mixture before adding the rest of the milk and other ingredients.
Don't Count on Alcohol to Kill Bacteria
Some people think that adding rum, whiskey, or other alcohol to the recipe will make the eggnog safe. But, if contaminated unpasteurized eggs are used in eggnog, you can't count on the alcohol in the drink to kill all of the bacteria – that’s not likely to happen
Other Options for Safe Eggnog
You can also use egg substitute products or pasteurized eggs in your eggnog, or you can find a recipe without eggs.
- With the egg substitute products, you might have to experiment a bit with the recipe to figure out the right amount to add for the best flavor.
- Pasteurized eggs can also be used in place of raw eggs. Commercial pasteurization of eggs is a heat process at low temperatures that destroys Salmonella that might be present, without having a noticeable effect on flavor or nutritional content. These are available at some supermarkets for a slightly higher cost per dozen. Even if you’re using pasteurized eggs for your eggnog, both the FDA and the USDA recommend starting with a cooked egg base for optimal safety.
So, by following these safe handling and proper cooking practices, you can enjoy delicious, creamy homemade eggnog without worrying about making anyone sick!
Holiday Food Safety Bloopers
The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline talked to about 350 people on Thanksgiving Day about thawing, preparing and storing turkey. Most people were right on track and just needed some reassuring about handling the big bird. Some people, however, called about situations that could be disastrous – or even deadly.
Even though these problems involved turkey, the same food safety principles apply if you’re cooking ham, duck, goose or any another holiday meat.
Don’t Leave the Turkey Out for More Than Two Hours!
One concerned caller put a turkey into the oven at 5:00 p.m. and didn’t turn the oven on until 2:00 a.m. Some asked about thawing a frozen turkey on the counter for several hours. Others wondered about leaving cooked turkey on the buffet all day long.
Unfortunately, we had to tell the concerned caller that she should throw the turkey away. That’s because it spent more than two hours in The Danger Zone (temperature range of 40 to 140 ° F). And we told other callers to never thaw a turkey on the counter or leave cooked turkey out for more than two hours.
The bottom line: It’s not safe to leave raw or cooked turkey (or any perishable food) at room temperature for more than two hours. Otherwise, you’re creating the perfect conditions for dangerous bacteria to multiply rapidly.
Don’t Roast the Turkey Overnight!
This year, a number of callers asked about roasting a turkey overnight at 200 to 250° F. We explained that this cooking method is just not safe. USDA does not recommend cooking meat and poultry at oven temperatures lower than 325 °F. Anything below that runs the risk of leaving turkey in The Danger Zone for too long.
Don’t Buy Your Fresh Turkey Too Early!
Many callers made the mistake of buying their fresh holiday turkeys too early. USDA recommends buying a fresh turkey no more than two days before you plan to cook it. Also, be sure to plan ahead when thawing a frozen turkey so it is not thawed too far in advance.
Don’t Forget the Food Thermometer!
We talked with many cooks who said they used visual clues (such as color) to determine whether the turkey was done. The problem is that you can’t tell by looking!
A whole turkey is cooked safely when it reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F. To check the turkey, insert the food thermometer in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.
For more information on cooking turkey or other holiday meats, check out these resources:
- Fact sheets
- Videos
If you have any holiday food safety questions, feel free to contact us at the Hotline (1-888-674-6854 toll-free) or online at AskKaren.gov.
Holiday Parties: Spread Cheer, Not Foodborne Illness
It’s that time of year when the parties never seem to end. They’re great occasions for exchanging good will and gifts – but not the dangerous bacteria that cause foodborne illness.
Here are some of the unwanted guests who may try to crash your party:
- Staphylococcus aureus: This bacteria is commonly found on our skin and in our noses and throats. If it gets into food, it multiplies rapidly at room temperature to produce a toxin that causes illness within 1-6 hours. Thorough cooking kills the bacteria but doesn’t get rid of the toxin. Staph can be lurking in party foods that are made by hand and require no additional cooking, such as meat or potato salads, cream pies, and sandwich fillings.
- Clostridium perfringens: It’s nicknamed the “cafeteria germ” because it tends to hang out in foods served in quantity and left out at room temperature. Meats, meat products, and gravy are the foods most often associated with illness caused by this bacteria.
- Listeria monocytogenes: Listeria is unlike many other germs because it can grow even in the cold temperature of the refrigerator. That’s why it may be found in those cold foods often served at buffets, such as deli meats and smoked salmon. Listeria is especially harmful to pregnant women: they are 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to get the infection, and the consequences can be deadly for the unborn baby.
Here’s what you can do to prevent these and other foodborne bacteria from taking the cheer out of your holidays:
Be NICE | Don’t be NAUGHTY |
Wash your hands before and after handling food. | Don’t let bacteria from your hands contaminate your party food. |
Serve food on clean plates. | Never let juices from raw meat, poultry, and seafood come into contact with cooked food. |
Replace serving plates often. | Avoid putting fresh food on serving plates that have been sitting out at room temperature. |
Use a food thermometer and the Minimum Cooking Temperatures chart to make sure that food is cooked safely. | Don’t guess – you can’t tell for sure whether food is safe by looking at it. Use a food thermometer to be sure. |
Keep hot foods hot (140 °F or above) by using slow cookers, chafing dishes, or warming trays OR use small serving containers and replace them often. | Never let hot foods sit at room temperature for more than two hours. |
Keep cold foods by nesting cold (40 °F or below) in dishes in bowls of ice OR use small serving trays and replace them often. | Never let cold foods sit at room temperature for more than two hours. |
Store foods in shallow containers to refrigerate or freeze them. | Avoid storing foods in large containers that don’t promote rapid, even cooling of food. |
For more information, check out these resources:
- Fact sheet: Holiday or Party Buffets
- Press release: Serve Up Food Safety This Holiday Season
- Video: Be Food Safe for Holiday Buffets
If you have any questions about holiday parties and food safety, feel free to contact us at the Hotline (1-888-674-6854 toll-free) or online at AskKaren.gov.