In summer, food poisoning increases and one of the leading causes is food made with eggs. We will tell you how cook eggs safely manipulating them to make food preparations with them minimizing the risks.
Eggs are a magnificent food, with excellent proteins, fats and vitamins. They are not lacking in the children's diet and we also use them in the preparation of other dishes, such as biscuits or batters. However, the egg must be handled well to avoid poisoning.
Purchase Prevention
The possibility of salmonella contamination is reduced now, since hens are vaccinated and there is a lot of control over facilities and commercialization, however, it does not disappear altogether.
The first thing is that we must buy eggs in a trustworthy establishment and observe that they appear in the shell the preferred consumption date and the codes of its origin. We should not buy eggs that are cracked and should be clean of feces.
Egg preservation at home
Anyway, thinking about the contamination that could be in the shell we should use them correctlyand. Do not wash them when storing them but it is advisable to have them in the fridge without touching other foods and, once refrigerated, do not take them out until the moment of consumption. It is preferable not to wash them as they naturally have a surface layer that protects them from the entry of microorganisms, including salmonella.
Cracking eggs
When we are going to use them if you have to wash them well, even with a little soap and then dry them with a clean cloth or paper towel that we will discard or put to wash. Once we touch the shell we also have to wash our hands, being very important if we are going to cook.
We must avoid that the content of the egg touches the shell when we do it, therefore, it is not necessary to separate clear and yolk with the shell, nor shell it in the same container of food preparation.
For the preparation we should not use wooden spoons or forks, because of their porosity, and the utensils that come into contact with the egg put them to wash, never using them to touch the cooked food.
Cooking the egg correctly
The raw egg at room temperature is a breeding ground for bacteria to grow, so, in addition to cooking and storage precautions, we must not leave the eggs without curdling, nor the tortillas with liquid egg inside as much as we like them. It is also important to store already cooked foods that carry eggs in the fridge.
Eggs in the children's diet
Eggs are introduced into the children's diet from the year. Although some pediatricians advise introducing the yolk before, what is more allergenic is usually the clear one and also has a substance that inhibits the absorption of proteins. When we give it to the child, we must observe if he has an allergic reaction, as it is one of the foods that produce the most allergy to children under two years old.
At the beginning, since the cooked yolk may have a texture not very pleasant for the baby, it is usually mixed with the mash or the soup, but soon we can give it cooked cut mixed with other things, in French or vegetable tortillas and later, scrambled or fried, when we are told that we can include more fats in the preparations.
Avoid homemade mayonnaise, soft-boiled eggs and tortillas or undercooked scrambled eggs. There should be no raw egg because, as much care as we put into the preparation, then it is still conducive to contamination and bacteria, with these nutrients and at room temperature, multiply.
With these tips we will know that we handle the eggs safely in the kitchen and we can prevent contamination and food poisoning.
