When preparing recipes that call for raw eggs—such as tiramisù, carbonara, mayonnaise, Caesar salad, and others—it’s essential to use pasteurized eggs. The risk of Salmonella infection is simply not worth taking.
Pasteurized eggs are commonly available in stores, typically sold in cartons or “briks” as separated components: egg whites (albumen), yolks, or whole eggs.
For those who prefer to pasteurize eggs at home, immersion-heated shell eggs offer a safe and effective solution. These provide Salmonella-free ingredients for a variety of minimally cooked dishes, making them ideal for both home cooks and foodservice professionals.
To pasteurize eggs at home, you’ll need a sous vide device. Simply:
- Place the eggs in a precisely controlled water bath at 57.5°C (135.5°F). The 0.5°C temperature offset (ΔT) compensates for thermal inertia and heat dissipation, ensuring the target internal temperature is maintained.
- Maintain the temperature for 75 minutes
Pasteurized in-shell eggs can be stored and used just like raw eggs. While the yolk remains unchanged, the egg white becomes slightly milky. Whipping time is longer, but the final whipped volume is nearly the same.
European food safety regulations—specifically Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 (foodstuff hygiene) and Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 (microbiological criteria)—require commercial food businesses to eliminate biological hazards like Salmonella. To comply with these strict HACCP requirements, food operators are effectively mandated to use pasteurized eggs in raw-egg dishes like tiramisu.
References
- J. D. Schuman, B. W. Sheldon, J. M. Vandepopuliere, and H. R. Ball, Jr.
Immersion heat treatments for inactivation of Salmonella enteritidis with intact eggs.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9351225/ - Journal of Applied Microbiology, 83:438–444, 1997.
https://academic.oup.com/jambio/article-abstract/83/4/438/6723624?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false - EUR-Lex Summary for Food Safety
- EUR-Lex Summary for Microbiological Criteria
- Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs – This contains the framework outlining the general hygiene rules for food businesses, including mandatory implementation of HACCP principles.
- Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs – This details the specific safety benchmarks and testing requirements for foodborne bacteria, including Salmonella standards across commercial food categories.