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Does boiling an egg for 45 seconds kill salmonella?

post #1 of 31
2/22/10 at 3:17pm
Thread Starter 
Does boiling an egg for 45 seconds kill salmonella?

Quote:
How does the Reluctant Gourmet coddle an egg? Easy, bring a small pot of water to fast boil and gently place the egg into it and cook for 45 seconds.

TIA
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post #2 of 31
2/22/10 at 4:02pm
I don't know, but I can tell you a good way to test it: coddle 12 eggs this way, one by one, and as they come out of the water crack them and test the yolks. If they've hit 170F, yes, they're OK. If they're at about 160F or below, no. Eggs are quite small, and I doubt the carryover would be sufficient to knock a 160F yolk up to 170F. The cutoff on salmonella is basically 165F, but it has to be held for a little bit; at 170F you can pretty much just touch the temperature and it's all clear.

My bet: no. But I'd be very pleased to be proven wrong.
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post #3 of 31
2/22/10 at 4:07pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks!

I may try that experiment tomorrow.
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post #4 of 31
2/23/10 at 12:55pm
Thread Starter 
Eggperiment Results:
1 gallon of water, 2 tests 3 eggs at a time

Test 1:
45 Seconds = 66 deg
1 Min 30 Seconds = 77 deg
2 Min 15 Seconds = 87 deg

Test 2:
3 Min = 97 deg
4 Min 30 Seconds = 122 deg
6 Min = 137 deg
(I ran out of eggs)


So, this shows that even a soft boiled egg can have salmonella, and you would have to go probably 8-10 minutes to kill it, and at that point you are getting close to a hard boil.
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post #5 of 31
2/23/10 at 4:27pm
Jeepers -- I'm surprised the results were THAT bad. How fast was the water going? Rapid boil, or gentle simmer, while the eggs were cooking?
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post #6 of 31
2/23/10 at 5:17pm
I wonder if the claim is simply to kill salmonella on the shell, and assume (if the shell is not breached by cracks) that the bacterium did not get inside... but then, why bother?
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post #7 of 31
2/23/10 at 6:05pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisLehrer View Post

Jeepers -- I'm surprised the results were THAT bad. How fast was the water going? Rapid boil, or gentle simmer, while the eggs were cooking?

I kept it at a rapid boil.
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post #8 of 31
2/23/10 at 9:21pm
Cooking an egg for 45 seconds in boiling water will kill an salmonella that has contaminated the outside of the egg, but not any that was inside of the egg.  Eggs can be contaminated in 2 basic ways.  First, if the chicken is infected it can pass it on to the egg as it forms.  Secondly a chicken can have the salmonella bacteria in its lower intestine without being "ill" and pass it on to the outside of the egg during the laying process or as she sits on it.  The surface infection is easily killed by the method described above.  Pasteurizing the interior is quite a tricky process as egg whites will start coagulate at around 140°F while yolks generally start to coagulate and denature around 150-155°F.  An egg will be set all the way through by the time it hits about 170, give or take a few degrees.
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post #9 of 31
2/23/10 at 10:01pm
i think the time is a little short





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post #10 of 31
2/24/10 at 3:57am
No it won't kill salmonella. Only if on the surface of the egg.
Add salt to the water and you will get a little better result
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post #11 of 31
2/24/10 at 4:12am
I agreed that , if the shell wont crack how came the bacteria can get inside you are right ! I felt worry if egg those bacteria because im fun eating egg .. i like this as my breakfast ..Egg with milk .. hehhe
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post #12 of 31
2/24/10 at 5:05am
Here in the US the statistics are that 1 in about 20,000 eggs is infected with salmonella.  This is probably a lot lower in most other countries as they don't use the same factory farming processes that the US does, in which animals are packed very closely together in very unsanitary condidtions.
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post #13 of 31
2/24/10 at 6:38am
The risk of becoming ill from an infected egg is very low unless you fall into one of the high risk groups...very young, very old or compromised immune system.
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post #14 of 31
2/24/10 at 10:50pm
is salmonella can be found on fruits and vegetables or that are not cooked or washed properly as well????
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post #15 of 31
2/25/10 at 2:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dillonsmimi View Post

The risk of becoming ill from an infected egg is very low unless you fall into one of the high risk groups...very young, very old or compromised immune system.
...or pregnant, felt it needed to be added.


Abe - what did you do with all those eggs?!! 

I coddle my eggs at a low boil for 3-4 mins then out into cold water or use straight away. Eggs should be at room temp first though!  Have never had a problem, but I'm not a food scientist.  That just works for me cuz that's how I like them and I'm still alive and cooking. My kids have eaten them since they were toddlers with toast "soldiers" - they lived   
 Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy.
Robert A. Heinlein
 
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post #16 of 31
2/25/10 at 2:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by HomeMadeCook View Post

is salmonella can be found on fruits and vegetables or that are not cooked or washed properly as well????
 


Botulism can be found on any fruit or veg that comes in direct contact with soil.  It is easily managed with a good washing, but the less smooth a veg is, the more attention to its scrubbing you should pay... in general, but especially when canning.  Its a good idea to make sure you don't store garden fruits and veg in airtight containers since botulism thrives where oxygen is limited.  Or so says the local health inspector.
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post #17 of 31
2/25/10 at 3:34pm
Personally I don't worry about salmonella from eggs.  Raw chicken, however, is a different story.

Abe, did you start with eggs fresh out of the fridge or at room temp?


mjb.
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post #18 of 31
2/28/10 at 4:57am
hi charron thanks for the info . Now i understand .
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post #19 of 31
2/28/10 at 8:11am
Yes, it does. As a culinary scientist, let me give you a guide: In fried eggs, e.g. when the whites are firm but yolks are still not, the eggs are safe. At that stage the eggs come to about 145 degrees, totally safe to eat. Besides, egg white are safe even raw. Only the nutritious egg yolks are attacked by microorganisms. Egg whites contain antibacterial agents and are not very nutrition filled for the little buggers.
George, Culinary Scientist and author of
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post #20 of 31
3/2/10 at 3:37am
What? the egg white contain antibacterial agents and are not very nutrition filled for the little buggers. Why ?
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post #21 of 31
3/4/10 at 1:14pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by teamfat View Post

Personally I don't worry about salmonella from eggs.  Raw chicken, however, is a different story.

Abe, did you start with eggs fresh out of the fridge or at room temp?


mjb.
 

Out of the fridge
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post #22 of 31
3/4/10 at 1:15pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DC Sunshine View Post



Abe - what did you do with all those eggs?!! 
 

I threw them out, they were expired anyway :)
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post #23 of 31
3/4/10 at 1:24pm
Abe - I reckon start with them room temp next experimentation time - I rarely refrigerate my eggs unless its really hot weather - but that's just me as a home cook.  We use them up pretty quickly here so no prob with expiration date - never get close to it
 Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy.
Robert A. Heinlein
 
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post #24 of 31
3/4/10 at 6:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by HomeMadeCook View Post

What? the egg white contain antibacterial agents and are not very nutrition filled for the little buggers. Why ?

well I'm not totally sure about it being anti- bacterial but the conditions in an egg white is probably not fit for salmonella to grow as its pure proteins and salmonella needs sugar  which can be found in the egg yolk.
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post #25 of 31
3/4/10 at 7:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gNnairdA View Post




well I'm not totally sure about it being anti- bacterial but the conditions in an egg white is probably not fit for salmonella to grow as its pure proteins and salmonella needs sugar  which can be found in the egg yolk.
Ok thanks for the info about that . Il just take more research about that for me to understand and learn more . Mmmmh il just confuse .
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post #26 of 31
3/5/10 at 1:46am
You can buy pasteurizd eggs in the store and save yourself the trouble. We used to "sanitize" eggs years ago by pouring boiling water over and letting stand 3 min. Salmonella is carried in the feces of chicken and so the contamination is considered to be limited to outer contact on the shell. The contamination would occur from the egg coming in contact with a contaminated shell after cracking. Now, the question I always have about this is I know egg shells are porous, so I would think the salmonella could "seep" in. I don't know if that would be possible as I have never looked at an egg shell or salmonella cell through a microscope. The salmonella cell may be too big to penetrate the pores in the egg shell. I don't know. Shell structure is also determined by breed of chicken and feed, so I would think there would be variables from egg to egg. The risk for salmonella in eggs is very low, as pointed out by other posts. It's one of those things I equate as having the same likelihood as being hit by lightning while you're cashing in your winning lottery ticket. I wouldn't worry about it.
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post #27 of 31
3/5/10 at 8:37am
the main reason an egg goes "bad" in general is that as it ages the pores get bigger until its integrity is ruined.
"In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were real men, women were real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri. "
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post #28 of 31
3/5/10 at 10:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by abefroman View Post




I threw them out, they were expired anyway :)
 
Old eggs make for better hard-boiled eggs as they are easier to peel than fresh ones.  Someting to consider in the future.
"Ye can lead a man up to the university, but ye can't make him think."

Finley Peter Dunne
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post #29 of 31
3/5/10 at 6:07pm
There many way people use to choose best quality of eggs to be bought . Some of them look at see eggshell color, cleanliness, whether there are cracks. Fresh eggs eggshell integrity, matte surface with a layer of white powder, hand touching the shell has a rough feeling." said, eggshell color a lot, and some partial powder, and some yellowish, and some Partial green, in fact, almost all nutrients. Some people think that the egg shell powder is best, in fact, not all. Eggshell color depth and egg production, is generally the initial egg shell color the most, and then faded. Shell can also be changed by selecting the depth of color; white shell egg and brown egg shell hybrid, the next egg is out of the shell powder, and nutritional value of eggs, no differences with the other. In addition, we must carefully observe the egg noodles, egg noodles, such as hair or faeces Ukraine, crack, it can not buy. Meanwhile, the egg surface color is uneven or has not had to buy a lot of pitting.
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post #30 of 31
1/15/13 at 6:16pm

My scenario is; A friend was incubating some eggs for 10 days at a temperature of approximately 100 degrees.  This is about half of the incubation period.  At 10 days he examined the eggs and some were not fertile so he removed them from the incubator then later he hard boiled them. He then ate them and I mentioned that I would be concerned about the bacterium.

 

Was I wrong to be concerned or would the eggs be completely harmless?

 

Thanks.

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