SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --
Spring is back,
and with it comes Easter, barbeques, and graduation. During Easter, a plethora of eggs are used,
whether it’s for cooking festive meals, decorating, or hiding them for the
Easter egg hunt! Eggs are considered
poultry, and like meat, poultry needs to be handled properly to prevent
contamination and illness. Even clean
eggs that have an uncracked shell can still be contaminated with bacteria, more
specifically; they can be contaminated with Salmonella. Below are different tips that can be used to
have an egg-cellent Easter!
Keep it clean:
-
Keep your hands clean! Make sure you
always wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before
and after you handle food.
-
Cross-contamination is an easy way to
spread bacteria between foods. Be sure
to always wash food contact surfaces and cooking equipment, in hot water and
soap before and after they are used.
Once
cooked, keep cool:
-
Be sure to refrigerate eggs and egg-containing
food. Refrigeration slows the bacterial
growth on the eggs. Your refrigerator
should be at 41 ºF or below.
-
Don’t leave your eggs at room temperature
for more than two hours.
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Make sure you always cook your eggs until
the yolks and white are firm.
-
Cook cheesecakes, lasagna, baked pasta and
egg dishes to an internal temperature of 160 ºF by using a food thermometer.
Tips
for the egg hunt:
-
When decorating, be sure to use food-grade
dyes. It is safe to use commercial egg dyes, liquid food coloring, and
fruit-drink powders. When handling eggs,
be careful not to crack them. Otherwise, bacteria could enter the egg through
the cracks in the shell.
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Keep hard-cooked Easter eggs chilled on a
shelf inside the refrigerator, not in the refrigerator door.
-
Remember the two-hour rule, and make sure
the “found” eggs are back in the refrigerator or consumed within two hours.
-
Remember that hard-boiled eggs are only
safe to eat for one week after cooking.
If you have any other questions or concerns about food
safety, please contact the 82nd AMDS Public Health at 676-1874/3052 or visit
the Gateway to Government Food Safety information at www.foodsafety.gov