raw egg

[MelindaGayle]

Hello,
I made some french toast batter this morning, and went into another room to grab something. When I got back, my almost three year old had dragged a stool over to the counter and begun eating the raw egg-soaked bread. He had downed about 1/2 slice before I stopped him.

What are my chances that he'll get sick now?

The eggs were from a local farm - organically-raised, certified humane, hand gathered, etc.

I have a terminally-ill seven year old, so I tend toward the paranoid.

Can anyone reassure me?
Thanks,
Mindy

[cristeen]

Because they're locally humanely grown, i would be far less worried than if they were grocery store eggs.

Have you never eaten cookie dough?

There are lots of people on here that intentionally eat raw eggs because they can be very good for you. If you've never had any indication of problems from this farm, i personally would chalk it up to 'live and learn'. Keep an eye on him, but then youd be doing that anyway.

[jpamama]

My four year old is addicted to raw cookie dough, cake batter, etc... of course, I don't let her gorge on it but she certainly sneaks her fair share. I would not worry about it at all.

[Annie Mac]

I don't know for sure, but I think salmonella has an incubation period. It would have to, right? Because otherwise homemade mayo and hollandaise sauce would make people ill more often. Your batter only sat on the counter for, what, 5 minutes? And the eggs were in the fridge prior to that? It's unlikely that the egg sat long enough at room temp for the beasties to proliferate, if there were any potential beasties in the first place. My mom used to make us "orange juliuses" that consisted of orange juice and a raw egg in the blender. Never got sick.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by Annie Mac

I don't know for sure, but I think salmonella has an incubation period. It would have to, right? Because otherwise homemade mayo and hollandaise sauce would make people ill more often.

the eggs in both mayo and hollandaise are cooked by the acid, similar to the way fish is cooked in ceviche.

And many of us leave farm fresh eggs on the counter rather than refrigerating them. Salmonella contaminates the outside of the egg, and can only penetrate the shell if it's been washed, which removes the naturally protective coating. For unwashed eggs, the only benefit to refrigerating them is extending their shelf-life.