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Handbook

Raw eggs: tiramisu, mayonnaise and salmonella

When a raw egg in a recipe is an acceptable risk, and when it is better to pasteurize.

Salmonella occurs inside intact eggs, not only on the shell. The per-egg risk is small, but for dishes with no heating (tiramisu, homemade mayo, eggnog, steak tartare with a yolk) it is not zero.

How to lower the risk
  • Pasteurize eggs at home: 63°C in water for 4-5 minutes (a thermometer is mandatory — at 68°C the white starts to set).
  • Fresh eggs, intact shells, fridge storage — the basic hygiene.
  • Eat raw-egg dishes the same day and keep them cold.
Children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immunity are better off avoiding raw-egg dishes entirely.

This is a reference, not medical advice. With poisoning symptoms see a doctor; when in doubt about a product, throw it out without tasting.