How-To Guides · Kitchen

Egg Safety: How to Buy, Store, and Cook Eggs (FDA Tips)

Eggs are easy to cook, and easy to handle the wrong way. Here's how to buy, store, and cook them safely, from the FDA.

1. 1: Buying

Only buy eggs from a refrigerated case. Open the carton, and make sure they're clean, with no cracks.

2. 2: Storing

Get them in the fridge quickly, at forty degrees or colder. Keep them in their original carton, and use them within three weeks for best quality.

3. 3: Cooking

Cook eggs until both the yolk and the white are firm. Casseroles and other egg dishes should reach one hundred sixty degrees. Check with a food thermometer.

4. 4: Serving

Don't leave cooked eggs or egg dishes out for more than two hours. If it's hotter than ninety degrees, make that one hour.

5. Raw Egg Recipes

Making something with raw or lightly cooked eggs, like Caesar dressing or homemade ice cream? Use pasteurized eggs. This matters most for kids, older adults, pregnant women, and anyone with a weak immune system.