Pasteurize Eggs at Home Using Sous Vide

Love making homemade mayonnaise, creamy Caesar dressing, chocolate mousse, smoothies, hollandaise sauce, etc., but worry about the risks of raw eggs? Home pasteurization using sous vide offers a simple solution.

Pasteurizing eggs eliminates harmful bacteria like Salmonella while preserving most of the properties of the raw eggs. This allows you to enjoy your favorite recipes with peace of mind.

Jump to:

• Understanding the Risks - Why Pasteurization Matters
• Temperature Ranges for Eggs
• Using Sous Vide to Pasteurize Eggs
• Limitations of Pasteurized Eggs
• Recipe

Understanding the Risks - Why Pasteurization Matters

Raw eggs have long been a concern due to the potential presence of Salmonella, a bacterium that can cause serious illness. While the risk is relatively low, those with weakened immune systems, including pregnant women, children, and the elderly, are particularly vulnerable.

Salmonella can be present both inside and on the shell of an egg. Bacteria inside the egg result from infection in the hen, while contamination on the shell typically occurs when eggs come into contact with a contaminated environment. 

Commercial egg producers mitigate this risk from the shell by washing and sanitizing eggs before they reach grocery stores. However, washing does not eliminate Salmonella inside the egg, making pasteurization an additional safeguard for recipes requiring raw or lightly cooked eggs.

Commercially pasteurized eggs are available but often difficult to find and more expensive than regular eggs. Home pasteurization provides a cost-effective alternative, especially for avid bakers and cooks.

The risk is even greater for backyard chicken owners since home flocks don’t undergo the rigorous testing and processing of commercial facilities. Therefore, pasteurization is a wise precaution for anyone using fresh farm eggs.

Temperature Ranges for Eggs

As it turns out, eggs go from raw to hard-boiled over a relatively small temperature range.  The egg white will start to coagulate at 140° to 143.6° F (60 to 62° C).  The white will be set at 145.4° F (63°C), but the yolk is still runny.  At 152.6°F (67°C), the yolk becomes more like custard - not runny, but not hard either. The yolk will be fully cooked as a hard-boiled egg at 170°F (77°C).

Since the egg whites begin to coagulate at around 140°F, the sous vide technique should allow one to pasteurize them at a temperature below 140°F.

Using Sous Vide to Pasteurize Eggs

Sous vide is a cooking technique where food is cooked in a precisely controlled water bath at a low temperature for an extended period. Specifically, with this pasteurization, the low temperature is 135°F, and the extended period is 90 minutes.

I filled my polycarbonate container with hot water and set my immersion circulator at 135°F.  Because I was concerned about the eggs being moved around by the water circulation, I placed them in a metal steamer basket and lowered them into the water bath.

I covered the top of the polycarbonate container with a silicone lid to minimize the water evaporation and let the eggs "sous vide" for 90 minutes.

After 90 minutes, I removed the eggs and placed them in an ice water bath for 20 minutes to cool down.

After 20 minutes, I removed the eggs from the ice water bath and placed them on a kitchen towel to dry.

Before refrigerating the pasteurized eggs in an egg carton, I marked each one with a "P" with a permanent marker so that I could tell which eggs were pasteurized and which were not.

Here's a picture comparing an unpasteurized egg with a pasteurized one. Notice the cloudy white of the pasteurized egg.

Limitations of Pasteurized Eggs

While pasteurization enhances food safety, it slightly alters the protein structure of the egg white. This can negatively impact specific recipes.

Pasteurized egg whites may not whip up as voluminously as fresh ones, making them less ideal for delicate meringues or soufflés. Additionally, pasteurized eggs don’t work well for poached eggs since the altered whites tend to spread rather than hold together like in a fresh egg.

Notwithstanding the limitations, pasteurizing eggs at home is a small step that makes a big difference. By taking control of your ingredients, you can enjoy all the benefits of raw eggs—without the risk.

Use pasteurized eggs in my amazing Irish Cream Pots de Crème and Classic English Lemon Curd for guilt-free treats.

Recipe