Can a salad be a comfort food? If you’re a Caesar salad enthusiast, your answer is probably “heck, yes” — and with the Caesar salad turning 100 this year, you might be thinking about making one yourself. After all, Caesar dressing transforms lettuce (not the most exciting food on the planet, if we’re being honest) into an umami delight, thanks to a blend of flavors like lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, anchovies, and Worcestershire sauce.
While anchovies are certainly a “love them or leave them” ingredient (and many Caesar salads skip them entirely in favor of vegan substitutes like miso paste or capers), there is one historical ingredient in Caesar salad that makes many people hesitate to. Raw egg yolk is traditionally used in Caesar salad to help the dressing achieve its beloved creaminess—but not every expert is a believer in the ingredient, which is linked to an increased risk of foodborne illness.
Here’s what you need to know about raw egg in your sauce and why experts say it’s best to skip it.
How do you make a raw egg Caesar salad?
There are different ways to prepare a Caesar salad. However, a simple traditional recipe that uses eggs looks like this:
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Add the romaine lettuce, croutons, parmesan cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, raw egg, salt and pepper.
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Mix one raw egg, two minced garlic cloves, one tablespoon of Dijon mustard, one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
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Mix in half a cup of olive oil until the sauce is emulsified and creamy.
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Toss the chopped lettuce with the dressing until evenly coated. Add croutons and grated or grated Parmesan cheese on top of the salad. Serve immediately.
What do experts say about the raw egg in Caesar salad?
It’s important to note that this isn’t the only time you can eat a raw egg. Many cocktails, including eggnog, use eggs to create a frothy, creamy texture. Hollandaise sauce may also contain raw egg, as do some traditional tiramisu recipes. Some people even put raw eggs in their smoothies for an extra protein boost.
But the food scientist Bryan Quoc Le tells Yahoo Life that it’s not safe to use raw eggs in recipes. The reason? “Salmonella can contaminate both the outside of the eggshell from chicken feces and the inside of the egg as it develops,” he explains. Cooking eggs to an internal temperature of 160°F kills Salmonella bacteria.
Salmonella is a bacteria that causes food-borne illnesses, including symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fever, nausea, vomiting and, in severe cases, an infection that spreads from the intestines to the bloodstream and other parts of the body. It is particularly dangerous for young children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems.
There is, however, a way to use eggs safely — or at least considerably safer, says Le. “Previously pasteurized eggs can be used safely without cooking as they have been heat treated so that the salmonella has been destroyed,” she notes. Mayonnaise, for example, usually contains pasteurized eggs, so recommendations from the US Department of Agriculture.
If you plan to make Caesar salad dressing with raw eggs, look for these pasteurized eggs in the supermarket. They are usually more expensive, but it’s worth it not to get food poisoning, right?
What else can you use if you don’t want to use raw eggs?
Jessica Chana former chef turned food blogger told Yahoo Life that store-bought mayonnaise, which is already made from pasteurized eggs, is “a great substitute for raw eggs because it has a creamy texture and a similar flavor profile.” ”.
You can also take a completely different path, Celine Beitchman, director of nutrition at the Institute of Culinary Education, told Yahoo Life. “At the Institute of Culinary Education, we make a vegan Caesar dressing with silken tofu as an emulsifier and hing (also known as asafetida) or black sulfur salt (also called kala namak) for an egg flavor, in place of eggs,” she explains. .
Other Caesar salad recipes call for ingredients like hummus, avocado, yogurt-based dressings, or even tahini to replace traditional components like raw egg.
If you go to a restaurant and are concerned about the safety of your Caesar salad, ask the server if they use raw eggs. According to the Food and Drug Administration, Commercial sauces and sauces contain pasteurized eggs that are safe to eat.
What else should I worry about with Caesar salad?
It’s not just raw eggs that you should be careful with in terms of food safety; the lettuce itself can be at risk of being contaminated with salmonella. “When making any salad, wash your hands thoroughly before handling food and rinse lettuce leaves under running water or in a salad spinner,” registered dietitian Kelly LeBlanc, vice president of nutritional programming at the nonprofit organization focused on nutrition. Old methodshe told Yahoo Life.
Le says you should also be careful with the salad on a hot day, as if you were taking your dish to a picnic. Mayonnaise and even garlic can be particularly risky, but in general, foods left above 40°F for more than two hours can lead to bacterial growth, which can cause foodborne illness. To be extra cautious, you can place a cooler with ice to keep your salad bowl cold until it’s time to eat.
