Salmonella Egg Recall — Kids Shouldn't Taste Cookie Dough or Cake Batter

Salmonella Egg Scare Makes Tasting Cookie Dough a No No?

August 24, 2010

Half a billion eggs have been recalled, but kids love licking the brownie batter more than they like eating the cooked treats. While stealing tastes of cookie dough and cake mix may be part of the baking ritual in some households, lots of moms are keeping their children's fingers away from the bowl because they are wary of the threat of salmonella posed by raw eggs. Salmonellosis is an illness that can cause diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, and headache. Do you take precaution or let your kids live and lick a lil?

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7 Comments

2 years 37 weeks

I do let my daughter eat raw cookie dough - but am having second thoughts now. But this does make me laugh: my SIL lets her kids eat the raw dough, but is so stringent on them washing their hands after they touch the raw egg...

2 years 38 weeks

Both the previous commenters are spreading misinformation about egg safety-- something that shouldn't be taken lightly ever, and certainly not during this ongoing outbreak. Contrary to the above statements, washing eggs will NOT reduce or eliminate the risk. Salmonella (and in particular the strain associated most often with egg outbreaks) is found INSIDE the egg, and is passed from chicken to egg during egg formation. Older eggs are riskier, because the pathogen may pass through the white into the yolk. Raw cookie dough is never safe, and should never be given to children. "We did it growing up" is not an excuse-- we did a lot of things in prior decades that now seem pretty foolish (like eating raw hamburger meat while mom made patties). And many of the pathogens have developed in intensity and resistance, so that while you were spared in the 70's, your child may not be so lucky. Purchasing pasteurized eggs (available in the shell at some major retailers) is one way to enjoy raw or undercooked eggs without the risk. - A food safety lawyer

2 years 38 weeks

I disagree that baked goods are worth the wait. Cookie dough and fully baked cookies are two totally different tastes, we indulge in both. Also, something like french toast isn't likely to have cooked long enough to kill the salmonella, so usually eating cookie dough and eating french toast give the exact same amount of risk.

2 years 38 weeks

I've always done it and allowed my kids to as well. It's rare for it to be inside the egg, if you're cleaning your eggs well there's very little risk. In fact, even without it, there's very little risk. It's very uncommon for salmonella outbreaks to happen in the home, the vast majority are in restaurants where eggs aren't as carefully scrubbed. Even then, basic food poisoning is more common from an egg left out (and again in restaurants where large batches of eggs are often left out for longer periods of time). Better yet, buy pasteurized. I'll never deny my kids the joy of cookie dough. They don't get a plateful but they always get a taste when I make cookies. They have a bigger chance of getting sick from homemade burgers or chicken.

Rjs baby girl 2 years 38 weeks

I'm 27 and I did that since I was a kid, never got sick from it. I don't see anything wrong in letting a kid taste it from time to time.

ngocnguyen 2 years 38 weeks

I would not let my daughter try that and I don't do it either. Baked goods are usually worth the wait :)

MissSushi 2 years 38 weeks

no, I don't, and I don't allow my kids/husband to do it. I get mocked pretty much on every front "omg did you get the salmonella rant?!?" from friends and family, but I don't really care. Sorry, but i don't want my kids sick and I'm not picking up your slack while you're sitting on the pot for hours on end.

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